Animal Man and Anthrax
I’m going to take an evening to look back at the beginning of Grant Morrison’s memorable run on Animal Man.
In Animal Man #1-4, writer Grant Morrison tackles anthrax. Animal Man has been hired by STAR Labs to track down a stolen ape that was used for experiments and the man who stole it. It turns out that the ape in question was being used for experiments with anthrax.
Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a rod shaped bacteria. When exposed to harsh conditions, the bacteria forms a spore that can survive for decades. When this spore enters an animal or human body, it rapidly comes to life and begins reproducing and pumping out potent toxins. Thankfully, anthrax is a rare disease is humans, though it has become notorious for its potential as a biological warfare agent.
Doctor Myers: Are you familiar with the symptoms of anthrax, Animal Man? They’re very unpleasant. It usually begins with a red swelling at the site where the bacillus gains entry into the body — This is followed by listlessness, headaches, ulcers, internal bleeding, convulsions, septicemia — and ultimately of course — death.
The doctor seems to be confusing the different types of anthrax infections. Cutaneous Anthrax is the most common type. It occurs when anthrax bacilli or spores get into a cut in the skin. Within twenty four hours,o a raised bump develops on the skin that looks like an insect bite. Over the next 48 hours, this bump develops into a large painless ulcer with a black center. Untreated, cutaneous anthrax can sometimes spread to the rest of the body through the bloodstream. It is fatal 20% of the time unless antibiotics are used, in which case it is almost always treatable.
Inhalation Anthrax is the most dangerous and the most lethal. It is caused by inhalation of anthrax spores. Early symptoms are similar to a bad cold. Later symptoms include severe respiratory distress, shock, and death. If caught early (before the symptoms appear), it can be treated with antibiotics. If treatment is delayed, inhalational anthrax is almost always fatal.
Gastrointestinal Anthrax is caused by eating meat contaminated with anthrax. It causes nausea, vomiting, fever, severe abdominal pain, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, bloody vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Untreated, it is fatal about half the time.
Doctor Myers: It’s highly contagious and any other living creatures coming into contact with the man or the ape are in very serious danger. Given the right condtions, the entire state of California could be unihabitable within weeks.
More confusion from Dr. Myers: anthrax is not spread from person to person. Infection occurs from direct exposure, inhalation, or ingestion of the anthrax spore, not from contact with an infected person.
Towards the end of the story, Animal Man confronts B’wana Beast, who is dying of anthrax. Animal Man uses B’wana Beast’s own powers to fuse several different types of infection fighting cells together.
Animal Man: And I combined his body’s own polymorphs and macrophages, creating super-powerful defense cells which began to attack and destroy the invading anthrax virus [sic].
Polymorphs (also known as polymorphonuclear cells or PMNs) are a type of white blood cells. There are three varieties of PMN, the most common of which is the neutrophil , which also happens to be the most common white blood cell in the body. The neutrophil is an infection fighting cell and travels quickly to the site of an infection. Once there, it ingests and then destroys the invading germs — and itself in the process. It doesn’t have a long life span, just a few hours. Think of the neutrophil as a kind of white blood cell shock troop: fast and brutally efficient, but with little finesse.
The macrophage is a large white blood cell. Like the neutrophil, it also ingests attacking germs. Unlike the neutrophil, it is a long lived cell and can attack multiple bacteria for an extended period of time. The macrophage also serves as an “antigen presenting cell” and plays a key role in the body’s production of antibodies against the invading germs.
While the neutrophil and macrophage are both types of white blood cells that ingest attacking germs they both carry out vastly different roles. The neutrophil has evolved to die quickly in a blaze of glory, while the macrophage is a long lived cell that helps the body improve its own defenses. This is why I’m not convinced that merging them into a super cell would accomplish anything worthwhile…but I can’t say for sure that it wouldn’t work, so I’ll give Morrison the benefit of the doubt (but I’ll still remain highly skeptical).
There is certainly some confusion in the story about the time course and symptoms of an anthrax infection. There are also mistakes regarding how contagious anthrax actually is. Bear in mind that the the story is concerned with a specially engineered form of anthrax designed for biological warfare and this “modified anthrax” can be used as an excuse for the discrepancies.
However, calling anthrax a virus (which Morrison does repeatedly throughout the story). That can’t be explained away so easily.
Previous Examinations of Comic Book Biological Warfare:
“Red Zone” (Avengers #65-70) and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (Mystique #7-10)
Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne
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September 19th, 2006 at 2:27 am
[...] Scott from Polite Dissent analyzes the use of anthrax in Animal Man: Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a rod shaped bacteria. When exposed to harsh conditions, the bacteria forms a spore that can survive for decades. When this spore enters an animal or human body, it rapidly comes to life and begins reproducing and pumping out potent toxins. Thankfully, anthrax is a rare disease is humans, though it has become notorious for its potential as a biological warfare agent. [...]
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