episode_0129

Episode 129. Fall Academic Conference (1)

****

It was time to write my paper. I was sitting in the lab with Istina and Amy.

“What should we do?”

I looked at my two graduate students. The first thing they had to do to write a paper was-

“We should start with the investigation. Istina should investigate the Black Death, and Amy should investigate the use of willow as medicine. Other antipyretics and painkillers are also good.”

Amy nodded vigorously. Istina, who had participated in several academic conferences, sighed, worried that things would get delayed.

“But when I was researching, there was so much to know about the ecology of fleas, rats, and bedbugs. Do you need to know all of this to be a proper healer?”

I’ve been struggling with this question for a while.

“How can a person know all this? Of course, they may not know. There are probably many things that have not been revealed yet and therefore cannot be known.”

“Oh, right.”

It’s natural that you might not know.

“But… … . If we don’t know, people could die. And not just one or two, but hundreds, thousands. Right now, if we hadn’t gone to Winia Castle, how many people would have died?”

Istina kept her mouth shut. She had no choice but to work hard within the limits of her capabilities.

****

The day of the conference came sooner than expected.

“No, why am I the last one in line today? I can’t treat you well even though you have a lot of research results.”

“That’s right… …. Isn’t that because the professor causes trouble every time an academic conference is held?”

I looked at Istina.

“When did I do that?”

“It’s been like that every time. It was like that when we announced the discovery of bacteria, and it was like that when we announced the discovery of antibiotics.”

I didn’t expect the waves to be that big today. I didn’t bring anything.

****

And, the last presenter.

“Then. Professor Asterix, who will present ‘A Study on the Principles of Transmission of the Black Death’ and ‘Clinical Application of Medicinal Ingredients of Willow Tree’.”

I don’t know if it’s because of my mood, but the fall conference was unusually crowded compared to what I remember. Could it be because the fall harvest was relatively leisurely, or was it because of the weather?

I stood in front of the stage with two graduate students. We agreed to be together during the presentation. Of course, these two had no specific role to play.

Now let’s get started.

“What is the Black Death?”

I opened my presentation with a question.

What is the Black Death?

“Literally. It’s a disease that causes death as the limbs turn black. For hundreds of years, it was considered just a terrible disaster.”

The society nodded.

“But now, with the power of science, we can elucidate the structure and function of this disease. We have tools like microscopes.”

I grabbed the president’s blackboard.

“First of all. Why do the limbs of plague patients turn black? Has anyone done any research on this issue?”

There was no answer.

I nodded.

“The reason why the limbs of a plague patient turn black is because the blood flow to the extremities of the limbs is cut off, causing the limbs to rot.”

then.

“Think about it. Then why do you think blood doesn’t flow to the extremities?”

I looked around the conference room. This time, the auditorium was buzzing, and then one person raised his hand.

“I am Benedict, a plague doctor belonging to the Imperial Family.

“Yes, please speak.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Isn’t that a problem that can’t be solved by thinking about it? It’s not something that can be logically inferred. ”

I shook my head vigorously.

“Science is originally a process of inference. Hypotheses may be right or wrong, but everything is subject to logical inference.”

anyway.

“Fortunately, the transmission process and ecology of the Black Death are somewhat simple to logically infer. There are some parts that can be inferred.”

There was another murmur of disbelief in the auditorium. The disbelief in the hall was thick as if it could be cut with a knife. Professor Benedict still looked like he couldn’t believe it.

“I have heard many stories of the professor’s bravery. But I am worried that he may be using the terrible tragedy as an opportunity to deceive the officials with a novel.”

“Well, do you think so?”

Mr. Benedict continued speaking.

“Not only was there no applicable treatment for the Black Death, but hundreds of years of efforts to understand its transmission process failed. It is clear that the Black Death’s characteristics can be logically explained.”

I shook my head again, but there were murmurs of agreement and opposition, centered around the gun-carrying man.

“Hasn’t there been a lot of progress over the past year? Isn’t it a bit different?”

