"What on earth is going on?"
The commotion in the amputation ward quickly spread throughout the entire hospital.
It was inevitable.
The screams here had long become the nightmare of the entire hospital.
Even before, the hospital hadn't been particularly concerned with pain relief, but due to the lack of anesthesia, surgeries were rarely performed. To make matters worse, many of those who had mustered the courage to undergo surgery died from shock caused by the pain, so no one had raised the issue.
However, with the introduction of anesthesia, the number of patients surged, leading to unexpected problems. The director, who was, to put it bluntly, money-hungry, couldn't give up the income from amputation surgeries, and as a result, everyone in the hospital was forced to endure this nightmare.
In a way, I had put an end to it.
"Ughhh…"
"Huuu…"
Well, not entirely.
Now that I think about it, the aspirin I remembered seemed to have somewhat alleviated stomach issues?
Almost everyone who took my medication complained of heartburn.
Many also felt the effects were insufficient.
But no one voiced any complaints.
After all, it was better than before.
Not just the patients, but anyone here would have felt the same.
Even Liston, who came running in a panic, felt it.
"In Joseon… when someone is in pain, they boil willow bark and drink it. I thought it might help."
Joseon…
A name that would forever be remembered as a pioneer in medicine.
I looked at Liston as he carelessly mentioned the name.
Since they didn't know much about other countries, they naturally nodded.
From what I knew, that wasn't the case, but I wasn't about to say anything.
"I see. Joseon is truly an impressive country. I'd love to visit someday."
I felt the same.
If I were to go, I'd have to go separately, though…
'If I go and get caught, wouldn't they cut me in half and kill me? No, no. If that happens, I'll deal with it then…'
Come to think of it, since I couldn't learn Korean, maybe I could go with them.
Anyway, from the current perspective, Joseon was practically the end of the world, and there was no telling when I'd be able to go, so I changed the subject.
"Anyway, it seems to be effective."
"Yes, it does seem so. It's effective for patients who've undergone amputations. I was just starting to get a headache, so this is a relief."
Liston, who had been talking to me, suddenly clutched his head.
It seemed he was getting a headache.
I reflexively reached for the willow bark infusion—now officially called salicylic acid—but he had already turned and was heading elsewhere.
"Huh? Where are you going?"
I wondered why he was leaving when he was in pain, so I asked, and he looked back at me with a puzzled expression.
"Of course, to Thomas. I'll just take a walk around."
"But… didn't you see that this has pain-relieving effects?"
"Huh? Isn't it only effective for amputees?"
"No, no. It works for all kinds of pain. Maybe not phantom limb pain, but… it should work for other types of pain."
"Ohh. So it'll work for my headache too?"
"Yes. But it seems to cause stomach discomfort if taken on an empty stomach, so eat something first."
"Huh? Does heartburn have anything to do with that?"
"Ah."
Ah!
Didn't he know that stomach acid could cause pain…?
Well, he probably knew that…
But it was understandable that he wouldn't know that the medication could stimulate acid secretion or inhibit the protective function of the mucous membrane.
He probably also didn't know that eating something could have a protective effect.
Even the guideline for taking medication after meals had only recently changed from 30 minutes after eating to immediately after, hadn't it?
"Well… I guess so."
"Is that how they do it in Joseon?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then I'll follow that. Anyway, this is amazing. I always thought the British Empire was the best in every way… but now I see there's much to learn from Joseon in the field of medicine."
Liston said this while chewing on what looked like an incredibly unappetizing piece of bread and drinking the salicylic acid.
He drank it as if it were coffee, which was impressive.
Even after seeing how much it helped the patients, he could drink it so readily.
Truly, the experimental spirit of the 19th century was something else.
"Oh… it really does make me feel better."
"By the way, I told my father that if he gets the chance, he should visit Joseon."
Alfred brought up his father to Liston, who was feeling better now that his pain had subsided.
I couldn't help but glare at him.
Why did you tell your father…?
What if it gets exposed?
"Oh, really? When does he plan to go?"
"He doesn't have any sailing plans right now because of the condom business."
"Ah."
Ah, what a relief.
Well…
It's probably best to delay it as much as possible.
After all, my reputation was bound to spread quickly, wasn't it?
It seemed like I'd been taking it easy, but I'd already solved quite a few medical issues.
At this rate, in a few years, there wouldn't be any doctors who could rival me.
"The amputation ward issue is resolved, and we've achieved something, so why don't we go on a picnic today? I heard some good meat just came in."
"Meat?"
"Yes. Let's take the servants along."
"You have servants?"
"Listen, I'm rich now. Do you know how many amputations I perform in a day?"
"Ah."
