y
old man who had been sent by Social Control to have his eyesight
strengthened.

"You have no right to let anybody dodder around like this!" Dr. Hoyt
yelled. "What in hell is Rephysical for if not for such cases?"

"You probably think we ought to make him look like 25 again," Dr. Kalmar
yelled back. "If that's all you've learned working here--"

"Now, now," said Dr. Lowell soothingly. He'd come in unnoticed by either
of the men. "Dr. Hoyt is right, of course. We _would_ like to make old
people young and some day we'll be able to afford it. But not for some
time to come."

"Why not?" Dr. Hoyt demanded in a lower tone, visibly flattered by Dr.
Lowell's seemingly taking his side.

"Rephysical can't actually make anyone young. It can only give the
outward appearance of youth and replace obviously diseased parts. But an
old body is an old organism; it has to break down eventually. If we give
it more vigor than it can endure, it breaks down too soon, much sooner
than if we let it age normally. That represents economic loss as well as
a humanitarian one."

"I don't follow you," Dr. Hoyt said bewilderedly.

"Well, our patient used to be a machinist. A good one. Now he's only
able to be an oiler. A good one, too, when you improve his eyesight. He
can go on doing that for years, performing a useful function. But he'd
wear himself out in no time as a machinist again if you de-aged him."

"Is that supposed to make sense?"

"It does," said Dr. Lowell, "for Deneb."

Dr. Hoyt wanted to continue the discussion, but Dr. Lowell was already
on his way to inspect another part of the hospital. Grumbling, the young
man helped chart the optical nerves that had to be replaced and measure
the new curve of the retinas ordered by Social Control.

But he fought just as strenuously over other cases, especially a retired
freight-jet pilot who had to have his reflexes slowed down so he could
become a contented meteorologist. Whenever there was a loud disagreement
of this sort, Dr. Lowell was there to mediate calmly.

* * * * *

At the end of the day, Dr. Kalmar was emotionally exhausted. He said as
he and Dr. Lowell were washing up, "The kid's hopeless. I thought you
could straighten him out--God knows I couldn't--but he'll never see why
we have to work the way we do."

"What do you suggest?" Dr. Lowell asked through a towel.

"Send him back to Earth. Get an intern who's more malleable."

Dr. Lowell