Wow…
It's not like I've only done appendectomy surgeries once or twice…
But even for someone like me, a 19th-century surgery was incredibly nerve-wracking.
I really couldn't sleep a wink.
"Piyoung. Shouldn't you get some sleep?"
I was so nervous that I stuck right next to my senior, practically nursing him, even while the guardian uncle was asleep.
Well, can you even call this nursing?
As I've said many times, I'm a pretty outstanding doctor.
This isn't just empty talk… I'm objectively and subjectively an excellent doctor.
To someone like me, every symptom the patient—my senior—showed couldn't be taken lightly.
"It's okay. More importantly, Senior… you're holding up pretty well."
"Even I can see you look much better than yesterday. Let me thank you again. I'll make sure you never have to worry about money for the rest of your life."
"Uh… thank you."
"Well, you'll make money from condoms anyway. But still… I'll make sure you're never left wanting."
"Thank you."
Hearing such words was truly a small reward.
I experienced the entirety of existence throughout the night.
It felt like I was on the verge of enlightenment, ready to ascend.
'Uh… he's running a fever. Could it be atelectasis?'
First of all, my senior was running a pretty high fever.
To be honest, it was inevitable.
There weren't exactly many ways to reduce a fever back then.
Plus, the anesthesia was a mess.
The fact that he could undergo surgery without feeling pain…
That alone was something to be grateful for.
"Senior. Senior. Breathe. Take deep breaths."
"Hoo… ha…"
Atelectasis.
Simply put, it's when the lungs don't get enough air and collapse.
This is actually a problem that can occur even with modern anesthesia.
When using a ventilator, it's impossible to inflate the lungs to their full capacity.
So, some parts of the lungs don't get enough air.
That's where the fever comes from… and since this primitive anesthesia gas knocks out consciousness, breathing isn't fully controlled, making atelectasis even more likely.
'Dr. Liston's method… might still be the right one.'
Amputation surgeries were slower than before, but they were still done in minutes.
Because of that, atelectasis rarely occurred.
But after performing a sinus surgery, it was different.
Clearly… there was a fever, right?
Thinking it was the same cause, or rather, deciding it must be the same cause, I had my senior take deep breaths.
"Hoo… haa…"
My senior continued to take deep breaths, unaware of what was happening.
He had no choice.
He was in so much pain from appendicitis…
His abdomen was open…
He had a fever…
If he were conscious, wouldn't that be normal?
"Good. That's it."
If I had a stethoscope, I could listen to his chest, but…
Since I didn't, I had to use my ear directly.
"Oh, sorry."
"Huh? It's nothing."
"No, no. I'm sorry for interrupting."
"I said it's fine, damn it!"
But since my senior was a grown man, his skin was thick.
Especially around his chest, it was unnecessarily thick, so I had to press my ear really close and move around.
A maid happened to walk in at that moment.
If she had just walked in normally, it would've been fine…
But she, trying to be considerate, hurriedly backed out, making the situation even more awkward.
"Haa, hoo."
Meanwhile, my senior was taking deep breaths…
And I was still pressing my ear against him…
"Oh my, oh my."
The maid was trying to calm her startled heart…
'Damn it…'
Even now, thinking about it makes me furious.
Of course, I don't regret what happened.
Thanks to that, my senior is still alive.
"Sigh… sigh…"
He's sleeping well now…
And his fever has gone down.
After spending a long time last night making him take deep breaths, it seems the atelectasis has been completely resolved.
Not only have the symptoms improved, but when I listen with my ear, his breathing sounds even and clear.
"Hey, what about school?"
Joseph, who had been sleeping next to me like a kid, rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked.
This kid had no idea how serious the situation was, having just woken up.
When you think about it, the professor was up all night, while the intern—no, the student—was sleeping like a log…
But what can you expect from someone who doesn't know better?
How would he know how dangerous abdominal surgery is?
Especially in conditions like this, where proper sterilization isn't possible, anesthesia is primitive, and there are no antibiotics…
'Damn it.'
In such a situation, I managed to keep my senior alive.
I tied his lifeline to this world.
If the professor had been here, he would've praised me a lot.
If others had been here, they would've revered me.
'But since there's no one here who knows better, there's no one to revere me…'
Ah, damn it.
I pushed down the rising anger inside me and turned to Joseph.
"Yeah, let's go."
At least the problem was solved.
More importantly, the hospital was overflowing with patients.
There were two who had undergone sinus surgery, phantom limb pain patients, and amputees who needed to be monitored while taking medication.
Though all we could do was manage their pain…
In this era, pain management was almost as important as the treatment itself.
"Is Senior going to be okay?"
"You're quick to ask. He's okay for now. But… we'll have to keep a close eye on him. It's similar to the situation with his hand before."
