ADAM Medical Uses

* See also ADAM
* See also ADAM Technology
* See also ADAM_Addled
* See also Splicers
* See also The_Cure
* See also ADAM_Bootlegging
* See also Plasmids/Tonics
==The Old Addage : "As Long As You Have Your Health"==
Rapture Developing Powerful Medical Therapies Using ADAM in the early 1950searly 1950s is over 70 years ago when medical technology was far more primitive than now was a significant Technology.
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The substance known as ADAM has properties useful to medical healing. It is possible that ADAM can assist in the human body's self-regeneration, which might explain why the ADAM-Addicts called Splicers manage to survive physiological damage and disruptions for so long.
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History of ADAM
Rapture Medicine was employing ADAM in its simpler function - That function would be to stimulate Stem Cell conversion to assist in repairing damaged human tissue. No 'genetic' modification was involved. Localization (targeting) of the ADAM at points in the body assisted in maximizing its regenerative effects, and secondary therapies would be used to stabilize the patient while the repairs were in progress. Procedures were carried out/administered under a Physician's supervision. It still would take alot of development work to make the many therapies effective.
ADAM Medicine in Rapture would be a major world technology advancement - using its great ability to regenerate tissue. Without added 'Plasmid' DNA patterns, the body simply would regenerate using the body's own DNA. Processes of doing this would have many manual steps done by Doctors and Technicians ( and not simply be something you drank and Presto 'fixed you up' ). The process would become more streamlined as more was learned and techniques were developed.
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Initial Plasmids were done more surgically ( and very little was done via some automatic drinky ).
Dentistry - Teeth can be restored ( may have been one of the earliest ADAM medical therapy uses ). 
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Some of Rapture's Greatest Achievements : 
Cures for Cancer (some anyway) and other degenerative conditions like Cirrhosis of the Liver and Heart Disease. 
Consider how much certain rich people would pay for secret life-saving treatments.
Perhaps it was one of the types of things which Fontaine was Smuggling out ( to pay for all the Contraband he was bringing in - Yeah, Right, the people the smugglers dealt with would take Ryan Dollars ... --- No, it had to be something of value on the surface - Sufficient value to also cover the covert circumstances and likely criminal involvement ).
Selling such a 'Miracle Cure' ( to certain rich people OR induce them to move to Rapture WITH THEIR MONEY ) also would be a way to raise more money to bring in further resources to make Rapture Self-Sustainable.
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 NO 'Quick' Healing In The BioShock MMORPG :
Shouldn't heal as fast as in the Solo games (( They have to, or you get 'Zerg Rushed' and would die so often/quickly you would soon quit playing, and complain in the Online Forum, and soon have a mass public 'panning' of the game - with everyone besides the game magazine 'yes-men' saying "screw it" and not buying, and then a $150 million dollar loss for the game company and the death of the brand ... )) 
Anyway - In the MMORPG You aren't a mentally affected Splicer any more, and your perception of time isn't as messed up (Actually you previously had to go take a smoking break to wait for the ADAM Medi-kits to do their work, while you desperately staunched the bleeding OR you were 'out of it' for 3 days while the Vita-Chamber did all the repairs of all the serious damage that bullets/fire/blunt instruments had created on your body. ((( In BS1 and BS2 you were a 'mentally fucked up' Splicer by that point in all the games, so don't be so incredulous ))).
Now (in the MMORPG) you have to compensate as parts of your body don't quite work anymore, and you have to desperately drag yourself off to a safe spot ( deploying a few BoobieTraps to dissuade your opponents from following you - YES, you might actually have to be Clever and Creative, or at least Prepared ... ) -- and then you try to get your radio to work ( damned solid walls and balky radio-cell repeaters !!! ) to call for your NPC 'Team' to come Rescue you ...
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Other Medicine :
Outside of Rapture there was an entire spectrum of Anti-Biotics being developed around the time of BS1 ( The "Sulfa drugs" (sulfonamides) used in WW2 were also fairly new. )
ie- Streptomycin as a cure for Tuberculosis ( responsible for the closing of lots of TB Sanitariums ... )
Report on the Incidents of Syphilis ...
Penicillin still worked ... What does ADAM do for you if you are still infected ??? Boost your general immune system, but is it enough for advanced infection ??? ADAM doesn't kill bacteria ( and doesn't work on Viruses ). It might help regenerate/expand the bodies immunological systems, but some diseases may move too fast,/be too advanced. So Anti-Biotics would still be needed for various medical treatments.
