I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 53. Threshold of Pain (1)

Episode 53. Threshold of Pain (1)

Morning commute.

I was seriously tired today. The aftereffects of returning from Imentia, plus the dinner plans with the Princess. Guess I gotta prepare a gift too.

Whatever. May the monarch’s generous heart overlook it.

“But, Headwick-ssi, what kind of conference is it this time? It must be a pretty big event if it’s got you staying at the Academy.”

“I’m thinking about changing my gown to black.”

Why the tangent?

“Surprisingly, it really shows how dirty it gets. Dust is gray, and grime is brown, you know? More importantly, what kind of conference is it this time?”

“I don’t know exactly either. Some academy professors are supposed to be discussing stuff like bacteria, hand hygiene, blood circulation, that kind of thing.”

“I see.”

“It seems like it’s not just academic discussions; this time they’re supposedly doing concrete and clinically applicable talks. That’s why they called so many people, I guess.”

If that’s the topic, isn’t it practically a review session of my paper? Not *why didn’t they invite me* – but.

It’d probably be easier to have a review session if the person in question wasn’t there. I thought about it for a bit. Is it right for me to go, or not?

Wouldn’t it be right for me *not* to go?

“Uh… just tell me how it was when you get back. And if a conference paper comes out, give me a copy.”

Hedwig nodded.

This conference, I guess I didn’t need to prepare much for it. Maybe I should just send Istina to observe later? There might be something to glean.

“Okay. Oh, Professor.”

“Yes?”

“Could I observe your ward rounds and outpatient appointments for the next few days?”

“Uh…”

Well, that was a bit of a head-scratcher.

Taking them around isn’t a huge problem, but they’re not even going to be a grad student. I wonder how helpful it’ll be.

“Then… just do what you have to do, and if you have any questions, ask Istina. Let’s discuss it later when we look at patients.”

“Could you just take a few questions?”

I nodded.

Hedwig slumped onto the lab sofa, a small booklet in her hand.

Are those… my papers?

“Yeah. Starting with the bacteria.”

“Yes.”

“What do you see bacteria as?”

“Microscopic particles. I see them as things that multiply inside people and cause problems.”

Hedwig nodded.

“Have you, by any chance, considered the specific mechanisms by which bacteria cause disease?”

“Uh, if we’re just talking about possibilities.”

“Yes.”

“You know from blood microscope tests that it’s not just red blood cells that show up in the blood, right?”

“It was just mentioned in the blood paper.”

“Yeah. Well, in my personal opinion, reactions like fever and redness appear as a result of white blood cells inside the blood resisting the bacteria.”

Hedwig tilted her head slightly.

“Is that so? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s just an opinion.”

If I’m incredibly lucky, maybe I could see white blood cells devouring bacteria in real time. But I doubt the microscope’s capabilities reach that far. Even the white blood cells themselves were blurry.

“You have a paper on epidemic dysentery, right?”

“Yes.”

“How do I put this… is there a reason why bacteria die in alcohol? Because I see, Professor, that you use alcohol for sterilization in the wards as well.”

Every living thing’s cell membrane is made of a phospholipid bilayer, and since those components are fat-soluble, if mixed with high-concentration alcohol, the membrane dissolves in the alcohol and the bacteria dies.

Let’s put it simply.

“Bacteria dies if you pickle it in alcohol. It’s a living thing.”

“That… might be true, I guess.”

Hedwig nodded vaguely.

“About blood circulation. You said blood moves mechanically within the body, right? Are there any other ways to test that experimentally?”

“There are many ways.”

The paper mentioned cardiac output and microscopic observation of capillaries. But, there are tons of ways to prove blood circulation exists.

“Try cutting open a vein in a living animal. You’ll confirm that venous blood only moves towards the heart.”

“But, under your theory, you argue that the liver isn’t the organ that makes blood. So the organ that makes blood just disappears.”

Hedwig, looking serious, started scribbling something down. I shook my head. No, that’s wrong.

The femur. I took out the femur Istina had recovered from the execution grounds before. It was already sawed open.

“Look. It’s red, isn’t it?”

“It’s brown.”

“It’s red when it’s fresh.”

Hedwig stared at me with a strange look. Well, what am I supposed to do when it’s the truth.

“If you observe living human bone marrow under a microscope, you’ll be able to see cells producing red and white blood cells. Probably.”

