As the key handwaver in Bishop's resuscitation (along with Nick and Mark)
I can safely say that everything I did was fairly available now with
the exception of two things:
1) the nanocytes used in the repair of his brain (and the subsequent
reprogramming done on them by IASIC).
2) the programming device that created a binding macromolecule to soak
up the benzodiazepine given to Bishop while he was seizing
Of course, this doesn't include slamming him into the medical
lowberth, which I suppose I could talk about first.
I don't like the idea of freezing people, never have, never will.
The idea that a chemical will be developed that will eliminate ice crystal
damage is far less likely than the process described in Bishop's
"resurrection". Further, it isn't necessary to freeze tissue to
preserve it. How I envision a med lowberth is cold enough to stop
enzymatic processes, reduce tissue demand for oxygen, and with
chemical and mechanical support maintain the body in an arrested
state (or slow it down to allow repair to continue).
Chemically antioxidants and free radical binders are used
to prevent tissue degradation. Anitbiotics/antifungals are needed
to prevent overrun of tissue by foriegn organisms. As the lungs are
not used during the lowberth stay, surfactants are needed to wash out
the lungs upon awakening.
Mechanically, the patient is on bypass to provide oxygen to the
metabolic processes that are still underway, and to prevent blood
sludging and acidosis. By maintaining vasculature, a route is
established for nanocytes to reach repair sites. A russian sleep
set is used to induce a state of delta sleep.
Nanocytes are something of a combined organic/mechanical nature
available in my timeline at about TL 12. Initially only capable
of limited actions of simple tissue repair (e.g. microtrauma),
they become increasingly more programmable to the point where
they can effect limited memory reconstruction by identifying
remaining neuroanatomy, remnants of damaged cells, and
concentrations of neurotransmitters and their byproducts.
The programmable toxin binder functions as a small organic
chemistry lab. Given a particular molecular structure, a semi-
synthetic binder is produced that will bind to that structure.
While in many cases, the structures are stored in mass memory,
some rarely used drugs need to be programmed, and in any case
some production time is needed.
eric