Corruption + Pathophysiology concepts
So, I learned a few new terms and concepts this week in my Mechanisms of Disease class, and I believe thereās some interesting applications one can make between these human medical concepts and SUās concept of corruption- specifically, when showing how Stevenās condition in I Am My Monster can indeed be referred to as corruption despite having a different origin to other examples of corruption weād seen before.
Before I get into the fandom stuff though, we need to talk shop about some cool pathophysiology words! Letās go do that.
Term 1: Etiology
Etiology refers to the precise cause of a disease or disorder. Now, one of the important pieces of knowledge Iāve had reinforced in this class is that some diseases/disorders can have multiple causes.
An example: Meningitis.Ā
This disease can be caused by one of many species of bacteria, viruses, some fungi, and even by parasitic tapeworms. These are all wildly different sources, but in the end- if all the signs and symptoms of meningitis are there, and the etiology points to a documented meningitis-causing pathogen, the likely diagnosis WILL be meningitis.Ā
Term 2: Idiopathic
Idiopathic is what one calls a disease/disorder wherein the precise cause, or etiology, is unknown. Sometimes, individuals develop some form of disease/disorder and doctors may not be able to pinpoint the specific root cause of it. In that case, their goal is still to recognize and understand the signs and symptoms of it, and work off of what they DO know to try and alleviate oneās signs/symptoms.
Term 3: Clinical manifestations
This term refers to all the presenting signs and symptoms of a disease/disorder. Signs are measurable and directly observable- such as rashes, fevers, increased blood pressure, etc. Symptoms are patient-reported, subjective, and not able to be directly observed or measured- such as a headache, fatigue, etc.
Term 4: Disease/disorder
I also think the specific definitions of disease and disorder are important to clarify before I move forward-Ā
A disease is the functional impairment of cells, tissues, organs, or organ systems.Ā
Whereas a disorder is aĀ disruption of the normal or regular functions in the body or a part of the body.
__ OKAY, and now to the fandom related stuff!
So. Thesis. When it comes to corruption, my analysis is that it can be considered a Gem disorder that has a collective set of recognizable symptoms, but many potential etiologies.
First off, Gems of course donāt have physical bodies, organs, and cells, but they do have a physical gemstone, and their hard light forms have clear functional abilities that can sometimes become impaired.
Some of these functional abilities include:Ā
Retaining a stable form
Shapeshifting
Communicative ability
Mental cognizance
Access of powers
Corruption disrupts many of these functions. Thus, considering the definitions of disease and disorder, I believe disorder would be the most accurate way to refer to corruption, looking at it from a human medical perspective. (While also recognizing that itās a fantasy alien condition, and thus wonāt perfectly align to human standards.)
As a disorder, corruption presents a number of recognizable signs and symptoms, which include:
Loss of control over form and shape- a corrupted individualās form may physically expand, develop spikes/tusks/fangs/new body parts, or grow thicker hair. On top of this, upon reformation, this individual is not successfully able to revert to their original form.Ā
Loss of communication ability- a corrupted individual expresses trouble with verbal communication.
Loss of full mental cognizance- a corrupted individual is not completely aware of themselves and their surroundings, caught in what may be considered aĀ āfight or flightā mindset.
Sometimes, but not in all cases- the development of atypically colored splotches on oneās form or gemstone
The only known successful treatment for those who exhibit the symptoms of corruption is exposure to water that contains the essences of all four diamonds.Ā
Now, moving on- Etiology.Ā
From what weāve seen in Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future, and considering the the situations in these shows that exhibit these clinical manifestations, we can confidently say that corruption has three distinct etiologies:
1) It can be caused by direct damage from the Diamonds. (All the corrupted Gems on Earth.)
2) It can be caused by fusing with a currently corrupted Gem. (Jasper.)
3) It can be caused by a state of extreme mental distress and distortion of self-image. (Steven.)
Now, when it comes to the third etiology, a point of clarification- it cannot be confidently PROVEN whether this cause is something that could arise from any Gem or just from a diamond since we only have one case as an example, but given the fact that we didnāt see any of the CGs randomly corrupt when they were going through mental turmoil, my personal hypothesis is that: itās either a diamond or a Steven exclusive thing. But again, with only one recorded statistic to work with, we canāt really make any certain statements.
So. Letās talk Stevenās corruption, and why I believe it wholly counts as such.Ā
The symptoms Steven exhibits in I Am My Monster are: loss of control over form and shape, loss of communication ability, and loss of full mental cognizance. His form shifts until heās larger than all of the Diamonds, he grows spikes and tusks and scales, he looses his ability to communicate verbally, and he expresses a great deal of mental confusion about his state, attempting to rush at his family and friends out of sheer fight/flight and survival instincts without wholly understanding whatās going on. He doesnāt develop splotches on his gem, but this is a manifestation that doesnāt always appear. Itās like the spotted rash in Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever- not every patient with this disease exhibits it, and it sometimes makes diagnosis tricky.
I donāt believe the Gems had any idea what specifically triggered him to fall into this state at first, nor did the Diamonds. Thus, initially they might have thought of Stevenās corruption as idiopathic. But when Blue Diamond first saw him, she recognized the signs and symptoms of corruption- and so, the most logical first step is to attempt to treat this condition like it IS corruption. The treatment of course, being exposure to water that contains the essences of all four Diamonds. Which means, with Steven being one of those diamonds, they must bring out his humanity so he can cry, adding in his own healing addition to that final elixir.
In sum: What happened to Steven in SUF was an example of corruption, despite having a different root cause than the other examples of this Gem disorder weād previously seen in the show.
