episode_0176

Episode 176. Overseas Conference (2)

****

I checked the participant list again.

Elf healer Linnea. People from the northern part of the empire. Healers from Melissa and the kingdom of Lutece. They really did gather from all over the place.

The knowledge shared today could spread around the world, saving lives or improving lives.

That alone is enough.

“The stronger the alcohol, the better, right?”

I can’t tell if this is a joke or not.

You can die if you drink the wrong amount of rubbing alcohol. You may not die right away, but if you drink it, your liver may go on strike.

“You’re not really going to eat it, are you?”

“I’ll think about it when I run out of alcohol.”

It was a somewhat dubious answer. I scratched my head. Well, I’m not stupid. I’ll drink moderately. They’re called healers.

“The booklet contains instructions on how to culture and observe bacteria on your hands.”

“Is there a reason why it has to be a hand?”

I shook my head.

“Think of it this way. Most bacteria are difficult to stain or culture. The bacteria that live on your hands live in a normal environment, so they are relatively easy to find and study.”

“Isn’t that the part that the professor often criticized, that of passing it over as not being visible? Pushing it to an area that cannot be refuted.”

It’s a sharp question, but what if you can’t really see bacteria? Bacteria that can be seen under an optical microscope are less common than you might think.

“What do I do if I can’t actually see it?”

“Are you saying that this is the limit of technical skills?”

I nodded.

Anyway, let’s continue the explanation.

“Anyway. Disinfecting your hands, instruments, and the area around the patient can help prevent infection. It is especially important to keep things clean during surgery.”

I went back to the blackboard.

“I heard this from my senior before.”

I was thinking about what to say next. I’m sorry to keep mentioning the deceased, but I will have to borrow Mr. Semmelweis’s strength again today.

“In a certain hospital, there was a result that babies born by midwives were healthier and the mothers had better prognoses than those born by doctors. Can you guess why?”

“Because you have a lot of experience?”

No, that’s not true. There are so many old doctors in hospitals. It’s our job to gain experience in that area.

“In this case, two things were different. The midwife did not see the patient, and it was customary to wash her hands before delivering the baby.”

I looked around the lab again.

“That’s why mothers who gave birth with a midwife had a higher survival rate. In this case.”

I expected there to be less discussion today, as the focus was more on technical aspects than academic ones. But that wasn’t the case.

The people who gathered today also approached the class with the attitude of, ‘Let’s try to defeat the best intellect in the empire!’ There were also many sharp questions.

“Do you have any more questions?”

Several hands went up in the lab. It looks like there are a lot of questions this time too… … . As always, it seemed like it would take longer than expected.

****

The questions continued endlessly.

The elf healer, Linea, looked at the blackboard in the practice room. Professor Asterix was still arguing his position.

Why did you decide to do that?

The discussion was still ongoing.

Since this isn’t a place for discussion, I guess we can just let it slide. At least Professor Asterix didn’t have to fight so hard.

Is it just better to discuss?

The topic of today’s conference was planned to be sutures, hygiene, and antibiotics.

Hygiene is essential for suturing, and if hygiene fails and infection occurs, antibiotics are needed. Professor Asterix seemed to have decided on this so that the topic of the practical training would continue smoothly.

It’s quite elaborate, if you think about it.

The healers continued their discussion.

“This is a bit of a different story, but is it safe to repeatedly apply alcohol to your hands? Have you done any research on that?”

“Disinfectant alcohol… … . Someone said they drank it earlier. I think it’s too much. ”

This time, the healers laughed at Professor Asterix’s words. Professor Asterix turned around and erased what was written on the blackboard.

Were there a lot of things written like that? As the discussion went on, I realized I wrote a lot.

****

Lastly, the use of medicine.

“Now this is the last part. I think this is the part you are most curious about.”

That’s why these people gathered here today. The original purpose of this event was to sell medicine overseas.

Penicillin and aspirin.

“As you may have heard, I recently created two new drugs: aspirin and penicillin.”

As I began to explain the medicine, the lab suddenly became deathly quiet. Everyone must have been waiting for this… … .

