episode_0145

Episode 145. Power in the Box (2)

****

Today is the outpatient clinic time. I was sitting in the examination room. Who is coming today? I hope there aren’t too many.

I heard the sound of someone walking with a cane.

Come to think of it, there was a pretty important guest scheduled to come to the clinic today. I looked up, and the door to the clinic slowly opened.

She was a saint.

“Hello… …!”

With a bright greeting, the saint came into my examination room. I glanced at the saint for a moment.

The saint came without an attendant, and it didn’t seem like she had any crutches or a wheelchair. The way she walked to me wasn’t strange either.

Perhaps because she wasn’t here on church business today, she was wearing plain clothes similar to a suit rather than a nun’s habit.

He seemed to have come for a routine checkup. He seemed generally healthy. He came into the examination room with only a cane, without a wheelchair or any assistance.

“Wasn’t it difficult to get to the hospital?”

“Ah. It was okay!”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

I looked at the saint’s expression. Her expression seemed brighter than the last time I saw her.

Well, last time I couldn’t walk.

“Are you sick or something?”

“Oh, yes. I just came just in case.”

There doesn’t seem to be any problem, but since I’m here, I should examine her. I checked the saint’s eyelids with my fingers.

The eyes looked normal. When I looked again, I noticed that he wasn’t wearing an eye patch today. It seems that the ptosis caused by myasthenia gravis has disappeared.

Well, I don’t think it would be a big flaw for the saintess to have her eyes slightly open. It’s a shame that she thinks that way, though.

“Everything is fine.”

“Can I get better without needing medicine?”

I thought about it for a while.

It’s not impossible for myasthenia gravis to go into complete remission, but I don’t know how common that is.

If I could look up the paper, I would know. I don’t have all the detailed numbers memorized.

“I don’t know. It’s possible to get completely better, but… … I think it’s better to think that you need to take medicine to walk.”

“Okay, I see.”

The saint nodded.

“Still, that’s really fortunate. If you just take the medicine, it’ll be fine, and there’s a chance that you’ll get completely better.”

“That’s right.”

“How should I express my gratitude… … .”

“Would you like to be a teaching assistant? Or an associate professor.”

“You’re joking too.”

I looked at the saint’s face. It wasn’t a joke, but I had no intention of forcing her to do it if she said no.

What a pity… … .

“Can you exercise? If your muscles are strong, the weakness caused by myasthenia gravis can be alleviated to some extent.”

“Really? I never thought about that.”

“Because it is a disease that weakens the muscles. If the basic muscle strength is high, the symptoms can be alleviated. There is also the problem of atrophy if not used.”

If you don’t pay special attention to it, the symptoms can easily get worse. But on the other hand, it also suggests a mechanism for curing the disease.

Because medication can help you move more, it is possible to strengthen your muscles to the point where muscle weakness no longer interferes with your daily life.

“Okay.”

That’s the mechanism.

It is unknown whether this will actually happen, since it is a disease whose cause is not even well known.

“Then, take your medicine and I’ll see you next time. Do you have anything special to say?”

“Yes.”

“I’m recovering well, so don’t worry too much.”

The saint nodded, took the medicine, and left the examination room. There must have been some leftover medicine, so was there a reason she came to the examination room early?

The sound of footsteps was combined with the sound of a cane.

Well, it’s not that I don’t understand the feeling of anxiety. It can be frustrating to think that you might not be able to walk without medication.

****

After I sent the patients away, I returned from the examination room to the lab. This time, a fairly big presentation had passed, so there were many issues to consider.

Professor Bernstaffen was waiting.

“Professor Asterix.”

“Yes.”

“I also submitted a paper to the academic world on physics. Everyone was happy that I had made the discovery of the century.”

“Thank goodness.”

Professor Bernstaffen tilted his head.

“But… … . I don’t understand how the professor succeeded in making this discovery. It seems like it would require too much luck and skill for one person to do.”

Is it sharp?

Because what we presented was in reality a scientific achievement of at least two generations of researchers, from Galvani to Volta.

That was an accurate point.

“There are times in life when you get lucky.”

“Professor, that’s a bit much.”

