episode_0130

Episode 130. Fall Academic Conference (2)

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We should talk about euthanasia, too, by the way.

“To be honest, when I first arrived at Winia Castle, I insisted on stopping treatment for the most seriously ill patients and giving them painkillers. Since their limbs had turned black, their chances of survival were slim.”

I still remember.

The only patient who survived with his limbs turning black was the patient who had his blackened, rotten arm amputated. The rest all died.

“There were many patients with conditions that made it difficult for them to survive for more than a day. This plan eventually fell through. The temple decided to wait just one day, but most of the patients died the next day.”

Now that I think about it, calling it euthanasia is an exaggeration. It’s natural to use painkillers on a dying person.

“I’m telling you without hiding anything. There was a backstory to the solution to this epidemic. It wasn’t just solved.”

It means that sacrifices were made.

“And. This fact also shows another characteristic of the Black Death. Although it is a terrible disease, its high mortality rate hinders its spread.”

In reality, the number of infected patients in Winia Castle was not as high as expected. The epidemic did not spread exponentially.

“Human patients with the Black Death die too quickly before the disease can spread widely. Without rats, it would be difficult for the disease to spread among humans.”

****

“Anyway, to sum it up. The Black Death is mainly transmitted to humans by fleas, and the fleas are mainly transmitted by mice.”

There are complex explanations for why mice spread the Black Death, but let’s keep it as simple as possible: Fleas can’t travel far.

“Rats infected with the Black Death can survive for a relatively long time, carrying fleas that can directly transmit the Black Death to humans. This is the main transmission process of the Black Death.”

The president was quiet.

“So, when the Black Death broke out in Winia Castle, we first looked for ways to exterminate the rats in the city.”

“When the wizards of Winia Castle killed all the rats in the city, the plague was soon contained. After all, it was a plague that could not spread without rats.”

I looked around the auditorium.

This time Professor Kropelter raised his hand.

“Is that really all?”

“Yes.”

“Eventually, you’ll see how things have changed since the Black Death killed half the empire. It’s a lot different than the days when people piled garbage on the roads and had rats running through it.”

It could be because all those people died from the Black Death, but if you look at the conclusion, this statement is correct. The key is the environment in which people live.

“That was the direct solution. In fact, there is no other way to control the disease. It is clear that improving the living environment and conditions is the most effective way to control the disease and promote health.”

There is one more thing that needs to be said: the social impact of the disease must also be considered.

“One last thing. Officials of the Winia Castle left signs to distribute bread and water to plague patients. The mob burned down all the marked houses.”

The Dean of the Academy, Professor Fisher, looked at me this time, as if asking if there was any solution.

“Then what should I do?”

How would I know that?

“I don’t know either. However, I think it’s something we should think about. It means that we cannot ignore the social repercussions that accompany the epidemic, rather than the epidemic itself.”

Burning down the infected person’s house. Of course, on the surface, it helped with the quarantine, but considering that anyone can become infected.

“The situation a hundred years ago would have been more serious.”

“Wouldn’t it have threatened the social order or system itself? More importantly, the fact that epidemics occur in the accumulation of social entropy and in poor environments, and likewise cause social entropy and deterioration of living environments.”

That’s where the announcements about the Black Death ended.

There was quite a loud applause.

“Does anyone have any more questions? I’ll take your questions and move on to the next topic.”

****

Violet sat still.

If we were to believe Professor Asterix, he would have meant that the Black Death was stopped simply by killing all the rats. That may be true, of course, but it doesn’t sound very convincing.

The solution can’t be that simple.

Even if the solution is actually simple, isn’t there something hidden? A great cure has been developed, or there is another solution?

There were many things that came to mind.

****

I looked around the auditorium again to see if there were any more questioners, and this time Violet stood up.

“Yes, Ms. Violet.”

“By the way, I heard that the professor has created a new medicine that kills germs. Did you use it on the Black Death patients in Winia Castle?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Why?”

As I’ve told others before, the Black Death is a gram-negative bacteria, and penicillin primarily kills gram-negative bacteria. That was the main reason.

“The production volume was not yet at that level, and the type of bacteria that causes the Black Death is different from the bacteria that infects ordinary wounds. Since the target is different, the effect cannot be guaranteed.”

“Then couldn’t it have been treated with a new drug? It was just that the production was insufficient?”

This is a conversation we already had at Winia Castle.

That wasn’t the case. Violet didn’t seem to believe me just now.

Everyone’s thoughts are the same.

“No, I told you. In the case of penicillin, we don’t know if it will be effective against the Black Death, and the important thing is that health policies that improve living environments are effective against not only the Black Death but also many other diseases… … .”

I trailed off because of the atmosphere. The auditorium was too noisy to hear me.

The crucible of chaos that we often see.

This is what an academic conference is all about.

“Does the newly developed new drug treat by killing bacteria, or does it simply reduce fever?”

“Are you hiding the fact that you are using it in line with the release of the new drug? Shouldn’t you tell the truth for the sake of science?”

“We also heard a report from Winia Castle. We heard that the Winia Castle government invested in the development of a new drug. Is that related?”

“Professor Asterix. Is there a reason why you deny it without even trying it, even though it is theoretically possible that it will work? Or are you controlling the amount of information related to it for commercial use?”

Sigh. You only hear what you want to hear.

These people. Judging by the speed at which they speak, they would have made a lot of money if they were rappers instead of doctors.

Wasting such a great talent on just curing people? I don’t know about medicine, but in terms of music history, isn’t that a huge waste?

****

Scientists are children until the day they die.

It’s the same now. Health policy? Forget about sleepy talk and bring me that shiny new medicine. It was the same at Winia.

It was the same even then.

I let out a small sigh so that the auditorium wouldn’t hear. The conference was still in commotion.

The social message originally intended to be conveyed in the Black Death announcement was quickly forgotten in the atmosphere of the conference that had turned into an arena.

All that remains is the debate over the new toy.

“What is that? Wasn’t it thanks to the new medicine that the Black Death was successfully controlled in Winia Castle?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Is there any evidence that it is ineffective?”

I sighed.

“How can you prove that it has no effect? That kind of negative proposition is not a logically provable proposition.”

I tried my best to explain myself, but it wasn’t enough to change the mood of the conference room. I had no choice but to scratch my head.

“Professor Asterix. Isn’t the next thing you’re going to present today also a new drug?”

Yes, that’s true. But that’s true.

“Not related to the Black Death.”

“Do you really think it’s unrelated? … … Didn’t you say that the new medicine made from willow has an antipyretic effect? Don’t many types of infectious diseases cause fever?”

This is why Ms. Violet is scary.

He usually acts like a fool, but surprisingly, he’s not an idiot. I sighed.

“There are many diseases that cause fever.”

The situation became increasingly confusing.

“What are the new drug ingredients?”

It didn’t seem like he was listening to me. I looked at Mr. Benedict who had asked the question.

“At the last conference, blue mold samples were distributed to research institutes around the empire. Your institute probably has some too.”

“Oh, that’s it.”

Mr. Benedict sat down again.

****

The first presentation is over.

You could say it ended successfully, but I was a bit worried because it seemed like the conclusion was the opposite of what I originally intended.

I don’t know what it is, but the conclusion is to bring me a new medicine. It seems that the fact that I have ever distributed the new medicine in question has already been forgotten.

Well… … . I can’t help it.

Because we can’t control the conclusions people make in their heads.