Impact The series was short lived, lasting only four-
teen episodes, but it attracted a cult fan base and gar-
nered critical praise for its postmodern examination
of television and society. AfterMax Headroomwas
canceled, Coca-Cola picked up the Max Headroom
character as a spokesperson for its products, specifi-
cally New Coke, apparently unconcerned by the
sharp critique of both multinational corporations
and advertising present in the original show. Max,
still played by Frewer in many layers of makeup, went
on to have a short-lived talk show on Cinemax.
Further Reading
Abbott, Rebecca L. “Selling Out Max Headroom.” In
Video Icons and Values, edited by Alan M. Olson,
Christopher Parr, and Debra Parr. Albany: State
University of New York Press, 1991.
Bukatman, Scott.Terminal Identity: The Virtual Subject
in Postmodern Science Fiction. Durham, N.C.: Duke
University Press, 1993.
Lentz, Harris M.Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy
Film and Television Credits, Supplement 2, Through
1993. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1994.
Roberts, Steve.Max Headroom: The Picture Book of the
Film. New York: Random House, 1986.
Ross, Andrew. “Techno-ethics and Tele-ethics:
Three Lives in the Day of Max Headroom.” In
Logics of Television: Essays in Cultural Criticism,ed-
ited by Patricia Mellencamp. London: BFI Books,
1990.
Lacy Schutz
See also Blade Runner; Cyberpunk literature; In
formation age; Journalism; MTV; New Coke; Science-
fiction films; Television;Tron; Virtual reality.
Medicine
Definition Medical discoveries and advances
during the decade
The 1980’s served as a transition era in which technology
developed in the previous decades was applied to medical di-
agnosis as well as innovations such as genetically engi-
neered vaccines. The period also was one that saw the recog-
nition of new diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome and toxic shock.
The decades immediately preceding the 1980’s saw
the development of technologies that, despite their
infancy, showed promise in their application to the
diagnosis and treatment of disease. For example,
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was developed
and applied in producing internal images of tissues
and organs. Techniques and discoveries to be ap-
plied in a new field, molecular biology, altered the
study of biology from one primarily of observation
to one of understanding at the molecular level. The
1980’s was arguably an “age of innocence” in medi-
cine, as existing antibiotics were felt to be adequate
in treating outbreaks of infectious diseases, a his-
toric problem that scientists and physicians felt had
been largely contained.Recognition of New Diseases Toxic shock syn-
drome (TSS), a rare illness of indeterminate cause,
was known for much of the twentieth century. In
1980, however, the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) were notified of a sudden outbreak that ulti-
mately affected more than three hundred women;
more than two dozen died. The source was ulti-
mately linked to use of a particular brand of tampon:
Rely. The disease abated when the manufacturer,
Procter & Gamble, removed the tampon from the
market. The illness, the result of a product produced
by two species of bacteria,Staphylococcus aureusand
Streptococcus pyogenes, was triggered by the ability of
the material of which the tampon was composed to
induce production of the toxin.
Of greater significance worldwide was the recog-
nition of what was initially thought to be a new dis-
ease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Recognition of an immunodeficiency syndrome was
first reported in the June 5, 1981, publicationMor-
bidity Mortality Weekly Report. The story described
an unusual and rare parasitic lung infection,
Pneumocystis cariniipneumonia (PCP), in five homo-
sexual men in Los Angeles. An additional outbreak
of a rare illness, Kaposi’s sarcoma, also appeared
that summer among homosexual men in New York.
Because until then these diseases had been reported
only in homosexuals, they were initially referred to
as gay-related immunodeficiency disorder (GRID).
The illnesses were found to be associated with the
loss of immune function in these victims. Reflecting
this relationship, the name of the disease was
changed to AIDS the following year.
Initially, the disease was thought to be associated
with behaviors associated with sexual practices, such
as the use of “poppers” (amyl nitrite) to enhanceThe Eighties in America Medicine 629