I paused for a moment. There was no great reason, just for dramatic effect.

“Let’s get straight to the point. I’ll start by explaining how to use penicillin.”

This time, Linea raised her hand.

“But. Are you selling the medicine outside the empire right now? Is this useful information?”

I scratched my head.

Good point, but the road to selling penicillin overseas could soon open up, if only Melissa could convince the royal family.

Or you can just take it out yourself… … .

“Um… … . Well. It is not that the export of penicillin is prohibited. Although the main sales and usage are within the empire.”

“Really?”

“Maybe.”

I turned to Melissa, who nodded triumphantly. I can convince her, that’s what it meant.

“Don’t worry too much. You will soon be able to get the medicine overseas. The medicine sent to the North this time is-”

Before I could finish speaking, the people gathered in the lab started asking questions.

When can I buy it? Where can I buy it? Is it definitely fixed? etc. I know why people react this way, though.

It was a bit noisy. I raised both hands and waited for the noise in the lab to die down.

“Please be quiet for a moment so I can proceed. I will tell you a little about the research I did on the uses of penicillin.”

The lab immediately became deathly quiet.

“This is what the booklet says. Penicillin is effective against many infections, but the most important thing is to prevent gangrene in wounds.”

Gram-positive bacteria live on the surface of the skin. When the skin is wounded, the bacteria that enter the wound and cause problems are mainly Gram-positive bacteria.

They are very resistant to penicillin.

“Penicillin can also be used as a preventive measure if taken a few hours before an injury occurs, such as before childbirth or surgery.”

I think this is the most important use of antibiotics, at least the main use.

“On the other hand, if a bacterial infection is confirmed, any disease can be treated with antibiotics. The effectiveness may vary depending on the type of bacteria and the course of the disease.”

“How do you know if you have a bacterial infection?”

It was not an easy problem.

There are several ways to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious diseases, but they are not perfect without molecular testing.

A more difficult problem would be to distinguish between diseases caused by viruses and diseases caused by bacteria. It is not as easy as it sounds.

“Hmm… …. First of all, if it is a disease accompanied by high fever and redness, bacterial infection can be considered first. Gangrene and pneumonia are also bacterial.”

“There is no clear standard for distinction, right?”

“If it gets better with antibiotics, that would be evidence of a bacterial infection, right? The booklet lists the common types of bacterial infections.”

This time Melissa raised her hand.

“If you get better with antibiotics, that proves a bacterial infection – now that I think about it, that makes sense.”

“Yes.”

That doesn’t make sense.

“Antibiotics are much better used prophylactically, before an infection has taken hold, especially in patients with trauma or bleeding.”

“I see.”

“Oh, but that doesn’t mean that healthy people can take them on a regular basis. Antibiotics aren’t risk-free, and if you take too much, you can develop resistance-”

While we were talking, a person came in quietly from the back of the practice room. She was wearing an academy uniform without any flashiness, but it was the princess.

Mint leaned against the door of the practice room and waved at me with a smile. No one had noticed her arrival yet.

Why did you come?

Well, this is also some kind of international event, so the princess might want to show up. It might be uncomfortable for both parties though…

That’s other people’s business. There’s plenty of reason to attend. The princess seemed to intend to stand until the lecture was over.

****

“Then… … . I will end the conference today. I will be in the lab, so for the time being, if you have any additional questions, please come to my graduate students.”

The people gathered in the practice room started applauding, but my attention was elsewhere. The princess was coming.

oh my.

“Hello!”

The princess stood next to me and looked at the healers gathered in their seats. Those sitting in the practice room looked at Mint in bewilderment.

“I am the princess of the Empire, Mint. The Empire holds you in the highest esteem for having gathered to save the lives of the people.”

It seemed like she didn’t intend to talk for long. Mint linked arms with me and led me out of the room, leaving the dumb people behind.

“Oh, your highness. People-”

I shut my mouth when I saw Mint’s expression, which was sending a faint sneer. As I said, that was something that other people were going through.