Professor Bernstaffen just laughed.

“Anyway, let’s continue what we were saying. Physicists and alchemists also showed explosive reactions. When I showed the battery at the conference, everyone was incredibly surprised.”

“That must have been it.”

“I prepared a cool speech for the presentation. When I said something like, ‘Humanity has finally been able to contain the power of divine punishment in a box,’ there was a standing ovation.”

The atmosphere at that conference was more hazy than I thought. I let out a small sigh.

“The atmosphere of the conference is completely different… …. When I gave a presentation, the students stood up and told me to stop talking nonsense.”

“You must be talented.”

“Talent.”

Because they don’t usually say things like that.

Professor Bernstaffen crossed his arms.

“So, Professor, you are probably more interested in the medical side, but I was wondering if there was a practical use for this. Couldn’t it be used to make fire?”

“That’s true.”

It can start a fire, and there are many lighters that work on that principle, but it’s like using a gun as a club.

Volta, who invented the voltaic cell, immediately realized that his invention could be used to send signals over long distances.

Volta seems to be much smarter than Professor Bernstappen. I scratched my head.

“Electrical signals are transmitted regardless of distance within a wire. If you just connect the wires, can’t you use them to transmit information?”

“Really?”

He had an expression on his face like he was hearing this for the first time.

“Yes.”

“Let’s check it out with an experiment.”

Current moves at almost the speed of light in copper wire. With today’s technology, there is no way to measure the speed of current.

In the early days of electrical wiring, wet chemical cells powered the electrical grid, which is why dry cells are called dry cells.

A dry cell, distinct from the liquid electrolyte-based cells used in the past.

I took out a piece of paper and roughly drew a picture.

“Like this. If you connect the power and stretch the wires like this, you can transmit signals over very long distances.”

The batteries used in the Victorian era were different from what we commonly know. The British used lead-acid batteries to operate the telegraph.

That’s what I’m thinking.

A structure that generates electricity by dipping a lead rod in sulfuric acid, which dissolves the lead. If the oxidized part of the lead rod is scraped off, it can also be charged.

It’s a technology that needs some improvement.

Anyway, even if we have to think about how to supply electricity, is it a feasible method? Professor Bernstaffen kept his mouth shut.

“That must be true.”

“Let’s do some research.”

It was as Mint said. If you figure out a way to make the telegraph system work and let the royal family know about it through the company, they’ll be happy.

****

This is the north.

Although autumn is not yet over, there is an area in the northernmost part of the empire where it snows for half the year. People live there too.

“Just a little bit. Let’s take a little break and go.”

Escrom patted the head of the lead dog leading the sled.

Both the dog and the man were freezing to death, but they couldn’t give up now. Escrom had piled something more precious than gold onto his sled.

An unknown plague is spreading in the north.

The palace bestowed a newly created potion to resolve this situation. The five geun of medicine here could have been worth thousands of lives.

Not only could I never give up, I had to get the medicine and move as quickly as possible.

Escrom entered the cave. Several dogs chased him. The exhausted man began to light a fire with laborious steps.

“Rolo. Do you know what we’re doing now?”

The dog didn’t answer. It just turned its head and looked at its owner. The man threw a piece of beef jerky to the dog.

“The imperial family sent medicine. There were rumors of a plague spreading in the north, so a bundle of medicine arrived on a dragon from the imperial family. We are delivering it to the villages in the north.”

“Wow!”

“Just hang in there a little longer. If it was just an ordinary load, you wouldn’t have gone this fast. It’s because the lives of the villagers are at stake… … .”

The leader sled dog looked a little tired, but he seemed to understand what his master was saying and wagged his tail solemnly. Escrom threw some jerky to the sled dog again.

Escrom made a hasty bonfire and began preparing to start the sled. The sled slowly but surely moved north.

The goal is now within sight.

It was much closer than I thought.

“Woof, woof!”

The lights of the village began to appear through the snowstorm. Some of them were waiting at the village entrance, despite the snowstorm.

It’s finally over.

“The medicine sent from the Imperial Palace has arrived!”

Escrom shouted at the top of his lungs, then stopped the sled and sighed in relief. The villagers were coming their way.