episode_0180

Episode 180. I hugged you (1)

****

Bloodline, wealth, and ability. Without one of the three, it was not easy to become a student at the Imperial Academy, and it was even harder to become a professor.

Will Linea be able to get hired as an Academy professor without my help? Or… … .

“Thank you so much!”

Unfortunately, it seemed that Linea had succeeded in recruiting me. The elf healer ran over to me and hugged me tightly as soon as she saw me. I raised both hands.

It’s a surprise.

“Hey, you shouldn’t do that.”

“Oh. Thanks, because we’re friends.”

“Yes… … .”

The elf healer let me go.

Linea stepped back again. I shook off my clothes with an uncomfortable expression. If Mint had been watching just now, someone might have died.

It’s terrifying to even think about.

“Thanks to the professor, I got it right away.”

“Thank goodness.”

I thought wrong.

Was it so easy to get attached to an academy professor? If I had known it would be attached right away, I would have tried to interfere and tell him not to pick me.

“How did you get it?”

“That’s it. I came to the Academy while researching Professor Asterix’s book, and when I told him that I was researching with him, he accepted.”

Did it just stick because I mentioned my name?

I sighed. Dean, how could you give in to the hiring scandal so easily? You should have at least refused once.

I look tired.

“I see.”

“Thank you so much! You said you’d set up a lab soon, so let’s meet as colleagues tomorrow.”

There was nothing I could change now.

When I first asked him to come in as a graduate student, I thought I had won. But the problem was that I lost heart in the middle…

“Yes.”

It was a pity. If you didn’t want to come as my graduate student, you shouldn’t stay at the academy. I had to persuade you all the way to make you my disciple.

“Let’s stay close in the future.”

Well… … . There are stupid coincidences in this world. There are people who benefit from stupid coincidences. I think everyone gets lucky a few times in their lives.

In that sense.

I didn’t intend to blame Linea for being hired as a professor thanks to some stupid coincidence. Look, she still doesn’t seem to have any thoughts.

It’s all my karma, you know.

****

I was sitting in the examination room.

Today, Istina came into the examination room for the first time in a long while. We are planning to see each other. There are about 15 minutes left until the patient comes in.

It would be good to observe frequently, but it was not easy due to the workload of graduate students.

Rather than just sitting around watching doctors treat patients in the clinic, it would be better to get some sleep, see patients, or conduct research.

“You look tired today.”

“Oh, it’s nothing special.”

That’s because I failed to recruit Linea as a graduate student. It was a really good opportunity, but I missed it because I didn’t have a detailed strategy.

I sighed.

“I asked Professor Linea to come in as a graduate student earlier… … . She refused. She said she wanted to come in as an academy professor.”

“Excuse me. There’s no reason to be a graduate student when you can be a professor, right?”

“Still.”

“Hmm. Even though I’m not a graduate student, I still have the opportunity to study and treat with Professor Linea, right? That’s good.”

I don’t really need that.

dripping.

We turned our heads at the sound of a knock on the door of the examination room. The patient had arrived. I took out the medical records and a pen.

I have to start from scratch.

“Come in!”

****

The first patient came in limping, supported by a nurse. One of his legs appeared to be completely useless.

I scratched my head.

The nurse sat the patient down on the examination chair and left the room. The patient was frowning as if in pain.

First, let’s look at the impression.

An ordinary middle-aged man. He was wearing expensive-looking clothes, but judging from the calluses on his hands, he looked like he worked.

Although there were no visible wounds on the outside, it seemed like his leg was injured. Despite the cold weather, sweat was dripping down his forehead.

“What is your name?”

“This is Sam.”

“What is causing you discomfort?”

“My foot hurts.”

Considering the weather these days and the fact that I was doing physical labor, it seemed likely that I had frostbite. I nodded.

“Take off your socks.”

The patient took off his socks and I checked his feet. They looked like they had frostbite, but was there any necrotic tissue?

“Does this foot hurt?”

