I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Discovery of Bacteria (5)

Discovery of Bacteria (5)

We have secured enough evidence.

We cultured the bacteria, stained them, and placed them under the microscope. Now, we just need to show the results to others.

Professor Klaus looked at the microscope.

“Did you make the microscope yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Are those purple granules bacteria?”

I nodded.

“So, Professor Asterix is saying that these particles are tiny organisms that are the source of diseases. Is there no possibility that they are just dust?”

I pointed to the petri dish.

“We raised them by feeding them. They might not look like it because they are so simple. They are the most basic form of life.”

Professors Istina and Klaus were constantly amazed. I understand their curiosity, but I wish we could get back to discussing the research.

“So, it’s proven that they are living organisms. And you are saying they are the cause of diseases?”

“Yes.”

“And there is no evidence to support that claim yet?”

There is no experimental evidence.

It doesn’t seem likely that disease-causing microorganisms would grow in a soybean flour nutrient solution. Maybe if we use animal blood, we might get some results?

“We’ll prepare that.”

“The topic of this paper will be the discovery of microorganisms using a microscope. It’s groundbreaking, but without immediate clinical applicability, the impact of the paper might be diminished.”

Professor Klaus pondered further.

“More than that, revealing the experimental content in class might be a problem. Now that it’s been made public, someone might beat us to it with similar research.”

I had considered that.

Even if it was just for undergraduates, it would be good to completely prevent the possibility of the paper being stolen since we have revealed some of the research content.

But…

Isn’t this paper and experiment plagiarized from the great predecessors of history anyway? I didn’t think much of it. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

“Isn’t knowledge for everyone? I have no intention of monopolizing it. If someone can conduct research and publish it faster than us, that’s a good thing.”

It would be impossible anyway. Most of the students who attended my lecture yesterday were undergraduates. They wouldn’t be at the level to steal someone else’s research.

In the original world, a couple of plagiarized papers wouldn’t be a big deal. If we could find a talented person capable of stealing and publishing them first, it wouldn’t be bad.

Anyway, back to the research.

“Miss Istina is right. This research result completely overturns academic common sense and opens up a whole new horizon.”

Bacterial culture and microscope. Gram staining actually consists of two steps, but I can’t think of a way to obtain it. That’s on hold.

“I don’t think it needs to be a long paper. Let’s keep it simple. Let’s summarize it as the discovery of the microscope and the significance of the particles.”

“Sounds good.”

“Professor Asterix, you claim that these particles not only exist but also cause most diseases, right?”

“Infectious diseases, that is, plagues. We believe these particles are the cause of decay and plagues. And they can be destroyed with alcohol.”

At least the ones on the surface of objects.

“There’s no evidence for that yet, right?”

“Well, if an appropriate patient comes in, we can confirm the presence of bacteria in the patient. But I don’t have such a patient in front of me yet.”

The microscope is from Hooke’s paper, and Gram staining is from Gram’s paper. These are the experiments we’ve conducted so far.

To definitively prove that bacteria cause disease, it would be best to culture bacteria from a patient’s wound or infected tissue.

Pasteur proved that bacteria are the cause of disease and decay, and Lister emphasized the need for hygiene to reduce bacterial infections.

There’s still a long way to go.

“Let’s write up the paper. Let’s finish it by next Monday without dragging it out.”

As soon as Professor Klaus and I thought of the Monday deadline, we looked at Istina. She was staring blankly and then flinched.

“Oh, what’s the matter?”

“Istina. I’ll give you the main manuscript of the research summary soon, so organize it by Monday and run the printer. Also, create and draw the experimental diagrams.”

She looked flustered.

“I don’t know how to draw, though?”

“Just give it a try. If it doesn’t work, then forget it.”

After all, if a graduate student can’t do it, it’s something no one can do. There’s no reason not to make a graduate student do anything. Istina nodded with a gloomy expression.

Hang in there a little longer, Istina. When a new graduate student comes in, your workload might decrease a bit.