Alot of information on Anti-Biotics was to be had, though pharmaceutical companies would keep their production processes as trade secrets, and developing such were not cheap, so it is unlikely many would be economical to be done in Rapture.
Many Anti-Biotics don't keep/last in storage, so obtaining supplies of these might continue even after the 1952 imposed isolation ( even with Raptures attempts to become self-sufficient ).
Production of such things might be important in New Rapture ( but hampered by the disruptions to most things required for that ).
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Fountain of Youth Tonic : 
"The Player will slowly regenerate health and EVE when in contact with water. Received at Research level 4 of Spider Splicers".
Interesting mutation attribute of Spider Splicers - The most physically modified Splicers we see in the game ( second might be Brutes -- we are excluding Gilbert Alexander ... ). Somehow having affinity with water ( leaks being salt water -- NOTE - MMORPG, need more salt stains on terrain ) and getting some regeneration from it ( many mollusks, like Sea Slugs, can regenerate tissue ).
Similar to the effects on Little Sisters, which normally making them impervious to the Player ( required for 'Politically Correct' game purposes ), except for the undoubtably massive damage done while 'Harvesting'.
Well, regeneration was the original physiological effect seen when ADAM was discovered ( not mentioned was how fast it worked ), and it IS a bit simpler than trying to overlay new genetic patterns on the targeted organism.
Lost Opportunity : Spider Splicers very hard to kill (regenerative) and you had to BURN THEM like you do Mummies in "D & D"D&D - "Dungeons and Dragons" game genre ?
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Value For ADAM Used As ... Med-Kits :
When Tenenbaum first discovered ADAM, all that she knew of it was that it had healed a crippled man's hand. Logically the first thing she and her financial backer Fontaine would have done would be to use the ADAM to create a new medical wonder-drug, sell it to the public and put the profits into further research. This might also explain how a Spider Splicer organs function as Med-Kit. The organs are full of ADAM and, with whatever combination of Tonics/Plasmids make up a Spider Splicer, can be converted to a equivalent of a Med-Kit.
The Med-Kit biological mechanism must be a somewhat different than that employed by Plasmids/Tonics as they repair damage instead of making genetic changes. Probably are a simpler form of Tenenbaum's X-Cell therapy used in the 'Cure' to repair massive 'Splicer Disease' genetic damage.
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"Trypanophobia" - An extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles.
How about for ones ( ADAM and EVE Injectors ) that look the size of knitting needles ???
Corpses with Little Sisters sticking their tool are past caring ( Unless Zombie Corpses )
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ADAM Medical System - More Than Rocket Science :
Use of ADAM for other Medical uses : ADAM-based repairs Med/Rejuvenation system doesn't have to lead to the same DNA damage/impairments as the Plasmids/Tonics, as no NEW/different DNA/RNA is introduced ( to later become defective/damaged/disruptive ). The ability to convert cells back to Stem-Cells ( unformed generic cell/tissue ) is used within the patient's body to rebuild its original DNA patterned tissue. 
Very Specific Therapies would be done to repair/renew specific tissues. Genetically manipulated tissue - for organ replacements/transplants/regeneration, correcting scar tissues. Culturing of skin for treating burns ( and plastic surgery ) was made possible fairly early.
Of course this has to be localized/guided as to what tissue, and carefully controlled ( even moderated so that too much tissue isn't neutralized so to disrupt the patients body functions ). New tissue has to integrate correctly into the unchanged tissue around it.
((( Sorry, no magic Quantumz involved, as this is RAPTURE ( "Bio" Shock ) -- Not "MAGIC KKK Unicorn Floatyshit(tm) Fantasy candy-coated-garbage Shock". )))
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More ADAM Medical Use - Culturing of Tissues :
Culturing of Tissues (using ADAM) used for some more manual medical repairs of humans (ie- Transplants), AND as a Target for the Testing of various 'Cure'/treatments WITHOUT having to use ( more costly/problematic ) live test subjects ( at least in earlier stages -- facilitating an easier/expedited Test process ).
As more medical experience using ADAM was accumulated over a period of years ( instead of weeks, as in the later Fantasy BS game ), then more treatments existed and more understanding of the body's systems, leading to the genetic tailoring done in the more complex Plasmids and Tonics.
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Medical ADAM :
Various surgery repairs (surgery repairs in Little Sister-land) were possible using ADAM, and we only got a subset of all the medical products that existed ( like the ones Steinman use in his work ... ) If you can grow a Flamethrower Arm, you could rebuilt a Human Voice Box ( though it might not sound exactly the same ). Tenenbaum could have applied something like that to regenerate the required tissue ( and other things ) before de-Tonicing/de-Plasmidizing, or whatever else she did to get Jack back 'closer to normalcy', and to avoid all the 'genetic turbulence' which twisted most Splicers who did only a fraction of the Splicing Jack had done).
