episode_0143
by fnovelpiaEpisode 143. The Discovery of Electricity (5)
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I examined the nerve samples taken from the corpse under a microscope. Although the structure was degenerated, the nerve endings were still visible, connected to muscles.
“Why can’t I see what I cut clearly, but can I see what the professor cuts clearly?”
Istina scratched her head.
“Because it’s thick. You have to cut it thinly like paper.”
“Oh. I see.”
I stepped away from the microscope, and Istina looked at it. Since it was focused, you could see the ends where the nerves connect to the muscles.
“It looks real.”
“Yeah.”
Istina stretched her back as if she was stretching. That’s what happens when you look at a microscope for too long.
All the pathologists I knew had turtle necks. Istina scratched her head.
“When do you plan on making the announcement?”
“As soon as possible. This time, it won’t be the academic conference, but I’ve already sent letters to the professors telling them that I have something to show them. It’ll be done soon.”
The paper on the principles of nerves was only five pages long, and even then, most of it was just pictures. The length of the paper is not important.
****
Well, there’s no need to waste time.
Since we had the fall conference a while ago, I thought it would be difficult to hold another conference. I thought it would be difficult to gather a lot of people.
This time, instead of going to an academic conference, I decided to invite as many professors as possible and give presentations on my own. The Imperial Academy is the best educational institution on the continent, so that might be the case.
If you think about it, that’s true.
Would a gathering of a hundred doctors and professors be more like an academic conference, or would a gathering of three Nobel Prize winners be more like an academic conference? I think it’s the latter.
Anyway, today I was the only presenter. There were 20 professors sitting in the front row, and graduate and undergraduate students filled the auditorium in the back.
These are students who came on their own feet.
I’m so touched.
“Then… …. Thank you to everyone who gathered today. Today, I plan to disclose research related to the structure and function of the nerves.”
I looked around the auditorium. Even if only Academy insiders were invited, it was no different from an academic conference that brought together people from all over the empire.
“A while ago, a female patient in her 20s who was suffering from limb weakness and eye movement abnormalities came to my clinic. It was a peculiar case. There was no problem with her brain or muscles, so why couldn’t she walk?”
Of course, it was a story about a saint.
The reason my lab decided to study nerves this time was because of the saint.
“The core of the problem is the nerve. Today, I plan to reveal the structure of this nerve and the principles by which it operates.”
****
“I always say this. The close connection between structure and function. We need to examine the macroscopic structure and macroscopic function of the nerves.”
Let’s start by explaining the macroscopic structure of the nerves.
“All nerves start from the brain and spread to all organs and muscles of the body. The question is through what structure they spread.”
I looked at the auditorium.
“Has anyone ever dissected a nerve?”
For anyone who has never seen a dissected corpse.
‘If you open it, wouldn’t the nerves be there?’
– You might think so.
When you open a corpse, you only see connective tissues such as blood and fat, and it is not easy to find nerves. If you don’t know what to look for, you will never find it.
No one raised a hand.
“No. Most of the nerves in the human body are gathered toward the spine. Here, the nerves connect to the brain through the spinal cord. You can confirm this right away if you dissect it.”
then.
Next order.
“It is established that nerves connect every corner of the human body to the brain. Then. We need to think about what role these nerves play in connecting the entire body. What do you think?”
There was no one to answer.
Professor Fisher raised his hand.
“Isn’t this something we’ve known for a long time? Nerves gather in the brain and are divided into motor nerves and sensory nerves. The brain controls them.”
I nodded.
That’s right, that’s right… … .
“You mean that nerves transmit information?”
“Yes.”
“Professor Fisher. How do you think nerves transmit information? Blood vessels and lymphatic vessels are hollow and carry fluid, but nerves are solid.”
Professor Fisher frowned.
With an expression that said, “What on earth are you talking about?”
“That’s it. There must be something.”
“That’s it.”
I clapped my hands.
“Something. There is a physical and chemical method to transmit information quickly and relatively accurately without using liquids or sound.”
“Isn’t it something like energy?”
“No, I guess I’m making an announcement.”
Elanvital.
Of course, such a thing may exist, and it actually exists in this world. My belief is to investigate as much as possible.
I know the mechanism by which nerves transmit signals, so it shouldn’t be difficult.
Professor Fisher still had a look of doubt on his face. This was the attitude of a great scholar.
How many times have I made a discovery like this and presented it? But you still don’t take my words at face value and try your best to refute and demand proof every time.
****
“Going to the next conclusion. The question is, what does the nerve transmit signals in an invisible way?”
I looked around.
“Can anyone guess what this is?”
Of course not. I took out the frog leg I had cut off earlier from under the stage.
“Okay. It’s a frog.”
A frog leg cut off just before the conference. When a zinc knife was inserted into the frog leg with the skin removed, the frog leg moved.
“Can you see it? The frog’s legs move in response to a specific stimulus. If we summarize Professor Fisher’s opinion, since nerves transmit information, can we assume that the process of applying a metal rod to a muscle mimics the process of nerve signal transmission?”
Professor Fisher nodded for a moment.
“Okay. We need to think about it. What properties of the metal bar, what reaction occurs, that stimulate the frog’s nerves?”
Science is a narrative.
What’s important is how the story progresses.
When we talk about nerves, what do nerves look like? What do nerves do? What can we use to mimic their functions? Why?
This time, Professor Amiya raised his hand.
“What is the conclusion?”
“Electricity. What nerves transmit is a small amount of electricity. This is a phenomenon that can be observed when lightning strikes or static electricity occurs.”
“Do you have any evidence?”
Of course there is.
I nodded.
“No. Professor Asterix, are you saying that through this experiment you have discovered a new power in physics and have elucidated the mechanism of information exchange in nerves that has been a mystery for millennia?”
This time I had no choice but to shake my head.
“Look. You guys, the existing academic world didn’t even think about the function of the nerves as the exchange of information. Right?”
“Uh… ….”
“You guys, I’m sorry, but you didn’t think about finding out the principles and structure of the nerves. The function of the nerves is to exchange information, and the idea is to find out the principles.”
Professor Amiya was speechless.
“Then, let’s think about how we create this electrical signal. What does this structure look like now? You can see that the frog’s leg is hanging on metal, and when you bring the metal to the leg, electricity is instantly generated, right?”
It seems like no one is following me this far. It doesn’t really matter. I’ve already published the paper, so I’ll read it carefully later.
“The interaction between metals must generate some kind of electricity. I created a machine that uses this interaction between metals to generate electricity. It’s a simple battery.”
I held up a palm-sized voltaic cell and showed it to the audience. I then brought the ends of the wires to my legs. The frog’s legs twitched.
The auditorium became deathly quiet.
****
This time Oliver raised his hand.
“Professor. No matter what. The professor discovered a new, unknown force and a method to create it while studying nerves. And that is the principle by which nerves transmit information… … . It seems like a stretch.”
“Student Oliver. Didn’t you follow my logic in today’s presentation? Where do you think the error occurred?”
Oliver thought about it for a long time.
“I don’t know because I don’t have much knowledge, but it doesn’t make sense at a common sense level.”
The auditorium began to roar.
What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone is thinking the same thing, so what’s the problem? Isn’t it difficult to verify across multiple academic fields? Did Oliver say something wrong? Try refuting it.
This wasn’t something they said to me, it was just something the professors who were sitting there said to each other.
Certainly. If you think about it from a common sense perspective, Oliver’s reaction is understandable.
But as I said, scientific discoveries don’t always follow common sense.
The discovery of electricity while studying frog muscles is something that actually happened in the history of the world, and it will happen here too.
As you can see.
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