NOT FOR PATIENTS REVIEW

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Genetic / Medical Report on Melanie Lili Dracaenea © Scott Thomas

Researcher Lady Snowaters

The following is a rough draft review of my findings after several months of studying the patient. Under no circumstances can any valid psychological findings be derived from this report as I have little training or understanding in this field.

Besides, Melanie seems very well grounded in my opinion.

Melanie is a component being, primarily plant (most probably derived of the DRACAENEA family, from where she has received her parental name) with an extremely small percentage of animal genetic material. Somehow, whomever created this life form, they managed to strike a highly stable balance between the two forms of normally antagonistic life.

The majority of her animal matter is concentrated in her head and upper torso, these being the organs, such as brain, eyes, vocal cords, heart, etc that plant life has the most difficulty creating and supporting. In fact, my findings from personal research (see attached book "SEVEN HUNDRED WORLDS I HAVE KNOWN AND HATED") in nature (carbon based) plant life cannot evolve a truly intelligent form of life. A self aware brain must be based on animal protein, plant life cannot maintain the stable high neural connections required over any reasonable length of time.

Starting with the Head:

Melanie's head is formed around an extremely tough fibrous material. Not as strong as calcium bone, it still affords as much protection in that the space between the 'bone' and brain membrane is twice that found in an equal sized human. This skull is further protected by a layer of plant 'skin' that is three times as thick as human skin and supports a lush thick growth of leaves. These leaves are tight matted and approx a quarter centimeter thick. No actual testing was done however VR reproductions suggest that Melanie's brain could survive a dull impact four times the force required to incapacitate a human brain. This protection is traded off in that a cutting strike causes three times the actual damage in her that it would in a human.

Her brain is pure animal matter, basically human genetic material native to her world. So to are the hormones, electrolytics and nutrients floating within the brain membrane sac (obtaining this sample was extremely difficult, it should be noted that the subject has an extreme fear of anything penetrating her skull. This fear does not appear to be due to environmental reasons, but instinctual.) There is an interesting structure at the base of her brain that appears to act as a gateway between her animal brain and a secondary, plant based neural system. Her spinal cord is actually two separate structures, animal and plant. Many structures are duplicated and I believe that this is purely for survival.

Although all supporting structures within the head are plant based almost all organs are animal, this includes her eyes, tongue and the inner structures of her sinus cavities. Her ears and hearing structures are of plant material as are her lips.

Neck Structure:

Moving down through her neck we find only three major structures that are purely animal. Her vocal cords, tonsils, and the supporting muscle structures. Otherwise all other structures are plant, including the spinal structure protecting her dual nervous system. As in humans there is a windpipe leading to two lung structures. There is also a smaller than expected tube leading to her main stomach.

Upper Torso Structure:

     Surface:

Melanie has two breasts, which are unexpected and surprisingly totally plant based. These breasts have the same tactual feeling as a humans, although the 'skin' is slicker and slightly tougher. Each breast has its own nipple which scans show appear to be linked to her plant circulatory system, rather than to the animal one. Apparently these nipples are used as 'weeping' points should the hydrostatic pressure in her body reach dangerous levels. There is a third, more active 'weeping point' that will be covered later. Just below her breasts is a ring of leaves that act as a 'swimsuit top' for her, several large leaves growing upwards to cover her breasts. So tightly do these leaves press against her breasts that they are slightly deformed upwards into mounds. Although moveable, such movement in order to closely examine her breasts must be gently done as, if roughly handled, these leaves tend to detach. Although removal of these specialized leaves does not appear to cause pain, she does complain of an itching sensation for several minutes (some leaves were accidently removed.) Replacement leaves move up to cover her breasts within 72 hours under strong light.

The remaining leaves were carefully examined, it is unknown if early detachment would cause pain.

     Internal:

Melanie has no real rib cage, instead another fibrous structure in the form of unattached plates take their place. Unlike animals, where the ribcage is attached stiffly at the sternum, her twin plates are linked by a flexible structure. It was possible to depress one plate a full three centimeters before the opposite plate reacted. Naturally she was sedated during specific examinations.

Due to her defensive plates it proved impossible to examine her lungs directly, nor to obtain a specimen. However scans showed her lungs to be split into two separate structures, the upper animal and the lower a fiberious mat of plant material. The lower structure is twice the physical size of the upper. Studies suggest that air entering the lung is passed quickly through an almost tubular animal lung section, pulling Co2 from them and carrying this Co2 enriched mass into her less effective lower lung. Here the Co2 is replaced by O2 waste and expelled through a separate path to a more expansive animal lung structure, where the now O2 enriched mass is absorbed by the animal blood.

A truly exciting structure, and it appears that Melanie is very close to a self sustaining creature insofar as O2/Co2 waste/needs are defined. Of course, other waste gasses are expelled, created by both her animal & plant structures.

Her diaphragm is a tough plant structure, activated by strong fiberious 'ropes' that coil and uncoil in a rhythmic pattern. I doubt that the actions of these coils could be increased or decreased by a significant amount for more than a few moments. Apparently inner structures in the lungs change in response to the need for greater and lesser amounts of O2/Co2 instead of increasing/decreasing the amount of gasses available.

Behind her lung is a truly tiny heart, less than a fifth the size expected but understandable considering the smaller amount of blood needed by the fewer animal structures. In fact the brain and neck muscles make the greatest demands of her animal systems. What is surprising is a second heart, just across from her animal heart. Purely plant material it pushes the fluids normally moved by capillary action. Certainly the standard form of fluid movement in a plant could not keep her alive as, unlike the normal plant her entire structure is alive. (Note that in normal plants only the outer structures are 'alive,' the inner structures are normally dead.)