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Dentistry, The New Rapturian Way :
Some of these Splicers have really bad teeth. One hopes "The Clinic" in New Rapture, as part of their reconstituting Splicers (The Cure), will fix their teeth along with other things to make the patients human again. I suppose the X-Cell Therapies, if they can regeneratively undo the tumors and other deformations, should also be able to do Teeth. The repair work may take a great deal longer on the severely mutated ( like Spider Splicers/Crawlers ) and for repairs that aren't only 'soft tissue'.
There will be 'therapy' process schedules, where certain steps are done - ordered for more optimal results -- Such as reapplying genetic teeth corrections AFTER Plasmids have been largely removed from a Splicers system, so that the regeneration can take place without 'genetic turbulence' complicating things. I could see an interesting (to some) 'Therapy Scheduling' Mini-Game being created to represent this process - working a solution for efficiency, despite various limitations and complications - all with a pretty glitzy looking symbolic game interface. All in the name of saving fellow Citizens of course....
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ADAM Dentistry - Regenerate Your Own Teeth With No Genetic Mods Being Required (Tonic ?)
* Squidd's Dental Cream :
"Bristol-Myers Squibb" was a real company - Squibb's was advertised in Times Square in the 1920s ... A tooth paste (not a denture fixative).
Rapture, even with regrowable Teeth ( Hmm, how does that work - its not soft tissue ... ) people might still brush their teeth alot ( rotting teeth smell as well ). There may have been more cosmetic desire for 'white teeth', while cavities might be countered by Rapture medical science (with or without ADAM's help). 
Regrowing teeth is a somewhat longer process to have performed, probably like most of the earlier ADAM medical uses.
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More ADAM Fine Print Warnings ( Just About All of These Were Taken From Real TV Commercials ) : 
Stop using ADAM Product IF you start having the Following Symptoms(Symptumz) :
* Loss of balance/coordination 
* Feelings of wanting to smack your head against a wall or wear a box over it
Warning - This Product May Cause :
* Abnormal bleeding 
* Anal leakage (OR excessive anal leakage)
* Anemia
* Anxiety
* Bleeding from eyes, nose and mouth
* Blindness[3]
* Blisters 
* Blood Clots
* Blurred vision
* Bone and Muscle ache (No wonder Splicers are so cranky)
* Compulsive Behavior -- You become a Compulsive Gambler ( is actually real from a class action drug lawsuit commercial )
* Crystal formations on skin
* Cutis laxa
* Death[3]
* Dementia
* Diarrhea
* Digestive problems
* Extreme drowsiness
* Fits of breaking into song
* Hair loss
* Hair patches
* Hallucinations
* Headache
* Heterochromia iridum
* Hormone imbalance
* Indigestion
* Inflammatory bowel disease ( no wonder Splicers were so cranky )
* Insanity
* Insomnia
* Jaundice
* "Leakage"
* Lesions
* Lethargy & fatigue
* Major bleeding events
* Make it longer for Bleeding to Stop
* Memory loss
* Metallosis ( metal in the blood - probably Big Daddies get this in spades )
* Nausea and vomiting
* Nightmares, insomnia
* Paranoia
* Pseudotumor
* Rash, itch, flatulence (in any order)
* Rectal Bleeding
* Seizures
* Severe joint pain
* Shaking and muscle spasms
* Shedding of hair ( and permanent hair loss ), finger nails, and teeth.
