Chapter 197: What Was to Come Had Come… [1]
A total of ten people underwent surgery. Eight were diagnosed with appendicitis. Although no biopsies were performed, their symptoms appeared to improve after the operations. Of the eight who improved, five had been treated with phenol, and three with iodine. Whether the difference was statistically significant was debatable, but one thing was clear: both phenol and iodine had their drawbacks.
“Hmm.”
“It hurts…”
Phenol was incredibly harsh. At times, I could practically see the skin melting off. So it was not surprising that Blundell was groaning in pain.
“Oof…”
The smell, too, was unpleasant. Medicinal, sharp, almost toxic. I did not know if I had a weak stomach or simply a sensitive one, but even I found it unbearable. Some patients struggled far more with it.
Despite the side effects, I was feeling quite proud of the results. First of all, they survived. It had only been three days since the surgeries, so nothing was certain yet. A few were developing fevers, so it was likely that one or two would not make it. But up to this point, both phenol and iodine seemed comparably effective. Considering side effects alone, iodine appeared to be the better option.
“It hurts…”
But iodine had its own issues. Initially, I thought the pain came from contact with the wound, but it still hurt when applied to intact skin. Still, pain was not considered a real problem. This was the nineteenth century, not the twenty-first. It was not a matter of dying. It was just pain. Surely, one could endure that. If it cured a potentially fatal illness, a man would be mocked for not taking it like a man. A woman? The same logic would apply. People would say she was not feminine enough.
“Pyeong, this is…”
Then came a bigger problem. Liston stared down at a patient’s abdomen, his face dark and deeply suspicious.
“No way… That’s not…”
Blundell, too, looked confused and alarmed. It was clear from their expressions that something did not add up.
“Hey, Pyeong.”
“This… This.”
“Professor…”
Even Alfred, Joseph, and Colin were chiming in nervously.
“Oh no, I really didn’t know.”
I honestly had not known. Who would have guessed that pure iodine could dye human skin bright yellow? Sure, it stained a bit when I used Betadine, but that came off with some soap. This was different.
“Are you trying to turn everyone yellow now?”
“No, brother! Really!”
“Well, if that were the case, I bet you’d soak your entire body. You seem like the type to get away with it.”
“No…”
“I wouldn’t say it’s completely unfair.”
“That’s not—!”
Karma, maybe? I did not know why, but Liston was convinced I had done it on purpose. Meanwhile, Blundell stared at the patient’s stomach, which now looked like something out of The Simpsons. The patient did too. If he had not been in so much pain from the incision, I imagined he would have been watching it all day in disbelief.
“How am I supposed to meet a woman like this?”
“That’s your concern?”
“Yes, I’m worried!”
“What kind of woman would date a penniless patient anyway? And besides, remember, you chose that medicine, not us.”
“Ugh…”
Luckily, there were no complaints worth noting. In the nineteenth century, doctors held absolute power over their patients. Sure, someone could come at you with a knife, but that was rare. And with Liston around, no one would dare. Besides, the patient had made the choice himself.
“Ha ha ha! We opened the abdomen and everyone lived? That’s a miracle. Truly… this miasma-microorganism theory might be correct.”
Still, from a hospital management perspective, this might cause trouble. The director, who had reappeared, smiled broadly.
“Let’s publicize this! People with stomachaches. Wait, what are we calling it again?”
“Right lower quadrant pain,” someone said.
“Right! Didn’t we lose a lot of patients to this kind of pain before?”
Appendicitis was, indeed, a deadly disease. It carried a mortality rate over sixty percent. And the surviving forty percent often died eventually due to chronic relapses or complications. Its prevalence was around seven to eight percent, varying by gender. So roughly six percent of the population died from it. If it ruptured, death was almost guaranteed.
To treat it under such conditions…
It was incredible.
“They can’t pay though, can they?”
The director glanced over at the previously neglected poor patients, then sighed and shook his head.
“Well, I suppose I’ll need to pay more going forward. Now then, what’s disinfection again?”
“Phenol and iodine,” I answered.
“Hmm. Neither seems that expensive… You said mercury was too costly. Why not just use that?”
“Pyeong says that if mercury were really that effective, humans would already be living longer. It makes sense. Lead, maybe, but mercury?”
“Hmm. Well, if you’ve all agreed, I’ll trust you. Still, both options have side effects… Just let the patients decide. Aristocrats might be picky, but they won’t criticize themselves. We can even bring in a notary.”