So, you've made a fortune cutting off people's limbs.
Not much different from a killer, I suppose…
But anyway, it was a good thing.
Meat, huh?
From the way he talked, it sounded like we'd be having barbecue… and in British cuisine, plain grilled meat was the best.
But somehow, whenever they tried to do something, it always ended up tasting worse.
It was strangely consistent… always like that.
"So, when are we going?"
"Right now. You don't have anything else to do, do you?"
At Liston's words, Alfred and Joseph, who had been following me like shadows, exchanged glances and nodded.
The question about having nothing to do sounded almost accusatory, but since it was true, they went along with it.
Clatter.
And so, we boarded two carriages funded by the now-wealthy Dr. Liston.
One carriage carried our group, and the other carried the people who would assist with our picnic.
"Giddy up!"
Our carriage quickly left London and headed for the countryside.
The scenery was surprisingly beautiful just a short distance outside London.
It was the kind of place where you could just spread a blanket and sit anywhere.
Of course, the now-wealthy Dr. Liston didn't settle for just anywhere, and we arrived at a small villa.
"Did you… buy this?"
Maybe I should try amputations too…
"Ah, no. I rented it. I've been coming here on weekends to read and relax."
"Ah."
Well, it wasn't entirely out of the question.
My path was the righteous one, not the crooked path.
I barely managed to shake off my dark thoughts and looked around the villa.
It was a bit small for a party, but more than enough for one person.
The barbecue area was in the backyard.
There was firewood stacked there, and the servants who had come with us looked a bit troubled.
"Um… Professor?"
"What is it?"
"Do you have a flint?"
"Ah, a flint. Hahaha. You're quite old-fashioned, aren't you?"
It wasn't the era of gas stoves, after all.
No torches either.
In the end, a flint was the best option for starting a fire.
Even my common sense told me that.
How else would I have learned to start a fire?
But Liston was laughing at the common sense of the times.
He was literally cackling.
Then he pulled something out of his pocket.
"This is called a match."
"A match? Isn't that an incredibly expensive item…?"
"Hahaha."
There were matches?
Was this that kind of era?
'Ah, now that I think about it, The Little Match Girl was a 19th-century story…'
It made sense that they existed.
But they were expensive?
From the servants' reaction, I tilted my head in confusion.
In the era I lived in, matches had never been an expensive item.
Even in The Little Match Girl, they weren't portrayed as particularly expensive.
"They used to be. But not anymore. These are Austrian-made, the latest thing. Surprisingly cheap. Even though they're imported, if we start making them here, they'll get even cheaper."
Ah, so the matches from the previous era were hard to make, but now, thanks to scientific advancements…
Sssk.
Liston said this and struck the match against the striker.
At that moment, I witnessed a truly dazzling flame.
It was a fire that left me speechless, but it also looked dangerously dirty.
"Be careful. This fire doesn't go out easily."
"Huh?"
"It's because of the white phosphorus. Why didn't anyone think of this before? White phosphorus is cheap and catches fire easily."
White phosphorus…
White phosphorus…
I feel like I've heard that term a lot somewhere…
"The smoke is really white, huh?"
"That's why it's called white phosphorus. Anyway, here, just throw it like this."
Wow.
So this is what they mean by "whoosh."
The fire erupted so fiercely that it was hard to believe it came from a single match.
"Wow…"
"Impressed?"
"Yes, very impressed. If these become more common, we won't need flints anymore, will we?"
"Exactly. Here, want some? Take these."
"Can I really accept such a precious thing?"
"I told you, it's not that expensive. Haha. But be careful. If you put it in your pocket and it rubs against something, it could catch fire."
"Got it. Seeing how intense it is, I'll definitely handle it carefully."
That ominous flame.
The white smoke.
Where have I seen this before?
On the news…
'War crimes… white phosphorus bombs…'
These lunatics made matches out of a banned explosive?
'Hey… Shin. This isn't the Earth I knew, is it…? Right…?'
I looked up at the sky, then shuddered as I recalled more about white phosphorus.
I instinctively covered my nose.
White phosphorus.
The only highly toxic compound among phosphorus compounds, right?
From what I knew, that smoke was pretty toxic too.
'Wait… wait a minute. How do they even make this?'
It didn't just fall from the sky.
Someone had to make it, and those people would inevitably suffer from phosphorus poisoning.
In the long term, their bones would dissolve…
Especially their jaws.
They would die in excruciating pain.
And the only treatment was to remove the lower jaw, but in this era, flap surgery wasn't possible, so that was essentially a death sentence.
'This… this has to be stopped…'
As I watched the fire burn brightly, I fell into deep thought amidst the cheerful crowd.