Terminal (novel)

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Title Terminal
Author Robin Cook
Cover artist Tom Stimpson
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York
Released 1993
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 445
ISBN ISBN 0-330-32148-X
Preceded by Fatal Cure
Followed by Contagion

Terminal is a medical thriller written by Robin Cook. The novel peeps into the boom and curse of biotechnology.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The novel is about the investigations of a medical student named Sean into a mysterious cancer called medulloblastoma and the secret behind the hundred percent remission treatment offered by a medical institute called Forbs Cancer Centre. On his investigation, Sean learns that the institute is responsible for the creation of the cancer. The secret behind their offering of 100% remission of the disease is that the creators had also invented an antibody specific for the cancer. The principal scientist of the institute Deborah Levy was behind this diabolic fund raising scheme. She transformed the St. Louis Encephalitis virus with oncogenes of several nonhuman retroviruses. After procuring the social security numbers and other details of wealthy people and their dependants, those who had undergone surgeries and were on I/V were targeted to give the transformed SLE viruses. Being an encephalotropic virus, there were early neural symptoms in the form of seizures and convulsions. Infected people were willing to pay donations to the Forbs benevolently, once they were completely cured of the disease. This book heavily deals with the controversial issues of the time.

Preceded by
Fatal Cure
Robin Cook novels
1993
Succeeded by
Contagion