episode_0057

Episode 57. Soldiers in the Blood (2)

****

The eyes of the society were focused on Istina.

“Why is Teacher Istina here? – No, Teacher Istina was here too.”

“Hello.”

Istina greeted awkwardly.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Professor Istina co-author all of these papers? Professor Asterix’s papers.”

“Oh, that’s true… … .”

“What do you think, Miss Istina?”

It’s not an easy question. No, you should ask what they think, what are you going to do if you just ask them what they think?

“What do you mean?”

“This is it. Ms. Istina. What similarities and differences do you see between the process of corruption and infection?”

What is that? Istina scratched her head. That was what Professor Asterix demonstrated in front of everyone. The swan-necked flask experiment.

It has been experimentally demonstrated through microscopic observation of moulds and swan-necked flasks that pathogenic particles cause decay.

Professor Kropelter’s position was that he would not believe anything other than what had been experimentally verified and published in a paper.

I wonder if other hardliners in academia have similar positions. Istina nodded.

“Well, it is true that the process of decay is different from the process of infectious diseases. There are also a few diseases caused by mold. But… … .”

But what.

Istina scratched her head awkwardly.

“This is what the professor said. He said that what causes disease is a war between bacteria and the components of the human body. This causes symptoms like fever and itching.”

“That makes sense, but without knowing what the ingredients are, it’s just a vague guess-”

Suddenly, something flashed through Istina’s mind. Something the professor had mentioned in passing at an academic conference or something.

“White blood cells.”

“Yes?”

“The thing that responds to bacteria is a type of blood cell that lives in the blood. It’s like the body’s soldiers, fighting against invaders. ”

A brief silence and laughter filled the lecture hall. Academia is not easy. Istina bowed her head and sat back down.

“Young friend, you have a rich imagination.”

Professor Kropelter declared boldly.

Istina cringed.

With the information the professor gave me, I thought I could control the academic society like that professor.

I guess not. There seems to be something more important than just knowing. No, of course there is.

The arrogance or charisma that allows you to stand in front of dozens of people without being intimidated, or the logical ability to not get caught up in other people’s arguments…

It’s Istina’s defeat.

****

While I was shuffling through papers in the lab, Istina came walking into the lab with a gloomy expression. What could be going on?

He looks like he’s been hit somewhere, but it looks like he was completely beaten up at the conference he went to earlier.

Academia is by no means an easy place.

If you get it wrong, you’ll be completely destroyed. Regardless of whether their claims are right or wrong, these are professors who have been in academia for decades.

There’s no way I can do anything with Istina’s logic and words. I’m probably the same. The only difference is that what I say is right.

Anyway, let’s see.

“Why, what are the professors saying?”

Istina shook her head gloomily.

“We exchanged opinions about microscopes, and everyone laughed at us. We compared white blood cells to soldiers protecting the body… … .”

That’s true, but I wonder if people in this world have the concept that cells are living units that perform certain functions.

So, the soldier metaphor might have seemed funny to some professors.

That’s why you were depressed.

No, Istina.

I’m sorry to say this. Why are you getting depressed and saying that you failed at an academic conference when you haven’t even done a proper thesis defense? Isn’t that ridiculous?

There is such a thing as order in things in this world.

“Um… ….”

– I didn’t say that.

You sound so old-fashioned.

“Just prove it with your skills.”

“Yes… … .”

I kept putting it off, but Istina was laughed at because of her white blood cells. Shouldn’t we quickly publish a paper to end the controversy?

“Istina. Do you know what white blood cells are?”

“No. I only looked at them once under a microscope. There aren’t many of them. They’re hard to find.”

White blood cells appear white under a microscope. It is true that they are hard to see and are less numerous than red blood cells, making them difficult to find.

But there is a way to find out.

“Istina. I thought deep blood analysis wouldn’t be possible here? But someone put a fan in the professor’s office.”

A look of not knowing what you’re talking about.

You’ll find out soon enough.

“I see?”

“I tried turning the fan on, and if I turned it on as fast as possible, it would spin 20 times per second.”

