Doença transmitida por selos postais

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Os Estados Unidos são atingidos por uma doença do tipo gripe ou resfriado que causa epidemiologistas porque sua distribuição é muito irregular. Em uma cidade, praticamente todas as pessoas adultas concordam com isso, mas não as crianças. As crianças não são imunes, no entanto. Os funcionários dos correios parecem imunes à doença. Felizmente, não é fatal e não é obviamente contagioso, mas continua se espalhando. Eventualmente, alguém deduz que isso é causado por lamber selos postais. A cidade onde todos os adultos a haviam recebido acabara de ter uma grande reunião em que todos concordaram em escrever seu congressista. E os funcionários dos correios usavam uma esponja em vez de suas línguas para umedecer os selos. O problema foi atribuído a um único barril de cola que deu errado.

Obviamente, essa história foi publicada muito antes de os selos autoadesivos "sem lamber" serem desenvolvidos, tornando-se padrão, eu acho, nos 1990s. Eu provavelmente li a história nos 1960s ou 70s em uma antologia em inglês.

por Triedro Invisível 02.08.2019 / 02:40

2 respostas

Este é "The Plague", de Teddy Keller (aparentemente o único SF que ele escreveu), publicado em Analog no 1961 e coletado em várias antologias analógicas. Está disponível no Projeto Gutenberg aqui.

Andy glanced at the lab report and his smile was as relieved as it was weary. "Our problem," he said, "was in figuring out what a writer does that a doctor doesn't—why girls from small offices were sick—and why senators and postal workers weren't—why college students caught the bug and people in a Tennessee community didn't.

"The lab report isn't complete. They haven't had time to isolate the poison and prescribe medication. But"—he held up a four-cent stamp—"here's the villain, gentlemen."

The big brass stood stunned and shocked. Mouths flapped open and eyes bugged at Andy, at the stamp.

Bettijean said, "Sure. College kids and engaged girls and new parents and especially writers and artists and poets—they'd all lick lots of stamps. Professional men have secretaries. Big offices have postage-meter machines. And government offices have free franking. And"—she threw her arms around the sergeant's neck—"Andy, you're wonderful."

...

"But there's no evidence it was a plot yet. Could be pure accident—some chemical in the stickum spoiled. Do they keep the stickum in barrels? Find out who had access. And ... oh, the phone call. That was the lab. The antidote's simple and the cure should be quick. They can phone or broadcast the medical information to doctors. The man on the phone said they could start emptying hospitals in six hours. And maybe we should release some propaganda. "United States whips mystery virus," or something like that. And we could send the Kremlin a stamp collection and.... Aw, you take it, sir. I'm pooped."

The general wheeled to fire a salvo of commands. Officers poured into the corridor. Only the brigadier remained, a puzzled frown crinkling his granite brow.

"But you said that postal workers weren't getting sick."

Andy chucked. "That's right. Did you ever see a post office clerk lick a stamp? They always use a sponge."

02.08.2019 / 09:09

Isso pode ser A praga doadora por David Brin

Naturally, all the major epidemiology labs got involved. Les predicted the pathogen would turn out to be something akin to the prions which cause shingles in sheep, and certain plant diseases... a pseudo-lifeform even simpler than a virus and even harder to track down. It was a heretical, minority view, until the CDC Atlanta decided out of desperation to try his theories out, and found the very dormant viroids Les predicted — mixed in with the glue used to seal paper milk cartons, envelopes, postage stamps.

Encontrado com uma pesquisa por doença da ficção científica espalhada por selos postais

02.08.2019 / 05:33

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