"Japan?"
"Japan, Japan."
"Ah… that place… really?"
"Why are you turning red?"
I scolded Alfred and continued speaking.
I believed it wasn't entirely a lie.
In my vague memory, it seemed that Japan had more cases of syphilis than Joseon.
Perhaps because Japan opened its ports much earlier and had more exchanges, there were more opportunities for diseases to spread…
'If you're upset, why don't you come to London…'
Of course, if they really came, I'd probably get very angry, and I also felt a pang of conscience, so I quickly blurted out what I had originally intended to say.
"Anyway, there are records of the progression of syphilis."
"Oh ho… Does that place have medical knowledge of that level?"
"Well… they have a lot of cases, you know? I don't know the details myself."
"Anyway, what's it like?"
Fortunately, since everyone here was a doctor, they were more interested in syphilis itself rather than where the information came from.
Honestly, it was an era where even in London, you could easily be shocked if you weren't prepared.
The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases was a fact, so preventing syphilis was an important task.
Thanks to that, I was able to hold everyone's attention as I continued.
"As you all know, when someone contracts syphilis, ulcers form on the genital area. The characteristic of these ulcers is that they are painless. The biggest difference between syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases is this painless ulcer."
"Now that you mention it… that's true."
"Right, exactly. It doesn't hurt. That's why diagnosis is often delayed."
Listening to Blundell, I thought that syphilis was a classic example of a vicious cycle.
Wasn't it because of syphilis that the myth that bathing could kill you emerged?
Meaning people didn't wash themselves often…
Because of that, people rarely had the opportunity to closely examine their genitals.
Unless they were washing… unless someone was particularly curious, they wouldn't inspect themselves closely.
If it hurt, it might be different, but since it didn't, diagnoses were often delayed or missed entirely.
"But you already know that."
"Yes, I know. The problem is, you can't just strip down people on the street or in taverns to check… Ah, so that's what you were thinking?"
Blundell shook his head, then looked at Liston's serious face and made a stunned expression.
Come to think of it, Liston was the kind of person who would do something like that.
"Why did you bring a knife?!"
"I thought there might be a need for surgery."
"Who would think of that as a surgical knife?! You'll get arrested by the police!"
"I've been there a few times, and nothing happened."
"You crazy bastard."
It wasn't just that—he already had a record.
He hadn't attacked strangers, but…
Anyway, he had been marked as a dangerous person and had been to something like a jail cell before.
"It's fine. I recently amputated the police chief's mother's leg."
"Usually, people would hold a grudge for that, right?"
"No, no. She was grateful. She was saved from certain death."
"Well…"
Should I consider that fortunate?
It seems he's built some goodwill…
"Wait, that's not all."
Blundell might be fine with it, but I'd rather not have any run-ins with the police.
Especially since I'm Korean…
Luckily, the only racist here is Colin, and even he has long since reformed, but the police are likely to be different, right?
Not long ago, I saw a mounted police officer arresting a suspect, and they didn't just drag him—they dragged him behind the horse.
Did he even survive until they reached the station?
I couldn't tell.
So, I quickly continued.
"Ah, there's more, right? What is it?"
"Actually, the ulcers often heal on their own, don't they?"
For most adults, it's almost 100% certain that they'll heal.
Not because of treatment, but because that's just the natural progression.
Of course, the symptoms improve, but that doesn't mean the disease is cured.
The first stage of syphilis is just the process of the bacteria hiding in the body.
"Then, as time passes, most patients enter what we call the second stage."
"Second stage?"
"Yes. Different symptoms appear over time."
"Huh… That makes sense. We should take note of that. So?"
If I had mentioned the first and second stages right after enrolling, people would have been really suspicious.
No, if I had talked about it in front of people other than these guys, they would have definitely found it strange.
But Liston, Blundell, Joseph, and Alfred had long been fascinated by my medical knowledge.
At least in their minds, 19th-century Joseon was a medically advanced country.
If we fast-forward to the 21st century, it's not entirely wrong to say that South Korea is a medically advanced country, so I rationalized it with that logic and continued.
"Yes, the second stage is characterized by papules on the hands and feet."
"Papules… Now that you mention it… I think I've seen patients like that. We don't specialize in syphilis, though."
Liston specifically said "we," but in this era, it's almost an understatement to say that there were hardly any doctors who specialized in syphilis.
If the disease itself couldn't be treated, why would anyone specialize in it?
It was essentially a disease treated by quacks.
In the 21st century, even if a cure wasn't available, research would still be conducted to understand the diagnosis and progression, but here, there were too many diseases yet to be conquered for doctors to waste their lives on such research.
