6. Overhasty
Two weeks later.
Keiko, wearing a microscope, moved her hands deliberately. Keiko was dissecting a mouse’s seminal vesicle
“This is also in atrophic stage.”
The difference was apparent. The serious atrophy of seminal vesicle was observed for the mouse fed with metamidophos containing bait. Especially all the mice of the third group did completely lose the ability to make a sperm. Even one sperm cannot be found.
Keiko reported the result to Dr. Shinohara immediately.
“Hmm. I see. It is my first time to hear the metamidophos have such a working mechanism for the sexual organ.”
“Shall I announce this result to the Society?”
“W, wait a moment. We need a replication test to confirm the result, including other animals.”
Dr. Shinohara was still cautious. It is normal in science to repeat the same experiment to get same result.
“I am sorry, but we have not so much time. Only two months. Passing this period Mr. Issiki will produce the Clone Baby.”
“I know, I know it well. But we had better not hasten the result. We should not make a big mistake.”
“But, professor, ten to ten, all the cases had no sperm. Furthermore…”
Keiko a little hesitated but told Kazuki’s information.
“What, are you sure? Minimum Access Rice had been prevailed underground. I didn’t know that.”
“I am sure he is trustworthy.”
“Ok, I understood. Miss Tsuyama, prepare the press conference.”
Finally Dr. Shinohara had agreed with her.
3 days later. At the Prime Minister’s Official Residence.
“What is this? What’s going on?”
Prime Minister Yamanaka threw the morning paper on his desk, getting angry fiercely.
Newspapers expressed,
“The cause of infertility might be contaminated Minimum Access Rice.”
“Illegal blend had been done for a long period. Ministry of Agriculture overlooked.”
“The Pharmaceutical Research Institution had confirmed infertile working mechanism.”
At the same time the phone started ringing.
“PM, calling from Minister of Agriculture. PM, this is from Chinese Embassy asking comments.”
“Shut up! No answer and no comment. Call the responsible person immediately.”
After accidental slip of his tongue before the cabinet supporting ratio had been getting lower. If the further problem arose now, the Government foundation would be fatal. PM Yamanaka’s cabinet was a candle flickering in the wind.
However…
It was in the same day evening the unexpected Messiah had appeared. It was Mr. Issiki.
Newscaster Koike confirmed again on the TV.
“Then Mr. Issiki, you are saying that report of the Pharmaceutical Research Institution is completely wrong.”
“Yes, it is overhasty. The experiment was done by only mice, no other animals especially monkeys. And the experiment term was also too short, only two weeks. Usually it will take several years for the trial to check the side effect of Environmental Hormone.”
Keiko fixed her eyes on the TV with a little trembling.
“But I think there is no evidence to deny that report. At least metamidophos could have some bad effect for human health. Am I right?”
“Maybe, but I am sure it is not the infertility. Because there is a real evidence here.”
“What?”
“It’s me. I am the very patient of male infertility.”
Keiko was surprised with his confession. Mr. Issiki was infertile, wasn’t he?
“To be honest, I was grown up at the farmer’s house. My father was a farmer. He hated modern chemical pesticide and only made pure organic agriculture. Then I had never eaten other than organic products, including rice. Can you understand what this means?”
The answer was very clear. Though Mr. Issiki had never eaten the contaminated rice, he became infertile. The cause could be other something.
Keiko was shocked by his conclusion. She was overhasty for that report.
The next day.
Dr. Shinohara attended the urgent press conference.
“I would like to apologize to all the related parties for our inaccurate report. It was our mistake to haste the conclusion that metamidophos was the cause of infertility. We should repeat the experiment until we got the reliable result. I have no excuse for our overhasty.”
At this conference Dr. Shinohara apologized and finally announced his resignation to take his responsibility.
And from that day Keiko completely disappeared from the Institution.
Several days have passed. Keiko had still been absent from the Institution.
Kazuki, who had known Keiko’s absence, visited her apartment. It had sometimes happened in the university days Keiko shut herself up in her room when she was in slump. Kazuki pushed the interphone button but no answer. Again, no. When he tried the third time, Keiko answered with her exhausted voice.
“Leave me alone. I don’t want to see anyone.”
“Kei? Have you already given up? You are same as before. You are really a crybaby.”
“Please go away. Can you understand my miserable mind?”
“I don’t. But I will understand your data.”
“My data?”
At last Keiko opened the entrance and Kazuki step into her room. It was very messy, no place for sitting down. Kazuki found her PC and started the calculation.
“What are you doing?”
“I am now checking the sample data.”
“I have already done it many times. No specific tendency. I could not get any useful information from it.”
“Are you sure? Did you check the sample of normal persons?”
“Why? We are now searching for the cause of infertility. It is useless to check the normal sample.”
“No, no. It’s contrary. There is a truth in the minority group. I had been involved in the analysis of public opinions for a long time. The minority always gave me a truth.”
Kazuki scrolled the Excel table promptly.
“As I expected. Look at this. The birthplace of normal samples. Most of them were born and grown in the countryside. Furthermore rather very rural area.”
Keiko gradually regained the curiosity and looked into the screen.
“I understood your intention. But it is matter of course. In the rural area it would be rare to take the doubtful substance. This doesn’t tell us anything.”
“You are right. Then we had better go and make a field survey. We can find something unknown.”
Keiko agreed to Kazuki half in doubt.
To Be Continued