"Ah… then he's in for a tough time. Does that mean you have to open his abdomen every day to disinfect it?"
"Huh? What kind of horrifying… No, that shouldn't happen."
Having to open the abdomen again would mean it's filled with pus.
Even with antibiotics, that's not an easy situation.
But in these conditions?
It might be better to let him die with his body intact than to open him up again.
*Clatter.*
Anyway, we arrived at the hospital by carriage.
"Hey, you're here. The phantom limb pain patients have really improved."
Not long after we entered, Dr. Liston approached.
His face always looked stern yet cheerful, and today was no different.
'The more I look at this face… I think I can see some changes…?'
Surprisingly, I noticed a slight difference in him.
"Look over there. That patient has improved too."
"Huh…?"
"Do you recognize him?"
"Yes, of course. Isn't that the person brought by that Seon-ui guy?"
"That's right. Haha, maybe because of the rumors lately. A lot of people are coming… That guy came and got help too."
"That's great! Really."
I wondered why, but it turned out to be the person who had his arm amputated multiple times and was suffering from trauma.
His face looked much better now.
Mirror therapy had helped him.
Anyway, it's much better than having your arm cut off, right?
"Oh, but where's Alfred?"
"Ah… that's. He wasn't feeling well yesterday."
"Sick? Was he injured? Are his limbs okay?"
Oh.
Now that I think about it, Alfred almost lost his arm.
Anyway, I briefly explained what happened.
I mentioned that he had appendicitis and had his abdomen opened, but I thought it was okay to tell Dr. Liston.
"Oh… you're really something."
"Thank you. We still need to monitor his condition."
Indeed.
Dr. Liston seemed to be in an unusually good mood today.
It felt like today was just a good day, you know?
"Oh, and the amputee ward patients have improved too."
"Since we're not hearing as many screams… I guess that's the case."
"Yeah, that's right. That suspicious water you gave them… even I was skeptical at first. But after trying it, it's actually good."
"That's a relief. But what about the stomach discomfort?"
"There's some of that, but it's much better than the limb pain. Isn't that obvious?"
Dr. Liston chuckled and handed me a cookie.
It didn't look particularly tasty.
Just a floury texture?
"They say eating this with it helps. We'll see."
"Ah… that sounds good."
"Anyway, let's take a look."
"Sure."
We passed the mirror therapy room and entered the amputee ward.
It was definitely quieter.
Compared to before.
Of course, by 19th-century standards, not actually quiet.
If you wanted to study here, noise-canceling headphones wouldn't even help.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Yes."
Dr. Liston's rounds were almost like a director's rounds.
With that face, who could say no when he asks if you're okay?
Unless you're on the verge of death, you'd just nod.
Even I would probably nod if asked.
"Uh…"
Anyway, as I followed him around, I noticed an empty bed.
There had been someone there before.
Who was it?
I couldn't remember, but my chest felt cold.
Because…
In this era, an empty bed in a hospital usually meant someone had died…
"Is this… Killian's bed?"
"Huh? Ah, that guy. Huh? Did he run away?"
But it was Killian's bed.
Now that I think about it, the bed's metal frame still had dirty bandages tied around it, used for restraints.
"Did he die?"
"Die? Even with syphilis… he didn't seem like he was going to die?"
"You never know."
It was possible he died not from syphilis but from the mercury used in treatment.
As we were discussing this, a patient nearby approached.
It was a patient who had taken the not-quite-medicine I gave and had his pain somewhat relieved.
"I saw some people dragging him away earlier."
What I heard next was quite absurd.
No, more like shocking.
"What? Dragging him away?"
"What do you mean by that?"
This wasn't just surprising to me, but to Dr. Liston as well.
What does it mean to drag someone away in a hospital?
Was it the police?
"I think they were hospital staff… uh… yes, Dr. Zemel, I think?"
If it were the police, that would've been better.
Even if they were harsh, they wouldn't kill you.
But being dragged away by hospital staff meant they were taking him for treatment, right?
Strangely, in this era, the more dedicated the doctors were to treatment, the more people died…
"Where… where did they take him?"
Killian was a bad guy, no doubt.
He spread an incurable disease.
But that doesn't mean he should be dragged away like a dog and killed.
People shouldn't die like that.
"I don't know. Probably to treat his syphilis."
Of all things, syphilis.
How do you treat a disease with no cure?
I felt a sense of urgency and headed outside.
"Where are you going? If they took him for treatment, he'll be fine."
Dr. Liston was saying such things behind me, so I had to step up.
"Aaaah!"
Listening closely, I could hear faint screams coming from the opposite side of the amputee ward.
I couldn't tell if it was Killian's voice, but someone was definitely being held down.