The fan in Professor Klaus’s lab. I don’t know exactly how it works, but it spins pretty fast. If only I could get something similar…

“Do you know what I’m trying to say?”

“I can’t even feel it.”

“Istina. Do you know what centrifugal force is?”

“No.”

What on earth do you know?

“The blood will circulate. When the blood circulates, its components will be divided into layers according to density. Among those layers, there will be a layer with white blood cells.”

“Will that work out the way you want, Professor?”

Okay, then. Why shouldn’t it be possible?

The centrifuges usually used in hospitals spin thousands of times per minute, but Professor Klaus’s fan also spins in the four digits, so it should be fine.

“I guess I can submit it together with the scurvy paper. One easy one, one difficult one.”

“Okay, I understand.”

I looked at Istina again.

“Then… … . Everything is set. Go to Professor Klaus and get the fan.”

“What did you say and bring it?”

“Do as you wish. Steal it or borrow it.”

Istina left the lab muttering something. Today, one thing was solved.

10 minutes later.

Istina returned to the lab, dragging a fan behind her, fumbling around. It must have been a success.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work bringing it.”

“But what should I do?”

“First, lay the fan down properly. Make sure the surface of the fan blades is parallel to the floor.”

“I still don’t know what you’re doing. If you just circulate the blood, do the cells really line up by type?”

I nodded.

It’s something I’ve done many times in my past lives. I’ve also used the resulting blood packs many times.

I’ve never tried using a fan, though.

Istina and I managed to lay down the fan by stacking books, blankets, etc.

Now all you have to do is tie the blood to a fan and separate it. After centrifugation, you can put the layer of white blood cells that accumulates on top of the red blood cells on a microscope and see the white blood cells without any circles.

You might even see them eating bacteria.

“But, whose blood will you use?”

“Um… ….”

Isn’t it a bit too much to ask a graduate student to give blood? I’m not some crazy blood wizard. I just decided to use my own blood.

A 20-milliliter vial was filled with my blood. I put a bandage on my arm.

Thump thump thump-

The situation ended. At any rate, it was a success. After many twists and turns, the fan started to turn. The vial of blood in question was tied to the fan.

Now you just have to wait about 30 minutes.

“Istina. Want to buy me some coffee?”

“How long does it take?”

“It’ll take about 30 minutes.”

****

I carefully removed the blood vial from the fan. Success, again.

Blood has two main layers. The red ones on the bottom are red blood cells, and the yellow ones on top are plasma.

“Invisible”

“Wow, this is so amazing.”

Istina was impressed.

The red blood cells at the very bottom were 40%. The plasma was 60%. And, in between, there was a thin layer of white blood cells. That was what it looked like to the naked eye.

“Give me a dropper.”

“Yes.”

Between plasma and red blood cells.

The white blood cell layer, which makes up about 1 percent of the blood, was separated with a dropper. I moved the separated white blood cells to the microscope.

White blood cells are originally transparent, but they appear white when viewed under a microscope. Fortunately, they can be seen without staining.

“Oh, I see. Come quickly.”

“Yes.”

Well, since only white blood cells were collected using a centrifuge, it’s natural that white blood cells are visible. If we stain it, wouldn’t the movement of white blood cells be visible more clearly?

Still, it was fortunate that the white blood cells were visible. I stepped away from the microscope. Istina quickly focused her eyes on the microscope eyepiece.

“You can really see it. Those strangely shaped cells move and attack bacteria, right?”

“Yeah. The aftermath of that war causes an inflammatory reaction. Pus, fever, redness, things like that. ”

“Wow… … . In the end, infection wasn’t just a superficial thing? This was also mechanical. A war between soldiers smaller than grains of sand. ”

That’s the essence.

“I told you, structure and function. Macrophages are shaped like cells that can physically eat bacteria, so their function is to kill bacteria.”

Istina nodded vigorously.

“By the way.”

“Yes.”

“These white blood cells will die soon, so if I want to show them at a conference or class, I’ll have to draw blood that day.”

Istina tilted her head. What… … . I should let the academic world know as soon as possible, that Istina was being laughed at because of me.

I should go get revenge.