“Conquered the Black Death, isn’t this an attempt to deceive with such provocative expressions? You can fool government officials, but you can’t fool academia.”

Diseases like Creutfeldt-Jakob disease or AIDS, even if you think about it for a hundred days, you will not be able to logically deduce their pathophysiology.

The Black Death is not like that.

“Let’s listen first. The reason why the limbs of patients with the Black Death turn black and rot is because the blood coagulates finely and blocks the small blood vessels, cutting off the blood circulation in the extremities.”

therefore.

“In a way, it is natural that logical inference has been impossible until now. Since the concept of capillaries was announced this year.”

The conference room became as quiet as a mouse.

“Let’s follow the logic a little further. We all know that blood can clot, but do you know under what circumstances it does?”

“If you get hurt, it clots.”

That was only half true.

“There are many ways to induce blood clotting. Of course, it coagulates when it gets hurt. It also coagulates well when mixed with other substances. Everyone can probably think of this. ”

There is even talk of mixing the blood of two people and determining whether or not it clots to determine paternity, so the fact that blood clots is not that difficult to understand.

By the way, that doesn’t allow for paternity confirmation.

“So. It’s common sense that some stimuli can cause blood to clot. So the question is, why does the Black Death cause blood to clot?”

Why, it doesn’t matter.

“I believe that the toxin produced by the Black Death bacillus causes blood to clot. Then why does only the Black Death bacillus cause blood to clot?”

There was no answer.

The auditorium was just buzzing with noise.

“To conclude, most bacteria cannot enter the bloodstream. So what is the mechanism by which the Black Death bacteria enter the bloodstream?”

This time, the person sitting next to Professor Benedict stood up. He also appeared to be one of the imperial plague doctors.

“But there is no clear evidence to say that bacteria are the cause of blood clotting.”

“Yes. What is your name?”

“This is Hestia.”

“Hmm. What examples would you give… … . The Black Death isn’t the only disease that turns limbs black. Hestia, have you ever seen a patient with gangrene caused by trauma? ”

“There is.”

I nodded.

“Yes. The reason why gangrene occurs due to wounds is because bacteria are directly injected into the blood vessels. Let’s consider the pathophysiology of gangrene due to wounds. Aren’t there similarities?”

The plague doctors were troubled by this statement. Gangrene is also a disease that causes the limbs to rot, so there must be some similarities. I continued.

“If bacteria enter the blood vessels, the blood will coagulate inside the blood vessels. As it spreads, it will turn black and rot, right? If you treat it properly, you can cut off your hand before that happens.”

“Right.”

“So, everyone understands that bacteria enter the bloodstream and cause clotting, causing the extremities to turn black and rot away. So, how do you think bacteria enter the bloodstream?”

This time, Professor Kropelter stood up, and the atmosphere in the conference room became heated.

“Aren’t bacteria originally inside the body?”

“It is usually not present in the blood.”

“I wonder if there is a way for bacteria to enter the bloodstream. What do you think, Professor Asterix?”

If you don’t know.

“It’s simple. Aren’t there insects that feed on human blood? When these insects stick their proboscis into a person’s blood vessel, bacteria enter the person’s blood vessel. Fleas, bedbugs, etc. ”

“A disease caused by bacteria entering the blood vessels. A logical consequence of the spread of the Black Death.”

****

Most of the audience responded positively, but Mr. Benedict still seemed to be skeptical. I looked at Mr. Benedict.

“So. Do you have any evidence?”

Let’s get straight to the point.

This is the attitude of a good scholar.

“In the case of ticks, black scabs and skin lesions appear at the site of the bite. So, in the case of diseases transmitted by ticks, tick bite marks can be confirmed for confirmation. Unfortunately, flea bite marks are less characteristic.”

“Yes.”

“Most of the plague patients I’ve seen had insect bites. There are a few other ways the plague can be transmitted.”

The president of the society seemed shocked and important.

“The important thing in my presentation today is not the Black Death. What I want to say is this. I want to say that diseases are something that can be identified, discovered, and fought against.”