Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Discovery of Bacteria (3)
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Estina abruptly lifted her head from the paper she was reading.
"Uh, that thing. If there's a really powerful magnifying glass, it might be possible to see it."
Estina more or less knew the answer.
"That's right. As Oliver mentioned earlier, the best method is to directly observe these problematic microparticles with our senses."
I glanced around the classroom.
"For the time being, my lectures will focus mainly on proving the existence of these microparticles and clarifying their properties. Come on up front."
Oliver stepped forward cautiously. I placed the newly made microscope on the lectern.
"Look through the eyepiece."
The microscope's performance was lackluster due to issues with focus, glass clarity, and various other problems.
No staining dye either.
That microscope wouldn't reveal bacteria.
It was simply focused on a single water bear caught from the academy pond. For reference, water bears are roughly 500 times larger than bacteria.
"Whoa. I see something moving!"
"See?"
Oliver pulled away from the microscope.
"Is that the cause of the disease?"
"No. It's just one example of a tiny organism."
I turned to face the students.
"Miss Estina. For an observed microparticle to serve as evidence that it's the cause of a disease, what properties must it satisfy?"
Estina furrowed her brow.
Her expression screamed, Why are you asking me?
"Uh, I don't really know... But first off, it has to come from the patient, right?"
"Yes, exactly."
Estina let out a sigh of relief.
I picked up the chalk again.
- The cause of infectious diseases: microparticles.
This time, the female student sitting next to Oliver raised her hand. People sure love picking apart others' words. If I'd just spouted ordinary stuff, all the students would've been dozing off by now.
They're listening like sharks that've caught the scent of blood, hunting for flaws in what I say. These folks. What a positive development.
"Yes. What's your name?"
"Amy."
"Go ahead, Miss Amy."
Odd name.
"Diseases can arise from all sorts of places, but there's no proof these microparticles you mentioned exist everywhere, is there?"
"A fair criticism."
I looked around the classroom.
"So, how might we prove that microparticles exist in the air?"
"No idea."
"As Oliver just saw, microorganisms are living creatures too. Couldn't they die from physical or chemical stimuli?"
Amy nodded.
"We could heat samples to kill the microbes in two batches. Then compare one exposed to air against one that's not?"
"Ah, I think I get it. You're saying to boil them and kill the microbes, then the sealed sample won't spoil?"
Exactly.
I drew two flasks on the board with chalk.
Pasteur's experiment.
The one that disproved spontaneous generation and proved that spoilage and disease come not from the air itself, but from bacteria in the air.
Well, we'll try it later.
"Let's think a bit more. Are there other ways to prove the existence of these microparticles?"
Oliver raised his hand again.
"Oliver."
"If those microparticles really cause illness, shouldn't we be able to see them in a patient's wound?"
I nodded.
"Well... that's a good idea, but."
"Was I wrong?"
It was right in principle, but not easy in practice. Both bacteria and human cells are transparent and invisible without processes like staining.
"Could Oliver distinguish the patient's body components from the problematic microparticles? There's the equipment's limitations too, and just because we can't see bacteria doesn't mean they aren't there."
In reality, most bacteria and cells are completely invisible without staining. Oliver pondered for a moment, then frowned.
I picked up the chalk again.
- Components and layers of the human body.
"Professor. So, what do the microscopic components of a human patient even look like?"
An excellent question.
"What do you think they look like? Everyone, take a moment to consider. What kind of microscopic structure in the body would most effectively support vital functions?"
Oliver scratched his head.
"Uh......"
Surprisingly, it was a question with an answer.
If you'd studied even a little biology or physiology, there was one inescapable truth.
The intimate link between structure and function.
A fundamental principle across every level of biology.
From the lungs' structure maximizing surface area for air contact, to the double helix of nucleic acids that can easily unfold and extend.
Of course, the cell structure common to all living things is also deeply tied to its function. Could cell theory be deduced logically? A closer look suggests it might.
Oliver ultimately couldn't answer.
"Well... let's think simply. Everyone knows the human body is about seventy percent water, right?"
Oliver nodded.
"But water doesn't just leak out of us. There must be a structure that holds a lot of water... Miss Estina. Tell me."
"Uh, a sponge-like structure?"
"Sponge structure makes sense, but sponges drip water constantly. So there must be membranes that block water movement, across multiple levels."
I shifted my gaze and pointed around the classroom.
"Amy. Summarize it."
Amy cleared her throat.
"Since the body is seventy percent water, it has a porous structure overall, but one made of microscopic layers with membranes to prevent water movement...?"
A brilliant answer.
Brilliant, but it left one more issue to dissect: At which levels are the porous structures, and at which are the membranes blocking water?
That was getting complicated.
The semipermeable microstructures controlling water movement within tissues—i.e., cells—are roughly on the order of a hundred micrometers in scale.
The porous structure is more abstract, but you need a macroscopic view of tissues to grasp it like a sponge. That's on the order of millimeters.
Different scales entirely.
The body's porous structure operates at the level of capillaries and such—millimeters—while cellular semipermeable membranes are micrometers or even nanometers.
We'd nailed it perfectly this time. Understanding scales is key to deriving cell theory, but that's not the point here.
This time, Estina raised her hand.
"Um... what exactly are these 'layers'?"
This was less medicine and more pure science. How do you structure and describe the human body as a single system?
"Layers... it's easiest to think of them as scales of size, but here they also encompass levels of organized information."
Estina stared at me blankly.
She clearly didn't get it.
I drew a person on the blackboard.
"This is a person."
Laughter erupted from spots around the classroom. No, this wasn't meant to be funny. But basics it is.
"A person is made up of organ systems. Respiratory system, digestive system, that sort of thing."
"Ah. Got it."
"Organ systems consist of organs, organs of tissues. So, what are tissues made of?"
Estina blinked blankly again. Organ systems, organs, tissues... so what?
I let out a sigh.
"Estina, didn't you graduate from the faculty? How do you not know the basics? Oliver. Answer."
Amy watched the professor during class.
The one from the rumors.
The healer faculty professor who'd arrived in an imperial carriage, escorting the princess. Amy had thought the stories were exaggerated.
But now it seemed they weren't.
'I've put a lot of thought into how to conduct my classes.'
Meaning he'd put a lot of thought into tormenting them.
'After much deliberation, I concluded that teaching my ongoing research directly would be best.'
Wasn't that just telling undergrads to drop dead? If professors taught their actual research in class, how were students supposed to follow? Even if they could, would it help?
Earlier, Professor Klaus had shown up in the back row to watch, and Asterix's grad student was blatantly sitting front and center.
Wasn't this just using undergrads as props because his grad students got bored chatting research among themselves?
No. If you're gonna use props, make them proper ones. These props knew nothing. So why keep asking undergrads these bizarre questions?
What was the point of repeatedly quizzing undergrads on things they couldn't possibly know? He could just talk to his own grad students.
'Layers... it's easiest to think of them as scales of size, but here they also encompass levels of organized information.'
Hmm, poetry maybe.
All sorts of nonsense spewing out.
What layers even meant—that was more philosophy than medicine. Noticing their confusion, he turned and started drawing something.
And so Professor Asterix drew with chalk. A stick figure person. What was he trying to explain by sketching the human body?
"This is a person."
Definitely a madman.
A helpless chuckle escaped her. What on earth was this?