I'm of the opinion that a mechanical prosthetic will always be cheaper (well,
*most* of the time) then the higher forms of replacements, and as such will
always be in use to some extent. Bionics and prosthetics might be used by
people who for some strange reason cannot tolerate a organic replacement.
There might also be those who cannot tolerate mechanical replacements and would
require organic or cloned replacements. In a society were most 'handicaps' can
be corrected, I expect that the social attitude toward 'cripples' might take on
a negative context.
prosthetic: cheapest. ugly, only minimally lifelike (pink plastic). Can be
supplied the quickest, but does require a retraining period. the minimum
replacement to nullify a "handicap" or "cripple". Usually used by the state to
allow cripples to be productive again and off welfare, or by people who cannot
afford a better replacement.
Bionic: expensive. can be lifelike, but even more expensive. Provides
greater then normal abilities. Used mostly by those who want the greater then
normal abilities, or those who cannot tolerate organic replacements. Can be
supplied quickly or may require a significant period, depending on how custom
the replacement is. Requires a retraining period.
Organic: Price may vary according to the availablity of replacement parts.
This is essentially a 'donated' organ from an organ bank. Can be supplied
quickly from an organ bank, and the retraining period can vary significantly.
Regrown: This the method of forcing/convincing the host body to regrown/
regenerate the replacement organ itself. Can be costly or cheap, depending on
the TL, mostly drug and environmental therapy. Very Slow, but sure, very low
chance of rejection. May require complete rest and care of the host body or
not depending on TL. Retraining takes place during the regrowth period. Some
use allowed during the regrowth period.
Cloned: This is the method of cloning a replacement from a host tissue sample.
A Whole body may need to be cloned for the replacement part or not. Ethical
considerations. Cloned parts may be kept in an organ bank, but are rated as
'cloned' only for the donar hosts.
Sorry for the disjointedness, but I just wanted to zip this off...
Jim Baranski