Chapter 117: Confirmation of Death [2]
“Ah… Are you going to dissect it right away?”
“Then…”
“What…”
“But you can’t do that here!”
“This is invalid!”
“Do it in the theater!”
At first glance, the crowd seemed to agree with Liston’s words, but that did not mean things settled down. On the contrary, the noise only grew, with more riled-up voices than before.
Theater… Did he say theater?
They wanted to move the dissection to a theater. Surprisingly, dissections during this period were, well… a kind of performance. Calling it a “show” might seem too much, but that was what it was.
Take William Burke, for example, hanged just last year. What happened to him?
I can’t forget that verdict. It was so shocking.
I did not have photographic memory, but I clearly remembered the last line:
“Your body will be publicly dissected and used for dissection practice, and your skeleton preserved so future generations may remember your evil deeds.”
And they meant it. His body was publicly dissected. “Public” did not mean media coverage. It meant the dissection was open to anyone, held in a square or an anatomy theater. And this was not even rare. They had whole venues built for this. What was the name again… Padua?
“A theater…”
“Look, Pyeong. It’s a great opportunity.”
“Yes?”
“You saw how most people don’t even know your name. Is that fair? You’re the best doctor I know.”
“But… the theater…”
“Pyeong, aren’t you confident in dissection?”
Well, it was me we were talking about. Would it not be weird if I were not confident? Even in the twenty-first century, I was a surgeon. I had mastered anatomy and performed numerous surgeries. Honestly, I could hold my own even if I were put in a room with modern doctors. And this was the nineteenth century.
“I’m confident.”
“Good. I know you have a guilty conscience sometimes.”
“Hmm.”
It was not guilt. It was just basic decency. But all right. I could tell Liston’s words were not quite enough to sway the crowd. I was still an outsider, after all. Listening to a local would carry more weight.
“But will there ever be another chance to show off your skills in front of this many people?”
“Probably not, right?”
“Exactly. Sadly, a lot of people will judge you by your skin color. Even in our hospital, besides money-hungry administrators and Blundell, there are many who don’t like you. Even if they acknowledge your skill, they’ll still spread rumors. But what if the crowd sees you?”
The way he said it… I almost wondered if this guy always spoke so persuasively. It even felt sincere. He really did seem to care. Sure, he had a sharp tongue at times, but Blundell had once hit me. Liston never did. That alone said something.
“All right.”
“Then go on. Speak to them.”
“Me?”
“Who else?”
“Hmm…”
“You’ve got a smooth tongue. Use it.”
“Mmm.”
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the crowd. I sighed deeply. But okay. I had presented at medical conferences before, even prestigious ones. I could handle this.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Pyeong. Originally, this procedure was meant to be done just among doctors, but since this is for the purpose of teaching a specific surgery, I think holding it in a theater may be more appropriate.”
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Justice!”
“Anatomy!”
The cheer was thunderous. Did they really love dissections in theaters that much? Still, I had more to say.
“But since the goal isn’t just dissection, I think other doctors should be invited to the podium as well. That would require a fairly large venue… I wonder if that’s even possible?”
Was I about to become a celebrity? Sure, why not. But honestly, that was not the point. What mattered now was reaching as many people as possible with proper surgical training.
With the way things are going, we’ll get left behind if we don’t do something big. Will the chief handle it?
Without saying more, I turned toward the chief. He had looked smug just moments ago, probably thinking he had thrown the burden to us. But what now? Time to organize a full-on show.
“Uh…”
The chief looked flustered, understandably.
“Get the theater!”
“Get it!”
“Make it happen!”
Did he just curse under his breath? But hey, don’t curse at me. This is your job.
“That…”
“The chief must secure the theater!”
“You bastards! Do it!”
“Get it!”
Uh-oh. If you did not handle this well, you might get lynched. Even if he was a police chief, it was not impossible for him to end up as a body in the Anatomy Lab someday.
“I’ll take responsibility. I’ll secure the largest theater.”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Long live the police chief!”
“Justice!”
Well, he must have understood what was at stake. He would probably find a decent place.
“All right then… I’ll carry out the sentence. Bring them forward.”
“Yes!”
The moment the chief gave the signal, the officers moved. The crowd, which had been so loud, fell eerily quiet.
Because someone was about to die.
Even in the brutal nineteenth century, executions drew a solemn hush… at first.
“Kill!”
“Kill him!”
Oh, never mind. They were screaming again. It really was entertainment for them.
Focus… Mind control. I need to stay calm.
Just because they were like this did not mean I needed to lose myself. This moment mattered. Death had to be confirmed properly.
They probably think that once we dissect the body, it confirms death one hundred percent.
Vivisection? The idea alone was terrifying. But historically, it did happen. Herophilus, for instance, considered the father of anatomy, performed dissections on live subjects as executions. They say he even discovered motor and sensory nerves that way. It was branded as demonic knowledge for centuries, only rediscovered with modern science.
I’m not doing that, right?
…Right?
Double-check everything.
Just as I was regaining focus, the poison was brought forward. The accused, body snatchers tied to chairs, were forced to drink.
“Open your mouth!”
“Ugh.”
“Someone help. Why is this guy so strong? Professor!”
“Aaaah!”
Of course they struggled. Who would drink poison willingly? Most resisted, except one who had already given up and another who was being yanked by the hair by Dr. Liston himself. Children too. Honestly, I wondered if a doctor should really be the one forcing poison into someone’s mouth.
“I do dissection to save lives. But I can’t stand to be involved with criminals.”
I remembered Liston saying that. Maybe that was why he was so angry. He felt insulted, morally violated.
“Ugh… ugh…”
One by one, they began to collapse, vomiting and convulsing. It was arsenic. More precisely, an extremely potent variation once used in failed syphilis treatments.
“Don’t go near. There’s poison.”
“Ah, right.”
One had already rolled his eyes back. I almost stepped forward, but a police officer stopped me. He was right. I remembered being scolded during internship for approaching poisoned patients bare-handed.
“Let’s wipe it off. We’ll clean and redose them if needed.”
“Ah, okay.”
I shut my mouth. It was terrifying. They were intent on making sure these men died. As someone who had spent both lives saving people, it was a horrible thing to witness. In the past, I might have fainted or vomited. But now? I did not. I was getting used to it.
“Now, let’s begin with this one.”
The crowd never really went quiet. They had been shouting the whole time. But now, I approached one of the collapsed men. He looked dead, but you never knew. I checked his muscle tone. If someone held their breath, they could hide breathing sounds, but they could not fake muscle relaxation.
Unless their breathing has truly stopped…
Still, there was no response. I stimulated him several ways. Nothing. I checked his pupils, muscle tone, and breathing. Then I brought out the Stethoscope.
Hmm…
It was not as good as the one I was used to, but it was better than relying on my ears. It magnified the sound enough.
“He’s dead. But just in case, leave him for now and call his name from the side.”
“His name…?”
“When people die, hearing is the last thing to go. Sometimes, they respond to sound even then.”
“Ah, yes!”
I was just doing what came naturally. But to the crowd, to Liston, even to the officers, it must have looked different. The noise started to die down.
Footnotes
Translator’s Notes
Anatomy theater — A lecture hall designed for public or instructional dissections, with seating arranged so an audience could observe the procedure.
Padua — Italian city associated with one of Europe’s famous early anatomical theaters, built at the University of Padua in the sixteenth century.
Vivisection — Dissection or surgical experimentation performed on a living subject.
Herophilus — Ancient Greek physician associated with early anatomical study, including reports of human dissections.
Arsenic — Toxic chemical historically used in some medical treatments, including failed or dangerous syphilis remedies.