I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 17. Academic Lunch (2)

Episode 17. Academic Lunch (2)

End of the conference.

In the end, I had to talk for over an hour in the auditorium. Explain the microscope, explain the research samples, answer every single rebuttal. My mouth hurts again today.

Istina seemed genuinely happy that the conference ended well. She was smiling.

“This is my first time attending a conference!”

“Really?”

Actually, it’s my first time too.

Strictly speaking, it’s not the very first. I attended a few conferences in my past life, and even did something similar to a conference when I was in the imperial palace.

Though it usually turned into a tea party or a drinking party after pretending to look at the papers.

If the sun was up, it was a tea party, if the sun was down, it was a drinking party. Looking back, I really lived like a loafer back then.

“Is it always like this?”

“I’ve only attended conferences hosted by the imperial family. I don’t know how they usually proceed.”

“How were the conferences hosted by the imperial family?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t really know either. I always ran away before those idiots started drinking their sorghum liquor.”

One of those idiots was Violet, whom I just saw. I don’t know what sudden change of heart brought her to the academy’s conference.

Maybe she’s finally going to do some work. Instead of lounging around all day claiming to become a poker master.

“What’s the next experiment?”

That’s the next step. Pasteur’s swan-neck flask experiment, which will provide evidence for the germ theory of putrefaction, and Lister’s aseptic surgery method.

“Nothing grand for now. Aseptic surgery. And experiments proving the cause of putrefaction.”

“Aha. Have you already planned it out?”

I nodded. It’s a bit grand to call it a plan. It’s just someone else’s research plagiarized from a textbook.

“Go rest for today.”

Anyway, from tomorrow, I have to resume my research and continue seeing patients. It’s a bit unfortunate that there are still no new graduate student applicants.

Why are there no graduate student applicants?

There were some reasons that seemed plausible, but I decided to think comfortably. The students have no intention of studying, and there are still few who have taken my classes.

The next day.

Professor Klaus visited my lab. I looked up. Maybe it’s because of the paper we co-authored?

“Hello.”

“Good job on your presentation yesterday, Professor Asterix. According to rumors, you completely turned the stage upside down. To the point where it disrupted the conference proceedings.”

That did happen.

“Was it that much?”

“I don’t know what others think, but I believe your research will be the starting point of a paradigm shift, Professor Asterix. So do the people around me.”

Professor Klaus sat down in front of my desk.

“That’s a relief.”

“What are the next research plans?”

“To put it simply, the evidence that the bacteria we discovered under the microscope are the cause of disease and decay is weak, isn’t it? We plan to supplement that point. To be able to distinguish the cause.”

“In patients?”

That doesn’t seem possible.

I can’t think of a way to do that. Let’s start by refuting the theory of spontaneous generation or the theory of odor transmission.

“It’s a goose-neck flask. Put boiled culture medium in the same goose-neck flask. Leave one side open, and use the goose-neck flask to indirectly block the entrance on the other side.”

“And then?”

“Seal the lid of the goose-neck flask with water so that air can pass through but particles cannot.”

Professor Klaus pondered for a moment.

“Ah, the side exposed to the air will decay much faster. The latter, where particles have difficulty moving, may not decay at all.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“From now on, there won’t be much time. All the medical researchers in the empire will try to follow your paper.”

That’s what a paper is for, isn’t it? It’s not a problem for others to follow my research.

No, shouldn’t they at least give me royalties? I even paid to publish it, what kind of absurdity is this?

If my paper sells so well, they should pay me, why do I have to pay to publish it in the journal? Maybe I should publish a book later.

At least they’ll give me some royalties for that.

Anyway.

Istina and I went to the clinic the next day. We only have classes one day a week. Usually, we have to do research or see patients.

Today is the time to see patients who won’t be hospitalized.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Hello.”

The first patient of the day.

This is Benjamin. He came to me as a patient last time because his arm was broken. He was discharged well, but I’m not sure if his fingers will move.

I’m not an orthopedic surgeon. There’s a possibility that his fingers might not move properly. Do they move normally?

