In Poul Anderson's Technic History, while travel beyond the Solar System is beginning, genetic treatment is:
"'...eliminating heritable defects.'" (p. 379)
Thus, a thousand years later, Diana Crowfeather is unlikely to suffer from cancer, schizophrenia or many other unspecified illnesses. That is a big difference. If we think that the people of Diana's period are much the same as us, then we are wrong. Many problems that afflict us do not affect them plus which their technology is vastly advanced over ours. There could have been a narrative that highlighted the differences between human lives then and now. One way to do that in sf is through time travel although that does not exist in the Technic History universe. But there are other ways to do it.
2 comments:
Though many early colonies didn't have that done thoroughly, to judge by Poul's descriptions.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
But it's stated in THE GAME OF EMPIRE that such genetic treatments was used widely enough that ordinary diffusion thru many descendants spreads the effects very broadly.
Ad astra! Sean
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