time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第35章

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bad　gene　in　its　gonads…a　happy　oute。
　　
　　Both　these　statistical　processes　slowly　weeded　out　bad　genes　from　the　race's　gene　pool。
　　
　　Unfortunately　the　first　of　these　processes　often　produced　babies　viable　but　too　handicapped；　they　needed　help　to　stay　alive…sometimes　needing　economic　help；　born　losers；　who　never　managed　to　support　themselves；　sometimes　needing　plastic　surgery　or　endocrine　therapy　or　other　interventions　or　supports。　When　Captain　Aaron　Sheffield　had　been　practicing　medicine　（on　Ormuzd　and　under　another　name）；　he　had　gone　through　stages　of　increasing　frustration　over　these　poor　unfortunates。
　　
　　At　first　he　had　tried　to　practice　therapy　by　the　Hippocratic　Oath…or…close　to　it；　he　was　by　temperament　unable　to　follow　any　man…made　rule　blindly。　Then　he　had　had　a　period　of　temporary　mental　aberrance　during　which　he　had　sought　a　political　solution　to　what　he　saw　as　a　great　danger：　reproduction　by　defectives。　He　tried　to　persuade　his　colleagues　to　refuse　therapy　to　hereditary　defectives　unless　they　were　sterile　or　sterilized　or…　willing　to　accept　being　sterilized　as　a　precondition　for　receiving　therapy。　Worse　yet；　he　had　attempted　to　include　in　the　definition　of　〃hereditary　defective〃　those　who　displayed　no　stigmata　save　that　they　had　never　managed　to　be　self…supporting……on　a　pla　not　overcrowded　and　which　he　himself　had　selected　centuries　earlier　as　nearly　ideal　for　human　beings。
　　
　　He　got　nowhere；　he　encountered　nothing　but　fury　and　contempt…save　for　a　few　colleagues　who　agreed　with　him　privately　and　denounced　him　publicly。　As　for　laymen；　tar…andfeathers　was　the　mildest　medicine　they　prescribed　for　Dr。　〃Genocide。〃
　　
　　When　his　license　to　practice　was　lifted；　…Lazarus　regained　his　normal　emotional　detachment。　He　shut　up；　realizing　that　grim　old　Mother　Nature；　red　of　tooth　and　claw；　invariably　punished　damnfools　who　tried　to　ignore　Her　or　to　repeal　Her　ordinances；　he　need　not　interfere。
　　
　　So　he　moved　and　changed　his　name　again　and　started　to　get　ready　to　go　off…pla…when　a　plague　hit　Ormuzd。　He　had　shrugged　and　gone　back　to　work；　an　unfrocked　physician　whose　services　were　temporarily　wele。　Two　years　and　a　quarter　of　a　billion　deaths　later　he　was　offered　his　license　back…subject　to　good　behavior。
　　
　　He　told　them　what　to　do　with　that　license　and　left　Ormuzd　as　quickly　as　possible；　eleven　year　later。　He　was　a　professional　gambler　during　that　wait；　that　being　the　handiest　way　he　could　see　at　the　time　for　saving　up　the　necessary。
　　
　　Sorry；　Minerva；　I　was　talking　about　those　mirror　twins。　So　the　silly　little　wench　was　knocked　up；　which　caused　me　to　slip　back　into　my　baby…cotching；　country…doctor　persona；　and　I　stayed　up　all　night　worrying　about　her　and　her　brother　and　the　baby　they　were　going　to　have…unless　I　did　something　about　it。　To　find　out　what　I　should　do；　I　had　to　reconstruct　what　had'happened　and　from　that　what　could　happen。　Having　no　certain　data；　I　had　to　follow　that　old　rule　for　finding　a　lost　mule。
　　
　　First　I　had　to　think　like　that　slave　factor。　A　man　who　auctions　slaves　is　a　scoundrel　but　too　smart　to　risk　a　caper　in　which　he　might　wind　up　a　slave　himself；　or　dead　if　he　was　lucky…which　is　what　would　happen　to　one　who　played　fast　and　loose　on　Blessed　with　the　authority　of　a　bishop。　Ergo；　the　scoundrel　had　believed　what　he　had　said。