“Professor! We have a big problem!”

This is a hospital. A place where only people with big problems come anyway. I don’t see why he has to yell, “big problem”.

Alright, let’s see what kind of mess we’ve got today.

Isthina burst into the lab.

“What is it?”

“We just got a patient!”

“Report.”

“A male healer in his twenties, brought in by carriage from the city temple. The temple healers thought he was possessed by a demon.”

If they *really* thought he was possessed, they’d never have let him out of the temple. That’s just their way of saying they have no damn clue.

“Demons at the temple, what a load.”

“Exactly, that’s why they brought him here, right?”

“What kind of illness does it seem like?”

“No one else nearby is showing similar symptoms, and they say they don’t know the cause. Nothing obvious seems to be the problem…”

“What’s the patient’s condition?”

“Patient’s condition? Currently unconscious, breathing normally, but drooling and foaming at the mouth.”

“If he’s drooling and foaming at the mouth, that is *not* normal breathing…”

Agh, this is irritating.

I started running towards the ward. I hope it’s nothing serious, but unfortunately, it looks like another life-or-death case.

“Are there any restraints or straightjackets in the ward?”

“Is it really a demon?”

No, I’m telling you, it’s not.

Sure, there might be demons in this world, but if it was a demon, the temple would’ve handled it themselves. He’s here *because* it’s not a demon.

“Go get a rope. I’m going to the hospital ward.”

“Where would I even find a rope?”

I don’t know. Am I the one who’s supposed to keep track of ropes?

I left Istina behind and ran to the ward. She’ll figure it out, get it herself.

The reason I told her to get a rope is because I have a suspected diagnosis in mind.

She’s a priestess and a healer at the temple, so she’s a medical professional. It must have taken hours by carriage from the temple to here.

The illnesses I’m thinking of, uh, what could they be?

If it’s an illness that can cause a sudden collapse, obviously I should suspect a stroke or heart attack first. But, considering the patient’s age, that doesn’t seem right.

Epileptic seizure?

But that’s not a diagnosis, it’s a symptom. So, should I administer anticonvulsants first?

There’s no guarantee that this patient’s symptom is a seizure. There’s not just one or two reasons a person could suddenly collapse. But…

There are too many possibilities. I need a proper patient report. What are their pupils like, what’s their oxygen saturation, their blood pressure?

Alright. There’s no other way.

Arrived at the ward.

It’s something I think sometimes…

It’s hard here because there’s no one to discuss treatment with. No one understands the drugs I’m using, there’s almost no one who can offer a meaningful counter-argument.

In a modern hospital, it’s not like that.

I could ask my colleagues, or, if I swallow my pride, I could ask the more experienced nurses, what did the predecessors use in cases like this?

I could request a consultation, and even though it would taste bitter, I could send them to another hospital.

But not here. If it’s a problem I don’t know or can’t solve, that’s just the end.

You just die.

In front of the sickbed stood a nurse, Professor Hedwig, and a priest. Lying on the bed was a man in priest’s robes.

Unconscious, twitching limbs every so often, but still breathing.

“How long has he been like this?”

“Three hours.”

“Any idea why?”

“No idea whatsoever.”

I checked the patient’s pulse. It was surprisingly steady. Blood pressure seemed normal too. I’d probably be able to feel pulses like a traditional doctor in a few years, considering how much I do this.

I’d made a diagnosis, but I figured I could still deliberate for a few minutes. Of course, it looked like it, but I had to check carefully.

I looked over the patient.

“Gag.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have a gag?”

The patient was still breathing, pulse steady. Now all I had to do was treat him. The nurse rushed over and handed me a gag.

I put the gag in the patient’s mouth. As an aside, the gags they use in hospitals have holes in them so you can breathe, even when they’re in.

He was still, so it wasn’t hard to put the gag in his mouth.

“What are you going to do?”

The patient was a healthy guy in his twenties. Treating him with medicine like this could be dangerous.

“If I wake him up, there could be a commotion. I’ll restrain him and then treat him.”

“What are you saying—”

Isteena rushed into the ward.

“Professor! I brought the restraints!”

All eyes in the ward turned to me. I awkwardly scratched my head. Hey, restraints might be needed for treatment, right?

Is that such a strange thing to think?