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प्रश्न
‘The Stolen Bacillus’ by H.G. Wells
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उत्तर
“The Stolen Bacillus” is a gripping science fiction story by H.G. Wells that centres on the terrifying potential of biological warfare.
The story begins in the laboratory of a famous bacteriologist who is visited by an eccentric, dishevelled man known as the “pale young man.” While the bacteriologist is showing off his collection of deadly diseases, he proudly introduces a culture of the cholera bacillus. He explains that if this single glass tube were to be broken in the water supply, it would cause a devastating epidemic that could wipe out a whole city.
The bacteriologist leaves the room for a moment to get his wife, but when he returns, he is horrified to find that the pale young man and the tube of cholera have both vanished. He realises that this man is a dangerous anarchist who intends to use the disease to destroy London. In a panic, the bacteriologist rushes out of his house in his dressing gown, chasing after the anarchist.
The anarchist runs through the streets, frantically looking for a way to break the tube and release the plague into the water supply. However, his excitement and nervousness make him clumsy. During the frantic chase, he trips and drops the tube, which shatters on the pavement. Relieved, he thinks he has succeeded in releasing the disease, but he is soon caught by the bacteriologist.
The ending provides a classic Wellsian twist. As the bacteriologist happily gathers up the broken glass, he realises that the anarchist is confused because he hasn’t gotten sick. The bacteriologist then reveals the truth: the tube he stole contained no cholera at all. It was actually the culture of a new bacterium that simply turns a monkey’s skin blue. He had been experimenting with it, and it was completely harmless to humans. The anarchist is left baffled and defeated, while the bacteriologist is relieved that his city and his research are safe.
