TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR (1887) – Nearly eighty years before the movie Fantastic Voyage, this work of “ancient” science fiction detailed a party of shrunken heroes on an odyssey through a human being’s body. This cleverly-titled tale was written by Alfred Taylor Schofield under the name Luke T Courteney.
London medical student Luke Theophilus Courteney passes his examinations to be admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons. His uncle, Captain Goodchild, helps the young man celebrate by taking Luke (nicknamed Pill from his middle name) and his younger sister Belinda to Trebizond, Turkey for a brief holiday.
Goodchild kindly takes along Pill’s friend Sutton, who failed the examinations and needs some moral support. Pill’s mastery of anatomy will enable him, Belinda and Sutton to survive their upcoming microscopic adventure.
In the colorful markets of Trebizond, the trio obtain exotic chemical powders which wind up shrinking down them and their clothing. Pill, Belinda and Sutton wind up in the mouth of the unsuspecting Captain Goodchild to the delight of 19th century vore fetishists no doubt.
And not just the clothing of the three scientific adventurers was shrunk down along with their bodies, but also some equipment that the shrewd Pill brought along, like a powered lamp, an “antigravity coil,” binoculars and evaporated rubber.
Our main characters try to escape Goodchild’s innards and wind up having assorted adventures in the old man’s mouth, nose, ears, digestive system, etc. At length they manage to return to the outside world (and the exotic chemical powders) by “boating” along in the Captain’s bloodstream, then “popping” out of a pimple on his neck.
Travels in the Interior is kind of fun as these stories go and must have been very educational for many young readers in the late 19th Century. +++
FOR WASHINGTON IRVING’S 1809 depiction of an invasion from the moon click here: https://glitternight.com/2014/05/05/ancient-science-fiction-the-men-of-the-moon-1809-by-washington-irving/
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I’m always blown away by how old some of these sci fi themes are.
I feel the same way.