Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Finally, Pasteur (2)
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Imperial Academy, Dean of the Healer Faculty.
Predolin Fisher.
He was flipping through the latest papers published in the academic journal. Wondering what papers had come out this time to eat up so much of the research budget.
The Healer Faculty was large, but that didn't mean there were thousands of healer professors. If he set his mind to it, he could review them all personally.
At least as long as they didn't pile up. No matter how many there were, it was only a few per day.
"Professor Moritz. Have you seen this?"
"Seen what, sir?"
"The new professor has already published three papers. On the microscope, bacteria, and cholera-like dysentery."
"Ah. It's the hot topic these days."
"Has it been?"
"You remember the letter of recommendation from the palace, right? Some call him a quack, others swear by his skills."
"Guess I need to take another look. What's your take on the papers? Any good? Or nonsense?"
"I'd say there are some holes. Leaps in logic, maybe. But the content itself looks solid to me."
The dean of the Healer Faculty flipped through the papers again.
"Pathogenic microparticles? That must've gotten him chewed out by the other professors. Isn't it wrong?"
"Minority opinion, I suppose. He claims it's experimentally proven."
"Oh ho."
"He says he's found a cure for cholera-like dysentery too? According to the documents from the Lord of Lapis to the journal and the Academy."
A new professor from unknown origins, planted from on high. New theories, new experiments, and the academic world's ignited interest.
"Interesting. I should go see him sometime."
"You should."
He wanted to at least see the face of the professor who'd thrown down the gauntlet to academia single-handedly. Though the content was probably wrong.
A young professor barely old enough to have earned his doctorate. Still, the dean thought his ambition deserved praise.
Even so.
Academia wasn't a place swayed by backers or status. Even an imperial healer had to back claims with experiments.
Pasteur, Pasteur, Pasteur.
I figure plenty of people are sick of hearing that name by now. I get it, but we're not there yet.
Disproving spontaneous generation, proving the germ theory, pasteurization for milk, vaccine principles, silkworm rearing methods. The guy's accomplishments are endless.
Can't be helped.
We might hear his name for another ten years. Even in original history, wasn't "Pasteur" plastered on every milk carton?
"This experiment is really just for show to others anyway. We already know it works—we use the principle in our culture medium."
Estina Ivyheart let out a sigh.
"This is... tricky."
"The experiment itself is simple."
Preparations were complete, at least.
All that was left was to run Pasteur's experiment and paper and make a splash. Borrowing a bit from you, senior master.
And now, the lecture hall.
I'd put real effort into preparing today's class.
The lecture hall buzzed with faculty students as usual. No rude professors trying to hijack someone else's class today, either.
Good thing. If the Academy academics knew what class I was teaching today, it would've been standing room only again.
Two large swan-neck flasks sat beside the podium, big enough to see from the back of the room.
I scanned the lecture hall.
"As I mentioned before, how can we prove that mold and decay don't arise spontaneously or from odors, but from microparticles in the air?"
Estina Ivyheart watched me from the front row.
I'd said it multiple times, but students needed repetition. More importantly, they had to reach the conclusion themselves. They needed to grasp the logical structure of the experiment.
"First, we frame the hypothesis as a falsifiable proposition. How should we word it?"
No answer.
"Mr. Oliver. Give it a shot."
"Decay in food occurs due to contact with microparticles in the air—that is, other organisms."
"Good."
I wrote Oliver's words on the blackboard.
The chalk snapped once.
"This hypothesis contradicts societal and academic common sense. Astonishing claims require ironclad evidence, so we design a logically flawless experiment."
"We induce decay in food under controlled conditions and compare the outcomes."
Estina Ivyheart nodded from the front row.
"We obtain uncontaminated samples, then create ones exposed to airborne microparticles and ones that aren't."
"An experimental group with active researcher intervention, and a control group for comparison. To specify..."
I scanned the lecture hall again.
A moment later, Amy raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Amy."
"Uh, we should separate sterilized food into a control group exposed to air and an experimental group not exposed to air!"
"Exactly."
The experimental design was set. Divide sterilized food into a control exposed to air and an experimental group not exposed, then induce decay.
"Design complete. Before starting, let's review the assumptions used in the experiment."
"Assumptions?"
Estina Ivyheart scratched her head in the front row. But they were necessary for a successful experiment.
"First: the sterilization process. Does boiling and applying purification magic suffice to eliminate bacteria?"
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Professor, doesn't that affect the experiment's success? Do we need to consider it?"
From a student's perspective, they might wonder why bring it up now—it could undermine the experiment. Fair enough.
But that's not scientific methodology.
"It might. The goal is to test a falsifiable proposition. Fearing falsification makes science impossible."
The assumptions needed scrutiny. They weren't falsifiable propositions within this experiment.
So, back to it.
"Boiling meat broth and applying purification magic assumes microparticles are gone. Logical, but it's an assumption needing verification itself."
The lecture hall buzzed, papers rustling noisily.
"Second: how do we block dust or microparticles in the air without stopping air flow itself?"
Pasteur sealed the swan-neck flask necks with water. It allowed air through while trapping airborne dust and microparticles.
A hand went up from the back.
"Water. Gases pass through, but particles get caught. That's why you brought the swan-neck flasks, right?"
A sharp answer, uncharacteristic for a student.
"Very good—wait, what are you doing here, Professor?"
"Attending class."
Violet, one of the imperial healers.
Here again.
"You've been showing up a lot lately. Don't you have work to do, Miss Violet?"
"Nope."
Right... Better than sitting in the palace infirmary playing poker. I sighed softly and resumed writing on the board.
"Anyway, second assumption: water lets gases through but filters microparticles."
True enough, and it works in practice, but unproven experimentally yet.
Worth addressing.
"As you see, two major assumptions. Whether the experiment succeeds or fails, keep them in mind."
I set down the chalk and faced the class again. Time for the real experiment.
It felt like we'd been talking about this for days. No need to explain again. Performing the experiment took only minutes.
And... done.
"We'll check back in a few days. If the unexposed sample doesn't decay and the exposed one does, the hypothesis is proven. Only that one out of the four possibilities."
The students nodded.
"Class dismissed. Good work, everyone. See you next class to check on the flasks."
Clack. I set down the chalk. The students packed up and filed out as usual.
As always, I left the lecture hall with Estina Ivyheart in tow. I hoped the experiment worked, but there were no guarantees.
The sterilized broth might still harbor bacteria or contaminants. Or neither might spoil, yielding no significant result.
We'd find out when we tried. In my pre-class trial, flies appeared in the broth after a day or two. The flies beat the mold to it.
"It'll work out, right?"
"Nothing's certain."
"Oh, right—they're publishing the cholera paper. Seems like it went out beyond the Academy too. Along with the microscope one."
"Good."