“Patient, follow me.”

I raised both hands and opened and closed my fists a few times in front of the patient’s eyes. Benjamin followed me exactly.

The broken bone was on one side.

It seems that the fingers are moving symmetrically on both sides. The surgery was well completed, and the recovery is going well. This patient’s recovery was much faster than expected. Is it because of healing magic?

Or was the surgery that successful?

“I asked other people, and they said that if it weren’t for you, Professor, I wouldn’t have been able to use my arm for the rest of my life. Thank you so much.”

Well. If I hadn’t done the surgery and just put on a cast or splint, he wouldn’t have lasted a month due to compartment syndrome and its complications.

“Maybe. Is there any pain in your arm? How’s the wound?”

“It doesn’t hurt much. Sometimes it itches.”

“Never scratch it.”

Benjamin raised his arm to show the stitches. There are still a few days left before they can be removed. There was no opening or redness in the wound.

“Is there any problem moving your elbow?”

“No.”

This time, Benjamin moved his elbows. It seems fine, but there’s still a chance of infection.

“Your arm looks fine. Don’t overdo it, and if there’s any redness, itching, or fever at the stitched area, come to the hospital immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Your arm shouldn’t be overexerted, but if you don’t move it at all, the area near the surgery site could stiffen. You need to move it moderately.”

It might hurt a bit, though.

Benjamin nodded.

“Thank you again. I didn’t expect to recover this well. Someone I know fell off a horse just like I did, and their arm ended up completely twisted. It’s uncomfortable to move.”

Leaving those words behind, Benjamin exited the consultation room. Who was the next patient? Were there many?

There weren’t many patients waiting for a consultation.

Was it because there weren’t many sick people, or was it because of poor transportation, or maybe because I hadn’t been at this hospital for long?

One patient with a cold. One patient with early-stage syphilis. One or two patients with headaches who seemed to be just slacking off. There were no urgent-looking patients.

– “I’ve been coughing continuously. I drank honey tea, but it didn’t help much, so I came to the hospital.”

Three days’ worth of oral antibiotics and regular cold medicine.

– “There’s a red spot that appeared here.”

One shot of penicillin. Syphilis is a dreadful disease, but surprisingly, it’s nothing in the face of modern medicine. It can be easily treated with just one basic antibiotic shot.

– “I have a headache.”

The patient didn’t look sick at all.

I gave them some chocolate and lied that it was medicine. If they really feel sick, they’ll come back. It’s not like I can conduct neurological tests here.

Morning dawned again.

It seems there aren’t many sick people these days. At least, couldn’t there be a patient who fell off a horse?

Bang, bang, bang.

While I was momentarily lost in thought, someone urgently knocked on the clinic door. Moments later, Istina poked her head into the clinic.

“Professor! Someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

“It seems to be someone important.”

Istina grabbed my sleeve and dragged me out of the clinic. What on earth is going on?

I followed Istina out…

On the academy rooftop, there were two winged reptiles standing. One of them spread its wings at the sound of our approach.

“What is the situation?”

“They are wyvern riders.”

The wyverns stepped aside, and a person dressed in black plague doctor attire appeared between the wings. The person lowered their mask.

Surprisingly, it was just a human.

“Priest, Healer Hedwig.”

“Professor Asterix. Former Imperial Chief Healer.”

Hedwig cleared his throat.

“Professor Asterix, there is something you need to attend to as soon as possible. It’s a serious matter.”

“I’ll decide after hearing more.”

“There is an outbreak of a heterogenous plague in a city near the capital. They say the city’s cemetery has already run out of coffins. They’ve used them all.”

A shortage of coffins.

Just hearing that, I could tell what kind of disease it was. If it’s a heterogenous plague, it’s most likely cholera. The problem is how to solve it…

“I’ll go. Was it Mr. Hedwig? Let’s talk in the lab while I gather the medicine.”

The plague doctor who visited my laboratory nodded. “You’ll understand once you see it.”