I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Discovery of Bacteria (2)

Discovery of Bacteria (2)

Benjamin Brisbane.

He is the person lying in the hospital bed with a broken arm. Benjamin looked at the healer speaking in front of him.

“Well… that’s it. Since they cut the arm and nailed the bone, it can’t not hurt, right?”

Honestly, he thought the healer was crazy. What kind of healer talks like that? Of course, he corrected his words a few seconds later.

But he wasn’t angry or anything.

The nurses at the time of admission said that he might have to amputate his arm or it might become unusable.

After biting down once, he could move his fingers, and the burning pain in his arm was gone. The surgery process was truly terrible, but the result was somewhat satisfactory.

Well, this healer. That’s why he spoke so comfortably. He was confident that he had treated well and that the result was good, so he spoke like that.

Benjamin very slowly moved the wrist and fingers of his injured arm. It still hurt, but at least it moved.

It didn’t move on the day it was broken.

It seemed that the arm had recovered fairly well. I went out of the ward with Istina.

“You’re recovering well, despite everything.”

“Indeed.”

“It seems like a truly groundbreaking method! To think that disinfecting the patient and the area around the operating table with alcohol could prevent the wounds from festering.”

You could think of it that way.

I nodded.

“Once we publish the paper, every hospital in the empire will perform surgeries our way. Washing hands, using clean surgical tools, these are basic principles.”

“That’s true.”

Istina answered brightly.

Even an elegant swan has to paddle furiously beneath the surface. No, since our doctor’s gowns are black now, maybe we’re more like crows.

Anyway. To reach our goal, we have to endure hardships. To prove the existence of bacteria, we need to create a microscope, and we also need to conduct Pasteur’s swan-neck flask experiment…

There are many hurdles to overcome.

The microscope. The microscope is the problem.

I stayed up all night drafting the microscope design. I’m not sure if the focus calculations are correct. There was something about diopters, but I don’t know about that.

Anyway.

I did draft the design.

“Istina. If you were a watchmaker, could you create a microscope from this design?”

“I’m not a watchmaker, so I don’t know. But I think I could. It’s a much simpler machine than a watch, isn’t it?”

I suppose so?

Technically, it’s entirely possible. We just never felt the need to magnify something a hundred times with a magnifying lens. There’s nothing in this world worth magnifying a hundred times.

At least for now.

If it becomes known that microorganisms exist and that they cause disease or decay, everyone will try to make microscopes.

Even in the era of molecular biology, we still used Gram’s classification system, which categorized bacteria by color and shape. It was the most useful and quickest method of classification.

“Who knows, maybe someone can produce results just by explaining it verbally. Let’s go with that for now.”

I nodded.

We could roughly get the dye. Identifying the types of bacteria with Gram staining would soon be possible.

“Good.”

“Then… I’ll take this.”

Istina carefully took the blueprint. I watched the back of Istina’s head.

I wish I had ten more graduate students. Then we could perfectly monitor the patients and carry out the research without any problems.

There is so much to do.

Every time I think about it, I desperately wish I had ten more graduate students. We could conduct research several times faster.

I thought about ways to recruit graduate students.

Of course, I could wait until the classes start, but who knows how long it will take for the students to be impressed by my lectures and decide to become graduate students.

There is a faster way.

“Your Highness, I have a favor to ask.”

“Professor Asterix… What is it this time? Let’s hear what nonsense you have to say.”

“Please get me some graduate students.”

“No. Find them yourself.”

“No, Your Highness. With just one word from you, you could get a truckload of graduate students. My life would change, the future of Imperial science would change, how wonderful would that be?”

“A truckload? What are you talking about, you madman?”

“That is-“

“It seems you think my authority is like a rubber band. Sometimes you don’t even bother to remember my title, and now you say that with one word from me, graduate students would line up for you. Hmph.”

He couldn’t argue because it was true.

“The future of the Empire depends on this.”

“Do it yourself. Why do you always come to me for this?”

“No, Your Highness.”

Mint had a look of amusement on her face.

“Let’s say I cooperate. What do you want me to do?”

“Please make an announcement. Say that I’m recruiting graduate students. Then, with the halo of Your Highness, wouldn’t graduate students line up?”

Princess Mint pressed her temples.

“Madman. Just hearing it gives me a headache.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Ridiculous. Is that all you can come up with using the Princess’s name? Fishing for graduate students?”

“Do you know how important it is to secure graduate students?”

The Princess shook her head.

Knock, knock. I knocked on Professor Klaus’s office door and carefully opened it. Even though he was a fellow professor, I couldn’t be careless with someone who looked old enough to be my father.

“Professor Klaus.”

“Ah, you must be Professor Asterix who just arrived. What brings you here today?”

“I’ll be conducting a class soon, where I’ll discuss a new theory in front of the students. I came to ask if you could join me for the class.”

Professor Klaus scratched his beard.

“Presenting a new theory in front of undergraduates? Is that really necessary?”

“Aren’t students just bystanders? The research is what’s important. Let’s just think of it as a discussion among ourselves. It would be good for the undergraduates to listen too, I suppose.”

“Well… If I have time, I’ll listen from the back. After the class, let’s talk about the new device you made and the research you’re conducting.”

I bowed my head in front of Professor Klaus. This professor is an extraordinary person. He accepted my request, which could have seemed rude, without any fuss. Moreover, he even considered the students’ perspective.

It’s been a while since I’ve handled chalk.

No, I don’t actually remember ever handling chalk. I wonder if I can write properly on the board.

“Istina, call the roll after the class.”

Istina nodded.

“I’ve thought a lot about how to conduct this class. After much consideration, I decided that the best way is to teach exactly what I’m researching.”

My chalk moved busily.

-The Causes of Diseases.

This is today’s lesson. The causes of diseases.

I slowly looked around the classroom, but Professor Klaus didn’t seem to have arrived yet. I hope he comes.

“Diseases can be broadly classified into four types based on their causes: infectious diseases, deficiency diseases, genetic diseases, and physiological diseases.”

I looked around the classroom.

“What do you think is the cause of epidemics?”

The classroom was buzzing.

Istina was sitting in front, but she avoided my gaze. I mean, she came all the way to attend the class but didn’t even bother to answer.

“You there, in the front. Answer the question.”

I pointed at someone randomly, and the boy sitting in the front row, who had been dozing off, lifted his head.

“Uh, me?”

“Yes.”

“Uh… I think the plague comes from unsanitary environments and bad air.”

Half correct.

“The social context in which diseases occur is also important. When a patient comes in, it’s also correct to first check the patient’s background, occupation, and so on.”

The student who answered nodded.

“In conclusion, most infectious diseases are caused by microscopic particles. Pathogenic particles can be in the air, in water, or in food.”

It would be a hypothesis different from common beliefs.

There were quite a few students murmuring this time as well.

“Professor, can those microscopic particles be observed?”

“It’s difficult with the naked eye.”

“Blaming the cause of a disease on something that can’t be proven to exist seems unscientific. On the other hand, unsanitary air is something that can be confirmed through senses like smell, isn’t it?”

“……”

This new- friend. Very smart, huh?

Of course, he’s wrong.

“What’s your name, student?”

“It’s Oliver.”

I nodded.

“Oliver, that’s a very astute observation. To prove that the cause of the disease is due to the particles, we would need various procedures and evidence.”

There are several methods.

Some can be demonstrated immediately.

“If you have hypothesized that my statement is correct, how would you prove or disprove it, Miss Istina?”

“Huh?”

Istina dropped her pen.