Withholding the Cure: Difference between revisions

 

For [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|simplicity's sake]], no [[Real Life]] examples unless you have documentation, aside from media reports on people's perceptions.

 

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

 

== [[Film]] ==

** The Evil Drug Company even went so far as to deny the cure to its own top executives. So at least they were consistent.

* In ''[[Mission: Impossible]] 2'', a good scientist spliced countless influenza viruses together into a super-influenza as part of the process of creating a universal cure for influenza. That worked out perfectly, and would have been worth billions. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was working for an Evil Drug Company. They realized that his superflu would be worth ''hundreds of billions'' to the right buyer, and that a superflu outbreak would make a universal cure worth '''trillions'''. Cue gunfights.

== [[Literature]] ==

* In ''[[Abarat]]'', Christopher Carrion withheld a cure for a beast boy's condition (his name escapes me) in return for the boy's unwavering loyalty.

* In ''[[Ixia and Sitia|Poison Study]]'', Yelena is poisoned early on with something called Butterfly's Dust that will kill her if she doesn't get a daily dose of the antidote from her keeper. {{spoiler|This turns out to be made up, though.}}

 

* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "Dalek", the villain brags about having discovered a cure for the common cold—which he isn't going to give to anyone, as it gets him more money if he just sells the existing medication.

* There was an episode of ''[[Barney Miller]]'' where the perp was a research scientist who had destroyed the property of his former employers because they refused to let him research the cure for [some disease] on the grounds that it wasn't fatal and there were too few sufferers for a cure to be profitable. Barney managed to talk his former boss into dropping charges and rehiring the guy, partly with the argument that by the time the cure was developed there may be an epidemic, "with any luck."

* Played with in an episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. A race contracted a plague and believes they need continued treatments provided by another race to stay alive. Dr. Crusher, however, discovers that the plague has been cured, and it's only the withdrawal symptoms of the treatment that make them think they still need it. The other race are very aware of this and continue to exploit them, as their economy depends on it. While the [[Alien Non-Interference Clause|Prime Directive]] forbids [[The Captain|Picard]] from revealing the truth to the wronged race, he finds a way to correct the situation by refusing repairs to their few remaining ships. Without the ships, they will have no way to get the cure and will eventually realize they're not actually sick.

* ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' Uther does this when Merlin is poisoned, intent on teaching Arthur a lesson.

 

* This is one of many conspiracies present in ''[[Deus Ex]]'' - taken [[Up to Eleven]] as the people who control the treatment also ''created the plague.''

** The prequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Human Revolution]]'' has an variation. The company Versa Life, {{spoiler|the same front company who distributed the vaccine to Grey Death in the original}}, makes Neropozyne, a drug that prevents the human body rejecting mechanical augmentations. It is the ''only'' drug known to do this, meaning it is necessary to most augmented people and as a result had made the company a lot of money. {{spoiler|The company is controlled by the Illuminati, who use the drug as a measure of control. Sarif Industries have discovered a genetic code based on the protagonist, Adam Jensen, that may render Neropozyne obsolete, so the Illuminati have the research labs destroyed and scientists involved kidnapped to prevent their control being challenged.}} These actions kick start the events of the game. By the end it is revealed that {{spoiler|one of the scientists involved also works on the Grey Death from the original.}}

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

** Specifically, when the study started, it involved treating syphilis with an expensive and not very effective treatment. When the funding got reduced, they couldn't afford the treatment. Instead, they just continued to study the patients, while telling the patients they were being treated, so they could study the progression of the disease. Then, during the course of the study, a cheap and effective cure became available, but the doctors in charge realized that curing the patients would put an end to their research.

* Every time there is a new disease of any type, a lot of people seem to think this is in effect.

 

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