Saint (3)

Sigmund Freud, who was still treated as a complete psycho by the medical establishment, was currently in his element, treating patients in the Vienna Slums like a fish in water.

"My dear patient, you are not morally corrupt."

"Pardon...? Truly?"

"Indeed. During upbringing, everyone naturally develops an incestuous affection toward their father. When these traits are repressed, they manifest as extreme anxiety and subsequent seizures."

In the treatment of mental illness, a patient's trust in their doctor is absolutely essential. Yet, due to his bizarre theories, Sigmund Freud had rarely been treated like a proper doctor in his life.

But here, it was different. After all, Freud was still a doctor. No matter how much he babbled about phalluses, anuses, and incest, the slum dwellers followed his instructions, thinking, 'He's a doctor, so surely he knows better than uneducated folks like us.'

Thus, Freud's advanced therapeutic techniques actually shone in these slums.

"Dr. Freud has cast out the Satan inside Anna...!"

"It is as if Christ Himself has driven out the demons!"

"Hooray, Freud! Freud!"

After tasting the sweet success of clinical triumph, Professor Freud devoted himself entirely to his practice for a while.

Meanwhile, Professor Landsteiner and I continued to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠focus on prescribing penicillin.

Of course, penicillin was strictly reserved for patients with severe syphilis or sepsis. After all, other illnesses had alternative treatments, and we had to prioritize those suffering from otherwise incurable diseases.

Naturally, countless other patients flocked to us besides those with severe conditions. There was very little we could do for them—except offer my knowledge of the future.

"Please, wash your hands! Especially when you return from outside, after using the latrine, or after touching anything dirty!"

"Your gums are bleeding? For now, eat some lemons."

"You have tuberculosis? Please, wrap a clean cloth around your mouth."

"You must boil your water before drinking it."

In the nineteenth century, the medical standards of the slums were utterly abysmal. Modern humans were undoubtedly geniuses. If you catch a cold, wash your hands well, take Vitamin C, and wear a mask! To avoid a stomach ache, cook your food thoroughly! Dirty water is bad for your health. These were pieces of medical common sense that even kindergarteners in my past life knew—things so basic they could hardly even be called medical knowledge.

"It is best to bathe as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠often as possible! And discard the bathwater after a single use."

"Bathing is too difficult? Then at least wash your hands and feet, wash your face, and brush your teeth every day. And eat plenty of lemons."

In any case, simply implementing the most basic hygiene measures cured patients in countless instances.

Of course, the medical community had discovered long ago that unhygienic environments caused disease. But what about in these slums? The cause of stomach aches and colds was still attributed to 'Satan' rather than intuitively linked to 'cleanliness.'

Furthermore, even though doctors knew cleanliness was important, they made no separate effort to enforce it.

If someone is sick, give them opium! That was the medical standard of this era.

"Dr. Stahl, you've arrived! Thanks to you, my daughter has recovered from her influenza. Thank you so much!"

"Ah, it has been a while. It was not because of me. Your daughter simply has a strong constitution. Just make sure she washes her face every morning, as I instructed."

"Of course! Ah, and I wished to make a confession, but there are currently fifty people waiting ahead of me."

"Is that so?"

"So, I was hoping to make my confession to you, Dr. Stahl..."

"..."

It had been half a year since I started visiting the slums daily. I was no longer treated like Christ or Saint Peter. Frankly, it made me feel a bit neglected.

Should I have gone into psychoanalysis too? Why is Professor Freud the only one getting more popular by the day?

I wasn't just the one who developed penicillin; I was also the one who provided massive help to psychoanalysis! Why was Professor Freud's popularity the only one soaring day by day?

Well, treating the mentally ill as if they were possessed by demons was the norm, so Freud's role as an exorcist probably looked far more dramatic.

In any case, my status had now been downgraded from an 'Apostle' like Peter or Paul to a 'Saint' like Saint Francis or Mother Teresa. This wasn't normal either, to be fair.

Regardless.

"Professor Landsteiner, how is the reaction to our paper?"

"The response is far more passionate than when we first announced penicillin!"

Every single clinical trial we conducted was a success. Though it only worked on bacterial infections, syphilis patients were cured the moment they were administered penicillin. And was it just syphilis? Sepsis, tuberculosis, typhoid... Every disease caused by pathogenic bacteria was cured.

Could they still deny it? If they refused to believe even when presented with actual data, they were shamans, not academics.

And so, as our new paper was published, newspaper articles began to spread like wildfire.

We had first discovered penicillin in 1898. Back then, it was merely the discovery of a mold called Penicillium notatum—no, Penicillium stahlium. It was only early this year that we succeeded in chemically refining penicillin and administering it to animals. Now, human clinical trials had been flawlessly completed.

"Dr. Stahl, it is now time to research mass production. The most urgent matter is the mass cultivation of the mold..."

"Ah, I am not doing that. I cannot! Let us dump that burden onto the pharmaceutical companies."

I was sick and tired of biological and medical research. Chemistry research was fine since it was my original field, but I couldn't stand doing any more penicillin-related work.

At any rate...

Not all the articles were favorable, but the fact that every single newspaper was talking about penicillin and me was certainly encouraging.

What? How can mold juice cure people? Soon enough, even the Kaiser will beg for a single shot of penicillin.

Heh. Was this what they called a 'refreshing development'? I was thoroughly amused imagining how the established Viennese academia, which had initially rejected my paper, would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠react.

Not long after the rumors spread, our first high-profile patient arrived. He was a much bigger figure than expected.