　　
　　That　being　so；　I　could　table　the　question　of　why　this　factor　was　missioned　to　sell　these　two；　while　I　tried　to　think　like　a　priest…scientist　engaged　in　human　biological　experimentation。　Forget　the　chance　that　these　two　were　ordinary　siblings…no　point　in　picking　such　a　pair　even　for　a　swindle。　Forget　the　chance　that　they　were　unrelated　in　any　fashion；　as　in　such　a　case　it　would　simply　be　a　normal　case　of　breeding。　Sure；　sure；　any　woman　can　give　birth　to　a　monster；　as　even　with　the　most　gei？ally　hygienic　of　breeding　a　bad　mutation　can　show　up…and　an　alert　midwife　may　neglect　to　give　that　first　life　giving　spank…and　many　have。
　　
　　So　I　considered　only　the　third　hypothesis：　plementary　diploids　from　the　same　parents。　What　would　this　experimenter　do？　What　would　I　do？
　　
　　I　would　use　as　near　perfect　stock　as　I　could　find　and　not　start　the　experiment　until　I　had　both　a　male　and　a　female　parent　who　tested　〃clean〃　geically　in　the　most　subtle　ways　for　which　I　could　test…which　on　Blessed　meant　quite　sophisticated　ways；　for　that　century。　For　a　selected　gene　site　and　an　assumption　of　50…50　in　the　Mendelian　distribution　of　25…50…25；　this　pre…experiment　testing　would　chop　off　the　25　percent　chance　of　reinforcement　of　a　bad　recessive　and　leave　a　distribution　of　one…third　bad；　two…thirds　good；　at　the　parent　generation…possible　parents　of　possible　Joes　and　Llitas；　that　is。
　　
　　Now　I　start　putting　together　mirror　twins　in　my　persona　as　a　'priest…experimenter。　What　happens？　If　we　consider　the　minimum　number　of　gametes　needed　to　represent　this　ohird　and　two…thirds　distribution；　we　get　eighteen　possible　〃Joes；〃　eighteen　possible　〃Llitas〃…but　in　both　male　and　female　two　of　them　show　up　as　〃bad〃…the　bad　recessive　has　reinforced　and　the　zygote　is　defective；　the　experimenter　eliminates　them　。　。　or　he　may　not　need　to；　the　reinforcement　may　be　lethal。
　　
　　We　wind　up　at　this　point　with　an　8　&　1/3　percent　improvement；　or　a　total　improvement　of　25　percent　in　favorable　chances　for　Llita's　baby。　I　felt　better。　If　you　add　the　fact　that　I　am　the　sort　of　a　midwife　who　is　too　busy　helping　the　mother　to　stop　to　spank　a　monster；　the　favorable　chances　went　way　up。
　　
　　But　all　that　this　shows　is　that　bad　genes　tend　to　be　eliminated　at　each　generation…with　the　tendency　greatest　with　the　worst　genes　and　reaching　100　percent　whenever　reinforcement　produces　a　lethal…in…womb…while　favorable　genes　are　conserved。　But　we　knew　that…and　it　applies　also　to　normal　outbreeding　and　even　more　strongly　to　inbreeding；　although　the　latter　is　not　well　thought　of　for　humans　as　it　hikes　up　the　chances　of　a　defective　by　precisely　the　same　amount　that　it　weeds…that　being　the　hazard　that　I　was　afraid　of　for　Llita。　Everybody　wants　the　human　gene　pool　cleaned　up；　but　nobody　wants　its　tragic　aspects　to　take　place　in　his　own　family。　Minerva；　I　I　was　beginning　to　think　of　these　kids　as　〃my　family。〃
　　
