" At this point Dr." At this point Dr. van Damme retired. Leaving Joe to contemplate her cryptic announcement as he drifted off into unconsciousness. CHAPTER 4 Joe lay in his bed. He didn't want to get out of it. Even walking across his small room to the toilet seemed to wear him out. He'd lost all track of time and didn't know how long he had been here. Severe diarrhea had afflicted him shortly after his arrival, he'd lost a lot of weight, and was exceedingly thin. He still didn't feel quite right, his skin was pasty white, he'd grown a beard, and his sex drive had vanished. This last worried him most. Joe had always prided himself on his virility. He couldn't even get a hard on to masturbate, no matter how erotic his thoughts. Joe's image was displayed on a video monitor in the conference room. The doctor in charge of this phase of his treatment addressed the audience in the room. "Treatment has proceeded along the determined lines. The administered dosages of the prototype drug A6D have been effective. Subject's testes are no longer producing sperm or male hormones and are degenerating. There has been an ensuing loss of interest in sex as a result. Subject is, in effect, castrated. I recommend that A6D be commercially developed and made available to those governments that have expressed an interest in such a treatment for chronic sex offenders." "Thank you doctor," said Dr. van Damme. "Your work, as always, is praiseworthy. Now our genetic engineering department will have the floor." A bearded young man, looking barely old enough to be a graduate student, approached the podium. "As you all know we have conducted extensive research into recombinant DNA theory. One of the easiest DNA chains to manipulate is that of the bacteria, Escherichia coli, which lives in the human digestive tract. A bacteriophage was introduced into subjects diet which exterminated all E. coli resident in his body. Subject then consumed foodstuffs containing our modified species. It has thrived and far exceeded our expectations." "This introduced species produces natural estrogenic compounds as waste, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of the large intestine. Analysis shows that the subject's hormonal balance is now that of a mature female. |