“Then… can we start cutting again?”
“Don’t open everyone. Two already had false alarms. Still, if it’s only twenty percent, that’s an acceptable margin.”
The director grinned at Liston’s pragmatic suggestion. Appendicitis was a common disease. While amputations were still frequent, the introduction of our new wound-care method had already decreased the numbers. With this disinfection method added to the mix, the need for major surgeries would decrease. Bad for business, perhaps, but great for people. Still, with such a groundbreaking procedure, the hospital’s reputation would soar.
Of course, Dr. Liston was the type to believe that when one thing was lost, something better replaced it. Even if the person standing before him was the hospital director.
“And what about Parliament?”
“I barely managed to get in. I pulled every string I could, real and imagined. But you and Dr. Pyeong have gained so much fame lately that it worked. I got us a spot to speak.”
“Just me? Not Pyeong too?”
“Just you. But why are you talking like that today?”
“I didn’t have a mare, so I figured I’d walk.”
“…Right. Let’s go. The lawmakers won’t wait forever.”
Parliament.
Shudder.
Even just being nearby made me anxious. I had never even been inside the Korean National Assembly, let alone something as old and aristocratic as the British Parliament. Most of these men were not former commoners. They were nobles, or close to it.
“Pyeong, did you commit a crime? You look like you’re being dragged to your execution.”
“I’m just nervous.”
“Relax. You’re loved by both the princess and the Duke. No one will touch you. Besides, we’re here to change history. Didn’t you see what’s happening in Paris? Those baguette-eaters are wallowing in their own filth.”
“Right. If we want to stop that…”
“Then we need to boil water and wash hands like you said. But… do you think our people will actually listen?”
“They won’t. Ever.”
Even if we passed a law, it would not be followed. Unlike Korea, where ninety percent of the population pursued higher education, literacy was not universal here. “Common sense” did not exist for most. Even among the educated, rational discussion was difficult.
“That’s why we need legislation. And public infrastructure. I thought sewers were just for show, but I was wrong.”
“Show? No way. They’re essential.”
Thankfully, the British Empire had a well-established rule of law. If you broke the law and got caught, you faced real consequences. The issue was that the lawmakers themselves were still stuck in the nineteenth century.
I hoped Liston could persuade them.
If not with words, then maybe with fists.
“Please come in, Doctor. Dr. Pyeong… You can stay here.”
“Who’ll speak for me if I stay out here?”
“That’s… still being decided.”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait. Bye.”
“Are you sure it’s safe to be alone?”
“I have a gun.”
“Aha. That’s my little brother.”
I waited at the entrance. Technically, we were placed in a rest area next to the entrance, usually reserved for stable hands who cared for lawmakers’ horses. It was empty today, probably cleared out just for me. Still, social status was strict. The place was cramped, dark, and dirty. At least I was allowed to stick my head out for light.
Soon, Liston took the podium. He had a commanding presence, dressed sharply in the suit he had bought with his new earnings. Up close, he looked terrifying, but from a distance, he cut a respectable figure.
“The miasma theory is wrong!”
He was bold. Passionate. But the lawmakers only looked irritated.
“I don’t think so. Go to the countryside. Less smell, less illness. If it were microorganisms, it should be the same.”
“You’re saying poop has germs? That water mixes with it and causes disease?”
“Watch your language. This is sacred ground.”
Liston’s glare silenced the man instantly. But these were no ordinary men. These were British lawmakers, powerful and temperamental.
“Let’s get to the point.”
“Wash hands. Boil water. And before that, fix the water and sewage systems.”
“Ha! That’s all cost! Do you know how expensive it is to run an empire? We have colonies depending on us!”
“Aren’t the lives of Londoners more important than cost?”
The room fell into awkward silence. They had been caught off guard. They could not say that money mattered more than life. Not openly.
Just then, someone rushed past me, a messenger delivering something to a high-ranking official. The lawmaker opened it, glanced at the contents, and grinned.
“Dr. Liston, guess what? The French are starting water and sewer reform too. Must be feeling the heat after that July Revolution.”
“Ah…”
“You’re not suggesting we follow the French, are you? We’re the British Empire. We have pride.”
It was infuriating. I expected Liston to erupt. But instead, he only sighed.
“I see… There’s no convincing them.”
In the end, even he had to concede.
He was still a child of the black-tea-drinking Empire, after all.