　　I　still　did　not　know　anything　about　〃mirror　twins。〃　I　decided　to　investigate　a　more　probable　incidence　of　bad　recessives　at　a　given　site。　Fifty…fifty　is　far　too　high　for　a　really　bad　gene；　the　weeding　is　drastic；　and　the　incidence　drops　to　a　lower　percentage　each　generation；　until　the　incidence　of　a　particular　bad　gene　is　so　low　that　reinforcement　at　fertilization　is　a　rare　event；　as　reinforcement　is　the　square　of　the　incidence；　e。g。；　if　one…in…a…hundred　haploids　carry　this　bad　gene；　then　it　will　be　reinforced　one…in…ten…thousand　fertilizations。　I　speak　of　the　total　gene　pool；　or　in　this　case　a　minimum　of　two　hundred　adult　zygotes；　female　and　male；　random　breeding　in　such　a　pool　will　bring　together　that　bad　reinforcement　only　by　that　long　chance…a　chance　happy　or　unhappy　depending　on　whether　you　look　at　it　impersonally　in　terms　of　cleaning　the　gene　pool　or　personally　in　terms　of　individual　human　tragedy。
　　
　　I　looked　at　it　very　personally；　I　wanted　Llita　to　have　a　healthy　baby。
　　
　　Minerva。　I'm　sure　you　recognized　that　25…50…25　distribution　as　representing　the　most　drastic　case　of　inbreeding；　one　which　can　happen　only　half　the　time　with　line　breeding；　only　a　quarter　of　the　time　with　full　siblings；　in　both　cases　through　chromosome　reduction　at　meiosis。　A　stockbreeder　uses　this　drastic　measure　regularly…and　culls　the　defectives　and　winds　up　with　a　healthy　stabilized　line。　I　have　a　nasty　suspicion　that　such　culling　after　inbreeding　was　sometimes　used　among　royalty　back　on　old　Earth…but　certainly　such　culling　was　not　used　often　enough　or　drastically　enough。　Royalism　might　work　quite　well　if　kings　and　queens　were　treated　like　racehorses…but　regrettably　they　never　were。　Instead；　they　we？e　propped　up　like　welfare　clients；　and　princelings　who　should　have　been　culled　were　encouraged　to　breed　like　rabbits…bleeders；　feebleminded；　you　name　it。　When　I　was　a　kid；　〃royalty〃
　　
　　was　a　bad　joke　based　on　the　worst　possible　breeding　methods。
　　
　　Captain　Sheffield　investigated　next　a　lower　incidence　of　a　bad　gene：　Assume　a　lethal　gene　in　the　gene　pool　from　whi　h　Joe　and　Llita's　parents。　were　derived。　Being　lethal；　it。　could　exist　in　an　adult　zygote　only　if　it　was　masked　in　gene…pair　by　its　benign　twin。　Assume　a　5　percent　masked　incidence　in　zygotes…still　too　high　to　be　realistic　for　a　lethal　gene…but　check　it　anyhow。　What　trend　would　show？
　　
　　Parent　zygote　generation：　100　females；　100　males；　each　a　possible　parent　for　Llita　and　for　Joe…and　5　of　the　females　and　5　of　the　males　carry　the　lethal　gene；　masked。
　　
　　Parent　haploid　stage：　200　ova；　5　of　which　carry　the　lethal　gene；　200　spermatozoa；　5　of　which　carry　the　lethal　gene。
　　
　　Son…and…daughter　zygote　generation　（possible　〃Joes〃　and　possible　〃Uitas〃）：　25　dead　through　reinforcement　of　lethal　gene；　1；950　carrying　the　lethal　gene　masked；　38；025　〃clean〃　at　that　site。
　　
　　Sheffield　noted　that　a　hypothetical　hermaphrodite　had　crept　in　through　not　doubling　his　sample　size　in　order　to　avoid　anomaly　through　odd　numbers；　Oh；　the　hell　with！…it　did　not　change　the　statistical　oute。　No；　do　it！…start　with　a　sample　of　200　males　and　200　females　with　the　same　lethal…gene　incidence　for　that　site。　This　gave　him：
　　
　　400　ova；　10　with　the　lethal　gene；
　　
　　400　spermatozoa；　10　with　that　lethal　gene…10'）
　　
　　…which　gave　in　the　next　zygote　generation　（possible　〃Joes〃　and　〃Llitas〃）：　100　dead；　7；800　carriers；　152；100　〃clean〃…　which　changed　no　percentages　but　got　rid　of　that　imaginary　hermaphrodite。　Sheffield　considered　briefly　the　love　life　of　an　hermaphrodite；　then　got　back　to　work。　The　numbers　became　very　cumbersome；　jumping　to　the　billions　in　the　next　zygote　generation　（i。e。；　Little　Nameless；　now　just　started　in　Llita's　belly　）…l　5；210；000　culled　by　reinforcement；　1。216。800；000　carriers；　24；336；000；000　〃clean〃…and　again　he　wished　for　a　clinic　puter　and　tediously　converted　the　unhandy　numbers　into　percentages：　0。059509　percent；　4。759　percent；　95。18　percent　plus。
