When first entering the chamber, the robotic voice shares some comforting words:
"If you become light-headed from thirst, feel free to pass out. An intubation associate will be dispatched to revive you with peptic salve and adrenaline."
What is it?
Adrenaline would presumably be used to get your heartrate back up to speed, but 'peptic salve' seems to be made up for the game. Tumblr user 'Ask GLaDOS' went down this rabbit hole, too, and offered an explanation:
"'Peptic' is a term that generally refers to the stomach and 'salve' is a medical ointment that is used to soothe the surface of the skin. Putting those two terms together, we can deduce that 'peptic salve' is likely an ointment used to soothe the lining of the stomach when it becomes too acidic from hunger or thirst. And the mention of an 'intubation associate' means that they would apply this coating of “peptic salve” to the stomach by jamming a tube down your throat."
This is the low-spoiler guide for "What is Peptic Salve?" puzzle in Portal. Unlike in normal walkthrough, you get gradual hints on how to solve the puzzle. Click the big button below to see your first hint. If the hint contains a spoiler, you will be warned about it before clicking.
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