* Shingles
* Sleepwalking
* Spider veins
* Stroke 
* Sudden bouts of Shrieking
* Swelling of hands/feet/ankles
* Swelling of tongue, nose, throat, feet
* Swollen gums
* Syndactyly
* Tenderness
* Tingling back pain
* Tooth loss
* Torn Stomach or Intestines
* Trouble breathing
* Trouble swallowing
* Tumors
* Uncontrollable Verbal Profanity
* Varicose veins
* Vitiligo
* Weakening of your Immune System
Do Not Use If You Have :
* New or worrisome Heart Disease 
* Recent fungal infection
* Excessive thirst or urination
* Kidney problems
* Flu-like symptoms 
* Lockjaw
* Ruptured Spleen
* Blood, liver, and respiratory problems
Possible issues with tissue rejection and reaction to foreign matter
More Symptoms :
* Anemia 
* Arteriosclerosis 
* Arthritis 
* Asthenia 
* Diabetes 
* Epilepsy 
* General Debility 
* Gastric Neurosis 
* Heart Disease 
* High Blood Pressure 
* Hyperthyroid 
* Hysteria 
* Impaired Virility 
* Infection 
* Kidney Troubles 
* Muscular Atrophy, Neuralgia 
* Neurasthenia 
* Neuritis 
* Obesity 
* Prostatitis 
* Rheumatism 
* Senility 
* Sexual Decline 
MORE Symptoms and Side-effects :
* Brain Fog
* Stiff muscles or Uncontrollable muscle movement
* Muscle Cramp
* Incontinence
* Stroke
* Pneumonia 
* Death
* Impaired Vision 
* Hair Loss or Thinning
* Blisters
* Swelling Gums and Tongue
* Circulation problems in Arms and Legs that can lead to Amputaions
* Fear of Squirrels (stay out of Arcadia)
* Bloating
* Eye Drooping
* Severe Cracking of Fingernails
* May Bruise Easily
* Brain Fog
* Rectal Bleeding
* Tissue Burning
* Eyelid Swelling
* Hives
* Itching and Swelling
* Mental Confusion
* Skin Thickening
* Thrush
* Risk of Infection
* Brain Infection
* Flu-like Symptoms
* Memory Loss
* Religious Mania
* Allergies
* Tunnel Vision
* Lung Infection
* Pseudo-Tumors
* Abdominal Pain
* Dehydration
* Pancreatitis sp?
* Increased Risk of Depression
* Angio-Edema (sp)
* Problems Urinating
* Loss of Appetite
* Blood, Liver and Nervous problems
* Chronic Hiccuping
* Oily Discharge
* Drumming 'out of control' fingers
* Incidents of 'The Screaming Shits' ...
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With all the stuff like this, how the hell did so many Splicers stay alive for so long ??
* Regenerative Powers of ADAM Residuals
* ADAM Shortages slowed use ( including time in between to recover ) 
* Low Usage by many people ( too expensive, not needed, avoided )
* Ryan's Products being less slipshod in their quality
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 "WE CAN REBUILD HIM !!!" :
Remember that many Diseases, after they are gone, have left damage to the body. One of the things ADAM can do is to REFORM AND REBUILD tissues following the patients own (original) DNA. A true miracle drug ... 
Such an ability would be VERY valuable up on the Surface with Ryan possibly utilizing it to gain money ( or make bribes ) for further building ( and inevitable corrections to ) his City. It likely would have to be a 'process' ( not some simplistic injection ) which would increase the difficulty of employing it as an easy "Export", and make it hard for disorganized Smugglers to use it as their payment for the Contraband they obtained and Imported.
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"Brain Bleach" Tonic - Solution To The NOBODY CAN LEAVE Issue :
An attempt ( project requested by Ryan ) to get a 'Mind Wipe' therapy to use on people being ejected from Rapture ( versus just volunteering them to die, like Sofia Lamb would ). Something like it is used as part of 'The_Cure' in the New Rapture Clinic to repair brain damage caused by ADAM Disease.
ADAM can do so many other things so easily, WHY NOT THIS ( Easy - it would ruin the Dystopian Story ). Excuses could be made that it worked too well, and Ryan's Philosophy wouldn't allow him to STEAL peoples minds/personality/memories. Perhaps something like this WAS used in cleaning up Big Daddy Brains to take in their required Conditioning and Training.
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Nitrogen Narcosis :
Treatment seen on in-game advertisements -- Why ? In Raptures early days divers did alot of work ( the minor depths close to Ocean Surface for pre-construction - Not many went down deep where the City was ). But with constant diving even to only 100 feet, there are still many pressure effects. ADAM-based solutions only came along LONG after most of the City construction was finished ( ~1952 ).
http://rapturearchives.org/img/ads/ad_reliable_pharmacy.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_narcosis (Why few divers worked around city...)
One of the important genetic mods (a Tonic) which Big Daddies ( Construction Cyborgs ) had was to prevent this problem and allowed them to operate at depths many times any non-Hardsuited diver could.
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Tourniquets used in ADAM Therapy ( ex - when the active area was within a Limb )
Restrictions of blood flow for specific treatment placement within the body. Earlier ADAM applications were less 'promoter'-controlled, and required far more precise manual techniques.
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With All The Commercials For The Little Blue Pill Now On TV :
How such subjects fit into this game would be dependent on what the Age Rating is and possibly how creative the Euphemisms might be done. The Scene in "The Pink Pearl" (in BS2) With A Splicer Trying To Proposition a Prostitute was about as far as the Previous games went.
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