"By the third stage, it's practically… too painful to do anything. Listening to Professor Blundell, it seems like he's been meeting various women, so it's likely he's still in the second stage."
"I see. If it's the third stage… like those patients hospitalized… of course. I doubt someone in that condition could seduce anyone."
By the third stage, the progression becomes as severe as leprosy.
Moreover, if the nervous system is affected, it can lead to dementia-like psychiatric symptoms.
This is why many famous figures from before the 20th century who showed psychiatric symptoms in their later years were suspected of having syphilis.
This is purely my personal opinion, but given how rampant the disease was, it's probably accurate.
Anyway, the important point here is that the person spreading syphilis everywhere is most likely in the second stage.
If they were between the first and second stages, they wouldn't be contagious, and if they were in the third stage… as Liston said, they wouldn't be able to seduce anyone.
"A sailor with a bushy beard and papules on his hands and feet. That should be enough to find him."
Liston slung his sword—a longsword over 30 cm in length named after him—over his back.
The only saving grace was that it was sheathed in leather…
But it still looked unmistakably like a sword.
"You're not going to swing it, are you?"
"Haha. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"It's not about hoping—you shouldn't swing it at all!"
I was worried, so I spoke up, but this madman just brushed it off.
"No, no. You don't know the back alleys of London. If someone pulls out a gun, you'd better have a sword ready."
"What? We're going to the back alleys?"
"Did you think an Irish sailor would be in some fancy bar?"
"Ah… I see…"
I was about to say, "Have a safe trip," when Liston grabbed my wrist.
"From what I've heard, you're the expert here. You can't sit this one out."
"Ha."
Why did I have to go on about the first and second stages?
I should've just told them to find the guy.
"Let's go."
"Sigh…"
When I came to my senses—snapped out of it by a strange smell—I looked around and realized we were already in the back alleys.
I'm not sure exactly where, but…
It definitely didn't look like the kind of place you'd call the "front alleys."
"Did someone take a dump…?"
"Probably."
"Huh?"
"There aren't many restrooms around here."
I asked half-jokingly, but Liston responded with a look that said, "Why are you even asking?"
Only then did I realize.
Ah, so this is what feces smell like.
When it mixes with the street smell, it becomes something like this.
"Let's head over there first."
"Sure."
Liston and Blundell, as if possessed by some detective spirit, eagerly entered a shabby tavern.
Behind them, Joseph and Alfred followed with displeased expressions.
Wait, on closer inspection, it wasn't displeasure—it was because of the smell.
"My heart's racing."
"I'm glad I became a doctor."
"Exactly!"
You crazy bastards.
What kind of doctor goes into back alleys to cure diseases…?
Is this normal?
Clunk.
Of course, thinking that didn't help much.
I was still being dragged along by Liston's thick hand.
"Huh?"
The people inside the tavern started staring at me—even with my hat on, my foreign appearance stood out.
"What."
They didn't stare for long.
Liston stepped in and interrupted.
Only then did the people inside, with their bleary eyes, finally notice Liston.
His face, scarred from surgeries but looking more like knife wounds.
A neck thicker than the average adult woman's thigh.
Arms to match.
And a fist.
Wait, a fist?
"Why are you clenching your fist?"
"They're glaring at us."
"We're here to find someone, not to fight."
"Ah, right, my bad. Haha. Anyway."
He chuckled and plopped down at a random table.
Literally random—he sat right in front of someone else's table.
"What the…"
They didn't complain.
Probably out of fear.
"We're here for a drink."
"Ah, are you with the police?"
"Well… something like that."
Liston placed the sword he had carried on his back onto the table as he spoke.
What kind of police officer threatens people with a sword during an investigation?
But in an era where violence often took precedence over the law, the answer came quickly.
"Anyway, have you seen a bushy-bearded Irishman with spots on his hands and feet?"
"Ah… a while ago…"
"How long ago?"
"Yes. But I haven't seen him recently."
"Anything unusual about him?"
"Unusual… Ah."
"Ah?"
"He was really good at seducing women."
"That's our guy. Haven't seen him anywhere else?"
"Well… uh…"
"What. If you're stalling to let him escape, you're making a big mistake…"
"No, he just passed by outside!"
It didn't seem like a lie, given how much the man was trembling.
If he could lie under these circumstances, I'd have to give him credit for his skill.
Anyway, we followed his pointing finger outside and began tailing a man.
"Ah, his sleeves are long, so it's hard to see."
We needed to see his hands.
His hands.
"Ah, just now."
Of course, I was the first to see them.
Liston looked at me, asking for confirmation.
"There were papules. I'm sure of it."
"Good. Hey, you, come here."
With my confirmation, Liston transformed into an excellent thug and approached the man.