#patho lore

Andrey, Peter and Grace have similar visible veins under the eyes so I think this is a side effect of twyrine.

Everybody has nice healthy teeth...

...except Grief.

A tale of Bos Turokh:

A tale about Gehken:

A byvalschina by a factory worker:

My favorite parts of Isidor's diaries:

These signs indicate her proximity… Suok. The time will come when the starving Ancient Mother will devour her offspring. The depth of her gullet cannot be measured, the searing heat of her cavities cannot be quenched. The soil, the mud. The dense darkness. The horror.

A brief summary of the part about Danko:

So, what was Dankovsky doing before the events of the game?

- Was he trying to abolish death altogether, as a phenomenon? No.

- Was his research related to metaphysics? No. Isidor describes his work as: 'research of [natural] death, aging, and necrosis'. In russian it is explicitly stated that his field of research is natural death.

- Did he want to forcibly make everyone immortal? No. Daniil to Lara:

But if I do [suggest a complete and workable solution to the Inquisitor], no one would dare lay a finger on my Thanatica—the Powers That Be gave me their word. And it’s entirely possible that my victory award would be a discovery that’ll prolong human life from 60–70 years to a hundred.

Context: he is referring to the result of continuing his research, not to any other events.

- Was he trying to resurrect the dead? No.

Little boy: Is it true that they can raise people from the dead in the Capital? Daniil: Who told you such nonsense? LB: My dad! He read about you in the papers. D: I just wanted to make it so that people would live longer, really. And, preferably, on their own accord.

Obviously, conducting a research that would let people live longer is altruistic, and one needs to be brave to continue it despite being persecuted. What he really fears is letting down those who trusted him, his allies and colleagues:

I'm cornered. I'll never be able to look the people I've failed to protect in the eye. My allies will end up in prison or exile, my research… in fire.

That's why he accepts his list of the Bound with little hesistation. He is used to being responsible for someone. Despite this, he is used to being a loner.

I fight, lose, and win on my own. (it's "alone" in russian) Я сражаюсь, проигрываю и побеждаю в одиночестве.

- Is Telman the head of a rival laboratory? Are they fighting over state funding? No. The letter from the Powers that arrives on the Day 1 is signed by Telman. In the English translation he writes in the passive voice; in the russian version he says 'we'. Most likely, he is some government official.

- Maybe the Powers simply don't want to fund his laboratory? No. The Powers (not 'some detractors', as in the English translation) called his work 'scientific extremism'. In russian, extremism has the same meaning as in English. I assume the Powers considered his work dangerous to themselves.

- So what exactly was he doing? Conducting unethical experiments? This is where the historical context matters. russian and Soviet authorities have always had a tense relationship with scientists. Russians, when hearing about persecution, are more likely to think of Lysenkoism than of Unit 731. Lysenkoism is a decades-long campaign of denying genetics and persecuting scientists. wiki page Many scientists and inventors in the USSR were convicted on fabricated charges of treason, counter-revolutionary activity, espionage, etc. They were then sent to so-called sharashkas — prison-type research institutes and design bureaus — where they continued to work, but in really bad conditions and under close state supervision.

- Are you saying that the Powers in the Pathologic world are like in the USSR? Not at all. I’m saying that, due to the country’s history, it is natural for a post-soviet person to see arbitrariness of power in such cases, rather than the scientists really being guilty of something.

Moreover, Lysenkoism is not the only thing that comes to mind. I thought about the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a physician who proposed that doctors should disinfect their hands before going to obstetrics to take deliveries. According to his data, disinfection drastically reduced the risk of puerperal fever. At the time, doctors could go straight from an autopsy to assisting childbirth. Well, I can't tell about it better than the wiki page. Many of his colleagues, especially older professors, weren't pleased with his discovery, particularly since germs had not yet been discovered. They believed that accepting his correctness would mean admitting personal responsibility for hundreds of deaths.

Of course, in the world of Pathologic, people know about disinfection and germs. I'm talking purely about the pattern: some important discoveries meet intense resistance when they run counter to established views and the policies of those in power.

- Dankovsky is not an altruist, because he orders the town to be shelled together with all the remaining people! …What.

Dankovsky in the Cathedral:

Let the Settlement be destroyed, but there’s no reason to hurt the Polyhedron. The survivors will find shelter there until we vaccinate them and the epidemic dies out.

Survivors does not mean only the Bound. Obviously, this also includes the surviving townsfolk and the Kin. Note: in russian he says "Но Многогранник можно не трогать" which means "There's to need to demolish the Polyhedron" or "You can leave the Polyhedron untouched". My translation is inaccurate, the point is that he doesn't animise it.

There's also a dialogue on Day 11:

Factory worker: So there's only one option? To the ground with us all? Daniil: I will see to it so that evacuating everyone before the bombardment is the topmost priority. You will be put on the train, placed under quarantine, and taken elsewhere.

August, 3: Here's some bad news from the Termitary, a skinner has died there

When the workers went down to the basement of the western building, they discovered that the white Boddho worms had given birth. The joy of the residents of the dosshouse was short-lived, for that same night the offspring were eaten by rats. The Kin considered this an ill omen, and the tanners' children slit their veins to give part of their lives to the earth. The youngest of them died, unable to bear such a loss of blood.

August, 6: The Kin is celebrating [feasting?]

Meanwhile, the taglur buried their little hero. They wrapped his clean bones in the hide of a year-old calf and held a funeral feast on top of him. After the feast, the deceased's taglur summoned four butchers to a duel in the circle. They also played long stones. They ate meat, snacked on liver, and cheese with groundnuts. The celebration only ended when darkness fell.

August, 15: At 2 AM a mutilated creature was seen in a drain grate near the Atrium Bridge

Their [its'?] shoulder blades were twisted, their long, boneless arms hung through the bars of the grate and dangled into the Guzzle like the flabby flippers of a manatee. The poor wretch [unfortunate person] was still alive and even making attempts to get to the surface! The distinctive mask and black clothing suggested this being was the town’s postman. Who could have mutilated them like this?

September, 2: New sounds

Last night, in the vacant lot beyond the town cemetery, the faint sound of bells could be heard. Those who heard it clap their hands over their ears and grimace — they say that now, if you just listen closely, that oppressive, insistent ringing begins to sound nearby, filling the mind with thoughts of imminent death — and then it rings closer and closer. The Rulers must take the most urgent measures against this.

September, 6: We haven't heard such cacophony for a long time

Hostile sounds, again. Toward dawn, animals began howling deep in the steppe. Their wailing multiplied, becoming unbearable by sunrise. Across the town, lights flickered on in windows. Soon the beasts were joined by people - children whimpered, workers cursed, shutters banged, neighbors quarreled. The collective uproar ceased as abruptly as it began. At dawn, a deathly silence fell over the town.

September, 9: The small prison is no longer empty

A certain craftsman Savvaty, overseer of works at the Tannery, was found guilty of driving two people to suicide. He was stripped of his master title, duly punished, and put behind bars. The convict will be transported by regular train to serve his sentence in one of the government prisons of the metropole.

September, 10: The Town began to look better overnight

Under the twins’ supervision, the tilers repaired the floors of the Town Hall. They tore up the old layers, cleaned out the toxic [poisonous?] dust, and sealed up the mouseholes with clay.