And then, the following Monday. We presented two papers in front of the professors of the Healing Department at the academy’s Healing Department journal.

‘Observation of the Micro World’ and ‘On the Cultivation and Observation of Biological Microparticles,’ these were the two.

The spring academic conference of the Healing Department at the academy was a modest event. Considering it’s the center of imperial scholarship, it seemed small.

Maybe it’s because it spans several days.

The attendees, including professors and apprentices, barely numbered around a hundred. Only a few dozen were sitting and listening to the presentations.

Professor Klaus didn’t come, saying that the corresponding author or co-author didn’t necessarily have to attend the journal. He probably had other busy matters.

“Istina. Let’s present together.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Pay attention to the presentation. Even if we’re right, if we can’t convince the academic community, it won’t be applied clinically.”

There are more than a few studies that have been buried because they were ahead of their time. Paradigm shifts ultimately require a lot of time and effort.

“Let’s go, Istina.”

There is something people often overlook.

Medieval doctors didn’t even bother to wash their hands, or they would perform surgeries with tools stained with the blood of previous patients for the sake of style.

Of course, it made them look ignorant.

There was a perception that surgeries were not easily performed, and they had some conscience, so they rarely operated on the head and torso.

Anyway, here’s what I’m trying to say.

Correcting someone’s common sense is never a simple task. Shifting the paradigm of academia was not an easy task either.

“Do you think people will recognize our research?”

“No, you haven’t even researched for half a semester yet. If they don’t recognize it this time, keep doing it until they do.”

Istina nodded.

We slowly stood in front of the podium. Dozens of eyes were fixed on Istina and me. I don’t know if these people had read the paper.

Let’s start the presentation.

“Hello, everyone. I am Asterix, the chief healer of the Imperial Royal Family and a professor at the Imperial Academy’s Department of Healing. This is my graduate student, Istina. Thank you for having us.”

Istina bowed deeply.

“You may have seen the summary of the paper. I firmly believe that what we are presenting today will rewrite the history of Imperial medicine. There is so much we cannot see.”

The audience still showed no reaction.

Well, I didn’t even put up a PowerPoint. No matter what I say, more people will be dozing off. Let’s explain it first.

“There are many things in the world that we cannot see simply because they are too small. The first paper is about magnifying glasses.”

“Everyone knows that using a magnifying glass makes objects appear several times larger. So, wouldn’t stacking multiple magnifying glasses make them appear larger by multiplication?”

They looked at me as if I were talking nonsense.

I hesitated a bit.

“Uh… there’s something called the focal point of a lens. If you adjust the focal point well, you can magnify objects dozens or hundreds of times their original size.”

The expressions were still ambiguous.

“We observed the micro-world as I just mentioned. The lattice-like microstructures found in plants, tardigrades, insects, etc.”

But the real important thing wasn’t this.

“We isolated fine particles from the patient’s wound. Particles that replicate themselves like living organisms and cause diseases.”

Of course, we’re talking about bacteria.

It was a colony grown in a culture medium mixed with animal blood. The bacteria itself was just ordinary Staphylococcus aureus, but the fact that it was isolated from the patient’s wound was important.

“Our opinion and research results are that these fine particles exist in various places and cause diseases or food spoilage.”

Now, people started to show interest. It would be their loss if they didn’t listen to me anyway.

“Do you have any questions?”

This time, the reaction was explosive.

People raised their hands and looked at me. Some with eyes that wanted to refute, some with eyes that were incredulous, some with eyes that were curious.

“If fine particles are everywhere, especially on hands, are you opposing the academic consensus that there’s no need to wash hands before surgery, Professor Asterix?”

“What is the basis for claiming that fine particles are living entities? Is this reproducible research?”

“Was the microscope made by magical means? Is the research using the microscope reproducible? Can you disclose related matters?”

I glanced at Istina amidst the barrage of questions. What did I tell you, Istina?