The Tissue-Culture King story
The story tells of biologist captured by an African tribe. It incorporates the idea of immortality based on reproduction from a tissue culture and an early mention of tin foil hats.
14 total · 11 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| collectively intelligent beings | major | Hascombe was endeavoring to use his mass-telepathy technology to create a "super-consciousness". |
| human vs. captivity | major | A biologst and Hascombe were forbidden to leave the African kingdom, but the biologist ultimately escaped and told the tale of what he saw there. |
| mind controlled society | major | Bugala used Hascombe's science to transform his nation into the sort of place where the leader regularly issued commands telepathically to all the citizens. |
| organized religion | major | Elements of the religion practiced in the African nation where the biologist and Hascombe were held captive included a belief in the divinity of the king, a form of ancestor worship, an animal cult, and something vague about sexual practices. |
| religion as a control mechanism | major | Bugala used advanced forms of propaganda in combination with hypnosis and mass-telepathy to consolidate the hold of the national religion on his people. |
| speculative genetic engineering | major | Hascombe tinkered with embryos to create various monstrosities, including three-headed snakes, toads with extra heads, eight-foot tall men to guard the king, dwarfs, and so on. |
| telepathic ability | major | Hascome developed a means for Bugala (or anyone in charge) to telepathically transmit commands to everyone within the national boundaries. |
| telepathic society | major | Bugala used Hascombe's science to transform his nation into the sort of place where the leader regularly issued commands telepathically to all the citizens. |
| the dangers of unfettered scientific advancement | major | The story concluded with the biologist, who narrated the whole thing, urging the reader to think about to what end would the applications of science that Hascombe developed ultimately serve. |
| the lust for power | major | Bugala struck a deal with Hascombe to protect him so long as Hascombe used his scientific powers to help Bugala ascend to the high-priesthood of the national religion. |