I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

80. Goldfish (3)

It was just a few days ago. Mr. Josef got admitted with a tick-borne illness. But today, this same patient looked incredibly healthy.

Thank god.

He wasn’t just sitting or lying down, he was moving around the bed. When I got closer, his eyes turned towards me.

“How are you feeling?”

“Oh my, I feel so much better.”

“They found the tick, right?”

“There was a scab, sure enough. Found the tick bite behind my knee.”

I nodded.

Glad it turned out the way I thought.

“Be careful of ticks. When you’re outdoors, long pants are better. And check if any bugs are on you after going outside.”

“Never even thought of it, really.”

Compared to when he first came, lying there, eyes barely open, and sick, he’s so much better. Back then, he looked like he was at death’s door. The medicine worked well.

If he hadn’t come to Academy Hospital and kept getting bloodletting at other hospitals, he might have died.

I understand how fever, redness, and swollen lymph nodes can look like they’re caused by too much blood. But still, to actually go ahead and do bloodletting, those quacks.

Anyway. What’s important is that this time, my patient is going home alive. I looked at Mr. Josef again.

“Congratulations on your discharge, Mr. Josef. If you feel unwell at all, come straight to the hospital.”

“Ah. When I was coming to the hospital, I thought I was going to die. I survived because of you, doc, really.”

Mr. Josef let out a sigh of relief.

Mr. Josef’s discharge was prepared smoothly, and next up was Ms. Amanda. A young patient who came in on the same day as Mr. Josef, from a dog bite.

Don’t know if the wound’s fully healed. Still got a ways to go before the stitches come out, but I needed to check that the injury wasn’t infected, that it was healing right.

I watched Amanda from a distance.

Amanda, still looking like her leg was bothering her, was lying in bed. Seemed like walking was still difficult.

But her expression wasn’t dark or strained, so maybe she wasn’t in pain right now.

“Hello, Amanda.”

“Yes.”

“Is your injury feeling any better? Your leg still looks a little uncomfortable.”

Amanda nodded.

Looking at her shoes neatly placed, it makes me think she still has trouble walking.

Maybe she hasn’t gotten up at all today.

“It’s still a little hard to walk.”

“If you don’t move too much, it can stiffen up. It’s good to move around, even a little.”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

I disinfected my hands, then reopened the bandage. Seemed to be healing okay, without any redness or signs of infection.

I removed the gauze, and then carefully put on a new bandage. Standard to change it at least once a day.

That’s not all that’s important. With these types of messy wounds, what’s important is if they contracted tetanus or rabies.

Tetanus, rabies.

I thought over my questions. What are the main symptoms of tetanus, and what are the main symptoms of rabies?

“Have you felt any sudden tingling in your leg, or any changes in your sense of touch or movement?”

“No.”

“Since being bitten by the dog, have you ever felt like bright light was unpleasant, or that you didn’t want to drink water?”

“No. Is that…possible?”

That’s what happens with rabies. Fortunately, this patient didn’t seem to have rabies, but… there was certainly enough reason to confirm.

I also need to think about the discharge plan. In this patient’s case, there are special considerations.

“Patient. When you go home, can you manage the wound so that it doesn’t get gangrene?”

“Uh…”

“If it’s difficult, that’s okay.”

If they were an academy student or a noble’s child, I would have just sent them home. But I don’t know if this patient has anyone at home to help, or if their environment is unsanitary.

Worst-case scenario. The wound could get infected immediately after they leave the hospital and gangrene could start.

If this were a modern hospital, they’d be fit for discharge, but considering this patient’s situation, realistically, discharge is difficult. I’ll have to wait.

“Let’s observe you for a few more days anyway. There are still some things I’m worried about.”

Ms. Amanda nodded.

“Thank you. I heard that if you’re unlucky with a bite like this, you could lose your whole leg… if it weren’t for you, Professor, I might have lost my whole leg, right?”

