Tales of Tomorrow

"Tales of Tomorrow"

- Brain operation fails to cure thief.

This is a United Press dispatch

dated Pittsburgh, June 19, 1952.

Scientists and doctors are continually investigating

this problem.

The functioning of the criminal mind.

Tonight, Chrysler presents

"The Miraculous Serum"

starring Lola Albright

and Richard Derr

with Louis Hector.

The man's out of his mind.

Miss, Crechief, locate Dr. Scott for me, please.

Oh, there you are.

- I've got it, and it won't wait, a whole new approach.

The thing all medicine has been waiting for.

You gotta help me, Harry.

Did you write this memo?

Yes, certainly, I wrote this memo.

What do you think I'm talking about?

I need a live patient to try this on.

You've gone completely out of your mind.

You realize you are asking me

to violate every medical ethic.

- You can stand there and talk about ethics

when I have discovered a way to save thousands of lives?

Now just a moment. Sit down.

Now I don't mind telling you to your face

that you're the most brilliant biochemist

that I've ever met,

but I want you to understand one thing,

as long as I am head of this hospital,

you will get no living patients to experiment on.

Is that clear?

- All right, so maybe I did kick over the traces, Harry

but this thing is big!

All right, all right now.

Just take it easy.

Now tell me how big.

- Well now, look, if you cut a worm in two,

the worm grows a new front end, right?

Right.

Now the process that makes that happen

in one word is adaptation.

The ability of living things to adjust themselves

to change in condition.

What are you getting at?

- Your body adapts to a cut by growing new skin.

Your blood adapts to disease

by developing white corpuscles to fight germs.

And adaptability is controlled by one thing alone,

the pineal gland.

- The pineal function has never been understood.

It hasn't.

Harry, these last few months of concentrated experimentation

in your labs has uncovered in secret.

I wound up with a fantastic serum.

I tried it on tubercular guinea pigs,

they adapted to the tubercle bacillus.

I brought them from near death

to a complete cure and just under 30 hours.

And then I tried it on a rabid dog.

He adapted.

- Well then, you've got yourself a new specific

and it kills germs.

- And I used it on a cat with a fractured spine.

The spine reassembled itself and grew together.

The same serum?

That's what I'm trying to tell you.

It works on arthritis, pneumonia,

spinal meningitis and toothache.

But now we've gone as far as we can go.

The time has come to try it out on a live human being!

I'm sorry, Harry, I'd like to help you,

but the most broken down patient

in this clinic is still a precious human life.

I can't do it.

Well, I know what you mean

and I appreciate your position as head of this hospital

but I still don't agree with you.

Just a minute, Dan.

I'll tell you what.

I'm promising you nothing

and if ever you quote me, I'll kill you.

But if I get a case that is absolutely hopeless

and I mean really on the last gasp

but conscious enough to grant you permission, then maybe.

- If they're that conscious, you won't call them hopeless.

Thanks anyway, Harry.

I'll send you my lab notes

and if they don't curl your hair, I eat them.

How is she, nurse?

Unbelievable how some of them hang on.

She should have been dead hours ago.

I don't think she'll last much longer.

Well, everything's been done.

Everything.

She hasn't a chance, poor kid.

Is that you, doc?

She's conscious.

Conscious.

Nurse, get ahold of Dr. Scott

and tell him to bring his serum.

He'll understand, hurry.

Doc?

I'm here.

How's it look, doc?

You don't have to tell me, I know.

What is it, Harry?

That'll be all, nurse, thank you.

Last stages of TB, lungs hemorrhaging.

She's only got a few minutes more.

Wait, Dan.

Miss Williams?

Hm?

Miss Williams?

This is Dr. Scott.

He has a serum. It's something new.

It may be dangerous.

He'd like to try it on you.

Why not?

Doesn't matter.

Go ahead, Dan.

She's gone.

Try it again, Harry.

The guinea pigs reacted like that too.

She's alive.

She's alive.

Pulse very slow but quite steady.

Harry,

Dan,

I can't believe it.

Wonderful place you have here, Harry.

Yes, Carol ought to be able

to rest here quite comfortably.

I wonder where she could be.

She should have been here long ago.

- Think it was all right to let her find her own way?

- Oh yes, quite. She knows her way about all right.

I gave a $5 for a taxi fare.

No, I have been having quite a long chat with her.

No, Dan she's quite a nice girl.

She is.

I wonder if she'd been beautiful

if you'd have paid her more attention.

- I guess I must seem sort of odd to you, Harry.

I'm immune to things like that, I guess.

Too busy, too much to do.

Say, where is she?

I don't know.

You don't think she could have had an accident, do you?

I'm going to call the hospital.

I can't stand this.

Where could she be?

We'd better call the police.

I tell you, we can do that, Dan.

We've done harm enough performing an ethical experiment

on an innocent girl.

Which saved her life.

- And letting a girl who's convalescent go out of our care.

I've notified all the emergency boards

and they'll call me if she was picked up sick.

The door.

Good evening.

What is it, please?

Dr. Bache.

- Yes, can I do anything for you?

Aren't you going to let me in?

Good heavens.

Come in, come in.

Well, Dan, don't you know me?

Dan, this is Carol Williams.

You like the way I look?

Like it, well, I never-

Dan, there's something I wanna tell you.

You saved my life, but you gave me more than that.

You gave me the whole world.

Dan, do you understand what I'm telling you?

You me the world

and I love you for it.

Immune, eh?

- Well. - Carol.

Now, young lady.

Where have you been?

I had some shopping to do.

Shopping on $5?

Oh that? Of course not.

I ordered some things sent up.

They'll be here in the morning.

Oh? Where did you get the money?

Well, don't worry, doctor.

They're all paid for.

Oh, government stamp.

Oh, your pipe.

Let me.

Thank you, my dear.

Steady!

- Carol, your hand. - You'll burn your hand.

Harry, there isn't a mark on her.