Wait... Is that who I think it is?

It was none other than Karl Lueger, the Mayor of Vienna.

Although I hadn't known him back when I was a Korean, it was impossible to live in this era without knowing who he was.

My brow furrowed instantly.

As his name suggested, he was not an aristocrat. While he certainly deserved some credit for not being one of the nobles who acted like parasites on the empire, his political stance was another story.

"The Jewish capitalists are the true enemies of Austria!"

"The reason you are poor? It is simple. The Jews have stolen everything that belongs to you!"

"The reason Austria has fallen and strayed from the hands of the Holy Catholic Church is simple. It is because of the parasites swarming in Vienna like vermin!"

There was a reason Adolf Hitler had been born in this Austrian land. Lueger was practically the prototype of the toothbrush-mustached madman. Although he deserved credit for modernizing Vienna's transit and sanitation systems, his rise to the mayor's office was largely fueled by such anti-Semitic demagoguery. In fact, Hitler had even explicitly stated his admiration for this man in Mein Kampf.

"Ahem... My nephew is slightly unwell."

"Is that so?"

"So I am looking for this new drug called 'penicillin.' I was told it is only produced here."

For someone who spent every day spouting anti-Semitic propaganda, he seemed rather embarrassed to be visiting a clinic associated with a Jewish doctor.

I want to kick him out immediately, but I can't just refuse to treat a patient... I have no choice.

Even if the doctors of this era didn't strictly adhere to the Hippocratic Oath, I was still a man of the twenty-first century. I couldn't bring myself to deny treatment, no matter how much of a bastard he was. Since I wasn't a licensed doctor myself, I took Professor Landsteiner with me to Karl Lueger's residence.

"It is a mild case of pharyngitis. There is some inflammation in his throat."

"Then will penicillin be effective?"

"It would be, but..."

Dr. Landsteiner glanced at me. I immediately grasped the situation.

A simple sore throat? Of course, a modern person—especially a Korean—would immediately demand antibiotics and fever reducers to shake it off. But a mild throat inflammation was something that would heal on its own with warm water and plenty of rest.

Of course, if left neglected, there was a small chance it could develop into a more serious illness. But this was the nephew of the mayor. There was absolutely no need to go to such extremes.

Speaking on behalf of the hesitant Landsteiner, I addressed the mayor directly.

"As Dr. Landsteiner said, prescribing penicillin would indeed cure him."

"Is that so? Then immediately, that penicillin..."

"No. There is no need for the young master to receive penicillin. Simply have him avoid outdoor activities and drink warm water instead of cold. You may mix in a bit of lemon."

"What?" Karl Lueger's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean? He is burning up with a fever, and you refuse to give him penicillin? And your prescription is nothing but warm water and lemons?"

"Burning up? He is barely warm..."

"Will you take responsibility if my nephew dies?!"

"No, that is not what I mean. I am saying it is simply not necessary."

"You said penicillin has antibacterial properties! And inflammation is caused by bacteria. Who do you think you are fooling?"

Sigh. He was completely unreasonable.

Even the doctors of this era knew that lemons were good for the body and that warm water helped. The problem was that patients demanded immediate, dramatic cures. That was why doctors prescribed opium so frequently. When a patient threw a tantrum, administering opium calmed them right down.

In other words, opium cured not only the patient's symptoms but also the guardian's hysteria!

I really shouldn't underestimate opium. To think it had such a practical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠application...

I let out a deep sigh.

"If your nephew contracts syphilis, tuberculosis, or pneumonia, do let me know. I will rush over immediately to administer penicillin."

Antibiotics were precious. Because our penicillin research institute was still small, we had to work through the night just to produce enough for a single patient. And he wanted me to waste that precious penicillin on a simple sore throat?

Of course, if I were desperate to curry favor with the powerful, I would have gladly given it to him. But I had no desire to become close with a man who was essentially Hitler born thirty years too early. It was because men like him swarmed Austria and Germany that the most evil regime in human history was eventually born.

Karl Lueger pondered for a moment, then muttered as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Now I understand. Why you refuse to prescribe penicillin and instead offer these absurd remedies."

"Ah, you understand? Then, warm water and proper nutrition..."

"You Jews have always been this way."

"...What?"

"You must despise my nephew, who will grow up to fight against the Jewish capital lurking in the shadows. You are trying to slowly undermine our patriotic forces in this manner."

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even find the words to reply.

Regardless of my reaction, Karl Lueger grew even more triumphant and pressed on.

"Still, I never expected a doctor to stoop so low. But indeed, how could a mere illness block the path of patriotism! You Jews will regret your choice today."

Ah, it was hopeless. This man didn't need penicillin; he needed Professor Freud.

Professor Landsteiner, thoroughly flustered, tried to defend me.

"I beg your pardon, but even if this young man were, I am certainly not Jewish. And what he says is correct. Administering it for such a mild illness carries risks of side effects..."

"Ha! Landsteiner? Judging by your name, you seem to be of German descent. What did they bribe you with? Money? Women?"

They say delusional disorder is the hardest of all mental illnesses to treat. Since the patient constructs a delusional world based on what they believe to be rational evidence, it is nearly impossible to shatter. Anyone who attacks that delusion is simply categorized as an enemy within their delusional framework. If they weren't an enemy, why would they try to destroy the delusion?

It was a perfect catch-22.

Trying to reason with a delusional patient was a complete waste of time.

And within a few days, I would realize just how incredibly annoying a delusional politician could be.