“Yes.”

I tried poking my toes one by one with a toothpick. Well, they don’t seem to be dead, since they move…

“Do you have numb toes?”

“No.”

It is difficult to believe a patient’s words at face value.

I poked the patient’s little toe with a toothpick, and the patient’s little toe didn’t move at all. Since there was no feeling at all, I couldn’t tell if it was there or not.

I didn’t know.

“I can’t feel my little toe.”

“Really?”

Now we need to think of a solution.

“The other toes just look like they’re frostbitten, but the little toe looks completely dead. Let’s figure out what to do.”

I looked at my graduate student.

“Frostbite. Do you know how to treat it?”

“Oh, I have to cut it.”

“When?”

Istina couldn’t answer.

In a modern hospital, if the toes were mummified and turned black, they would usually be cut off. But here, there is a risk of infection, so it might be better to just cut them off.

“Hey, the little toe is still moving… … . Shouldn’t we cut it off?”

It needs to be examined. Since the toes originally have no muscles, even dead toes can move by utilizing the muscles connected to the leg.

“Let’s get tested while we’re here. The patient seems to have a fever, and we need to find out why.”

The patient nodded.

****

There is a concept called seasonal illness.

In spring, allergic rhinitis caused by pollen, in summer, heatstroke, in fall, tick infection, and in winter, frostbite and falls.

This patient suffered from frostbite.

At first glance, the logical conclusion was this: the frozen toe had developed gangrene, and the gangrene had caused the fever.

I don’t know if that’s actually the case.

There were several possible causes: it could be an infection, or it could be the remains of dead tissue causing an inflammatory reaction.

I touched the patient’s little toe. It was cold to the touch. I guess the dead tissue was not receiving enough blood?

Let’s draw blood from the tip of your toes.

I thought about it some more. There were two options: cut off the toe, or not cut it. It was also possible to leave it like that… … .

“This is it. If the little toe is dead, the toe will turn black and mummified within a few weeks.”

“I wish I hadn’t died?”

“Then it doesn’t matter.”

The patient breathed a sigh of relief. The little toe wasn’t really needed. If it needed to be removed, it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Then. Wait?”

“That’s where the decision needs to be made. The patient’s condition isn’t very good right now, right? He’s sweating coldly and has trouble walking.”

I looked at my graduate student, not knowing how many weeks I could wait in this state.

“What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just remove it?”

That’s a way to do it. It still seems like there’s a risk of infection, and dead toes can cause problems at any time.

“Decide whether to separate the toe now or wait until the toe is mummified enough to allow the surgery without pain.”

The patient had little to worry about.

“Just remove it.”

When I think about it, I think cutting it off would be the right thing to do. It’s not like you can come to the hospital right away if you want to, and it might not be manageable.

****

It wasn’t a complicated procedure.

I prepared a saw, a scalpel, and some anesthetics. Istina disinfected the patient’s frostbitten feet with alcohol.

“Istina. Have you ever had a toe removal surgery? That hallux valgus patient from before.”

“I saw it in the medical records.”

“Do you know what you need to be careful of?”

“Well, the skin is thick so it can’t be easily pulled, and there’s a risk of anaerobic bacterial infection in the wound.”

“Oh, that’s exactly right.”

“Thank you.

Wow, that’s smart.

I guess you studied well though.

Istina is my longest-studied student, and might just be the second smartest healer in the world right now.

I never thought I’d hear the term anaerobic bacterial infection in a fantasy world. Come to think of it, it’s one of the things I taught you.

“It’ll hurt a little.”

Istina nodded, then waited, holding the patient’s leg with one hand and holding the saw with the other.

The patient looked at the saw with a very anxious expression. But I couldn’t put him under deep sedation just to cut off one toe.

“If you’re anxious, would you like to lie down on the operating table? Then you won’t be able to see the saw… … .”

The patient nodded.

Istina sighed, and the patient got up and walked to the operating table. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to disinfect it again.