　　
　　This　showed　a　decided　improvement：　approximately　1　defect　out　of　1；680　（instead　of　1　out　of　1；600）；　the　percentage　of　carriers　decrease　to　below　5　percent　and　the　number　of　〃clean〃　increased　to　above　95　percent　in　one　generation。
　　
　　Sheffield　worked　several　such　problems　to　confirm　what　he　had　seen　by　inspection：　A　child　from　plementary　diploid　（〃mirror　twins〃）　had　at　least　as　much　chance　of　being　healthy　as　did　the　offspring　of　unrelated　strangers…plus　the　happy　fact　that　such　a　baby's　chances　were　improved　by　culling　at　one　or　more　stages　by　the　priest…scientist　who　had　initiated　the　experimention　…　almost　certain　assumption　and　one　that　made　Joe　the　best　possible　mate　for　his　〃sister〃　rather　than　the　worst。
　　
　　Llita　could　have　her　baby。
　　
　　VARIATIONS　ON　A　THEME
　　
　　VII
　　
　　Valhalla　to　Landfall
　　
　　…the　best　I　could　for　them；　Minerva。　Every　so　often　some　idiot　tries　to　abolish　marriage。　Such　attempts　work　as　well　as　repealing　the　law　of　gravity；　making　pi　equal　to　three　point　zero；　or　moving　mountains　by　prayer。　Marriage　is　not　something　thought　up　by　priests　and　inflicted　on　mankind；　marriage　is　as　much　a　part　of　mankind's　evolutionary　equipment　as　his　eyes；　and　as　useful　to　the　race　as　eyes　are　to　an　individual。
　　
　　Surely；　marriage　is　an　economic　contract　to　provide　for　children　and　to　take　care　of　mothers　while　they　bear　kids　and　bring　them　up…but　it　is　much　more　than　that。　it　is　the　means　this　animal；　Homo　sap。；　has　evolved…quite　unconsciously…for　performing　this　indispensable　function…and　be　happy　while　doing　so。
　　
　　Why　do　bees　split　up　into　queens；　drones；　and　workers；　then　live　as　one　big　family？　Because；　for　them；　it　works。　How　is　it　that　fish　do　okay　with　hardly　a　nodding　acquaintance　between　mama　fish　and　papa　fish？　Because　the　blind　forces　of　evolution　made　that　way　work　for　them。　Why　is　it　that　〃marriage〃…by　whatever　name…is　a？universal　institution　among　human　beings　everywhere？　Don't　ask　a　theologian；　don't　ask　a　lawyer；　this　institution　existed　long　before　it　was　codified　by　church　or　state。　It　works；　that's　all；　for　all　its　faults　it　works　far　better　by　the　only　universal　test…survival…than　any　of　the　endless　inventions　that　shallow…pates　over　the　millennia　have　tried　to　substitute　for　it。
　　
　　I　am　not　speaking　monogamy；　I　mean　all　forms　of　marriage…monogamy；　polyandry；　polygyny；　plural　and　extended　marriages　with　various　thrills。　〃Marriage〃　has　endless　customs；　rules；　arrangements。　But　it　is　〃marriage〃　if…and…only…if　the　arrangement　both　provides　for　children　and　pensates　the　adults。　For　human　beings；　the　only　acceptable　pensation　for　the　drawbacks　of　marriage　lies　in　what　men　and　women　can　give　each　other。
　　
　　I　don't　meast　〃Eros；~'　Minerva。　Sex　baits　the　trap；　but　sex　is　not　marriage；　nor　is　it　reason　enough　to　stay　married。　Why　bteed　a　cow　when　milk　is　cheap？
　　
　　panionship；　partnership；　mutual　reassurance；　someone　to　laugh　with　and　grieve　with；　loyalty　that　accepts　foibles；　someone　to　touch；　someone　to　hold　your　hand…