Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 51 — page 114: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BLACKDOWN MIRACLE commenced to manufacture an organic fluid which entered the blood stream and im- mediately neutralised the A.P. germ. The manufacturing pro- cess continued throughout the creature’s life without notice- able ill-effects. In fact, ten years ago, it was calculated that ninety-two per cent of all rodent rabbits were self- immunised in this way. “And here, gentlemen, are the facts of real concern. Jf we could take just ten cubic centimetres of this anti-A.P. blood, and extract its active constituent, we would have enough serum to save the lives of half a dozen infected people—for the rabbit’s Archaio-Pestes and our new disease, Toxineuroglia, are very nearly the same thing. ‘Tragically, we can’t do it—because there are now no rodent rabbits, therefore no serum producers.” The shape on the screen dissolved, switches clicked, and the lecture room became a dazzling white cavern. A young man standing on the low dais before the screen blinked at his audience, paused a moment, then: “Right, gentlemen. Now let’s have your reactions.” The reactions came fast, several voices spoke at once. Finally, one with a high-. pitched nasal tone dominated the room. “*Are we to gather then that salvation for the human race really depends on whether or not any surviving wild rabbits can be found ?” The lecturer nodded gravely. “‘That’s about it, in a nut- shell.”’ Another voice broke in. “But, doc, you people must have had a surviving rabbit to play with once, or you’d never have discovered the serum process and got these pictures we’ve just seen, in the first place.” “One of our research scien- tists was taking a short holiday in Canada, recovering from a nervous breakdown, when he came into possession of a live rabbit and tried to keep it alive, just to take his mind off things. No doubt he entertained the slender hope of owning a zoological rarity. The rabbit, of course, died— it had already contracted 113 comiclooks.com