Right, once gangrene really takes hold, amputation is the only treatment. And sometimes people die because the amputation was done too late.

“That’s a possibility. Not now, though.”

“Thank you so much…”

“Rest well.”

They would’ve been in big trouble if they hadn’t come in when they did, this person too. I turned away from Ms. Amanda, lost in thought, and went back. What else do I have to do, today?

The ward work is finished for now.

Now, here’s what I need to figure out. Wolfram rejected me, so I need to find another chem lab somewhere.

Should I look for another alchemy professor?

Or should I change my whole approach? First things first, I gotta talk to Luciana. I have a promise to keep with her from last time.

“So, Ms. Luciana.”

“Yes.”

“Professor Wolfram said he won’t participate in the antibiotic production this time, so I’m going to change our plan. What do you think?”

“I see. I’ll try it for now.”

“Try hard. I’ll give you the promised tuition money upfront from my personal funds.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. It’s doable.”

No need to convince people with weird personalities, or those who just don’t want to do it, to do good. I can just get the research funds and move forward.

“In our lab, we succeeded in refining it. What have you been researching, Ms. Luciana?”

“Well, I’ve managed to separate the solution from the solid matter into layers.”

“What about changing it to solid form?”

“They said not to boil it, so I’m still thinking about it. This process is really difficult, you know? It’s hard to even make a fingernail’s worth out of hundreds of liters of culture solution.”

Well…

I calculated a lot a few days ago. The actual production yield of the *Penicillium* strain can be brought close to 50 grams per liter of culture solution.

That means we could produce about 200 penicillin pills.

Whether the extraction rate can approach that is uncertain, but the bottom line is that it’s possible.

The goal is to extract 50 grams per liter. Then we can give penicillin to anyone who needs it, all across the empire.

“Just give it your best shot, Professor Luciana. Of course, if you succeed, there’ll be more money, but this could also save a lot of lives.”

Professor Luciana nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

And… the conclusion of all the discussion.

Istina, Amy, and I gathered in the lab. Regarding penicillin production, only one conclusion remained that could be drawn.

“We prepare for war.”

“Huh?”

Amy clamped her mouth shut, while only Istina wore that familiar dumbfounded expression again.

I’m not talking about an actual war, it’s a metaphor. That’s how things are now.

We’ve figured out how to make penicillin, but it seems the people in this world aren’t at a level where they can utilize it yet. So my plan is to make and sell it myself.

“I’m pulling strings to contact the imperial family, demanding they invest in penicillin production. If successful, we’ll get the facilities to produce the medicine.”

Istina slowly nodded.

“So, what happens then?”

“First, the announcement. In a few weeks, we’ll go back to the imperial palace, where there’ll be a chance for us to explain why this antibiotic we discovered is so important.”

“Ah.”

“We have to make it a success. We can help people, it’s a necessary thing to do, if not for that, then simply for my own personal glory.”

My two graduate students nodded with solemn expressions. Either way, this was something that we absolutely had to pull off.

“Here’s the plan. We need to persuade the imperial family and the bureaucracy that we need a semi-public company that can mass-produce penicillin, the drug that could change the fate of the empire.”

“I see.”

It’s going to be a tough job.

I need to show expertise, but at the same time be intuitive and moving. I have to prove I’m not just in it for the money, but also persuade them that it’s not a waste of money.

To people who think they’re smart without the actual expertise, I need to explain things simply, without difficult words. But at the same time, I have to explain well without making it feel like I’ve dumbed it down for idiots.

It’s like making a warm iced Americano. It’s not something I can do alone. They call it the curse of knowledge, right?

Even if I explain it to the bureaucrats…

The knowledge gap will mean we’ll just frustrate each other, with neither side understanding. It’ll be better to explain it with the graduate students.

What I know, what I’ve experienced is so different from these people. I can solve the problem, but explaining the principles behind it has always been difficult.

“It’ll go well this time, right?”

“Sure, I guess.”

Istina nodded.