X-Manson Annotated Chapter 2 - Part Five - HANK MCCOY
This chapter features more worldbuilding than you can possibly imagine. There will be more later in the story, but Hank, being the only vocal surviving member of the o5 X-Men has the most to say. Because he can't shut the fuck up.
This is Trofim Lysenko. He was a Soviet pseudo-scientist and geneticist. His version of politicized genetics doesn't favor the idea of natural selection. Instead, it favors a thing called Lamarckism, which is a claim that certain genetic traits can be inherited from someone who built up certain traits before. Like a blacksmith developing muscles while working a forge whose children later develop strong muscles as a result.
I don't know why Henry McCoy is a student of this flawed version of genetics in this universe or why it's at an American college.
Henry is dodging the questions. Here we see a kind of reasoning behind his willing participation in the school's experiments and cult. He was actively trying to change aspects about himself, I think.
Liar. Liar. LIAR.
This is a reference I know. Bernard Quartermass is a television character who often fought aliens. He's an engineer, I believe. Not a professor of eugenics.
The "London School of Hygiene" leads me to think that maybe Britain is a bit more fascist in this universe.
I believe the RA Fisher portion of Quartermass's title is in reference to the geneticist and eugenicist Ronald Fisher.
Hank McCoy cured AIDS.
Hank McCoy was using his classmates and members of the cult as an organ farm for his and Charles's genetic experiments.
As we'll later learn, the kidneys are important. They're being harvested to make Adrenachrome from the Adrenal Glands so Charles can get high.
This connects it not only to the world of conspiracy theories like Qanon in our modern world, but also the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas where the myth of using Adrenachrome to get high comes from.