     Lower Torso:

Here I found the greatest surprises. Although a sort of stomach exists it is apparently meant for only minimal digestion. The lower section has a fibrous mat covered with a porous, slick 'skin.' Solid matter quickly slides down into her rudimentary intestinal tract while fluids are quickly trapped, to be filtered and channeled to a secondary fiber mass I have labeled her second stomach.

This smaller stomach is highly flexible, I believe that it could easily hold several gallons of fluid, forcing her stomach area to expand. It is a safety tank meant to allow her to survive in a hostile environment long enough to find rescue.

Her rudimentary intestinal tract ends after a trip of some twelve feet in a strange chamber. This chamber has no obvious exit, to the naked eye. Microscopic channels move the fully digested material to her lower ring of leaves and her trunk. More on this later. Animal blood vessels surround her intestinal tract, obtaining the small amount of nourishment that she needs to keep her animal side alive. I estimate that she requires a twentieth or less of the nourishment a normally active human of the same physical size.

What I found most exciting is that waste plant material is channeled to this intestinal tract, in part she actually lives off herself. You might say that her animal side eats her plant side. As well, dead animal cells are moved to the trunk and passed out. (More on this later also.)

As for a bladder, a small chamber (perhaps a pint in size) exists with a drain much like the human urethra. In talking with Melanie she mentioned that she did not often feel the 'need to go.' Perhaps once every ten days. Of course this is expected as most animal wastes appear to move directly from the animal bloodstream to the plant bloodstream.

Reproduction organs were not located. At first this bothered me as I did easily locate a structure replicating a female vulva, as well as a colitis near her urethra. It also became obvious that she can experience sexual pleasure through these structures. However no womb existed, the other structures I expected to find (her ovary) existed only in a tiny form and did little other than create the hormones she required. It was a real challenge to discover her reproduction system.

What is her reproduction system? Since I found no animal structures I concentrated upon her plant side. It was several days before it hit me. Melanie has a belly button, a protruding belly button. Why is this significant? Plants have no belly buttons, these are formed by the umbilical cords attachment. Careful examination proved that her 'outie' is in face a seed of sorts. Apparently under the correct environments conditions this seed, or pod, will begin growing. Exact data is unknown as to how large it becomes before detachment but it is known that any prodigy will be female, and will be exact duplicates of the parent. There are no structures in existence for genetic material transfer. In other words, she is self perpetuating.

It was also discovered that she can reproduce by cuttings. Two leaves taken to the laboratory were treated with a root generating hormone and placed in water. The resulting plants are doing quite nicely although it is too early to know if they will actually grow into 'Melanie' or not.

Finally, a small mass of material was found in her stomach area just behind her belly button. Samples of the fluid within this mass proved to be pure RNA. As to why she should concentrate RNA in such a place is unknown, and slightly frightening.

     Lower Structures & Trunk/Roots:

Melanie's trunk appears to be a single structure until you are three or four feet away. Then a shallow valley appears, moving from the deeper cleft of her lower hip area (where her sexual organs, such as they are, are located) it dips below the soil of her pot. A duplicate valley is in existence in the rear, from a matching deep cleft. Samples and scans show that this trunk is in actually two separate structures. A flexible material it has grown in a spiral, one a left hand spiral the other right. Together they form an extremely strong trunk. As it is obvious that these dual structures can function apart I suspect that, in an emergency such as fire she is able to split her trunk into pseudo legs and walk, abet slowly.

Returning to that final waste cavity, material from that cavity is transferred to her rings of leaves and the 'bark' along the outside of her trunk. This 'bark' is her true waste product. Of high carbon content, lethal salts, and other related materials her bark would actually poison her as it was absorbed into the ground around her unless she had some way of removing it. Her waist and chest leaves concentrate oils and waxes, in fact although her lower ring of leaves are rough and course while her upper leaves are fatter, softer, and more delicate, both rings are eatable by humans.

Waste animal materials are released during the few times she urinates. Some such products find their way into her bark, but I was unable to locate any traces within her leaves. Like all plants Melanie is constantly losing and replacing leaves. This process has been tapped as a way to remove dangerous materials from her body. As leaves age and begin to die they begin concentrating these poisons. This explains why a young to middle ages leaf is eatable, the older ones become course and bitter.

As for her roots, they are purely plant structures and preform the same functions as roots on trees. The one exception is that they are in 'pads' and could act as balancing structures (like circular feet) should she have to walk.

============== END OF REPORT ===============

Researchers Personal Comments:

It was tempting to simply dissect Melanie and discover all the secrets her creator(s) had granted her, however several things keep me from such an action. First, I acknowledge that she is a an intelligent life form with a right to her own life. Second, as far as I was able to ascertain she is one of a kind in the known realities. Third, I happen to like her, she is an enjoyable entity and a delight to be with.

A final note regarding her legal position. In her solar system laws have been passed to protect such unique creatures, giving them the same rights and protection as all other intelligent life. However outside her solar system I have been unable to find a single law to protect her. She could be cut down and eaten quite legally, or keep as a houseplant. No laws protect her as a plant cannot be enslaved. I strongly suggest that pressure be placed on all races to pass laws to protect such unique and interesting life forms such as she.