WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
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◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈
Chapter 106: Miracle (1)
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Erpen Adamberta.
A leading figure in the humoral theory, yet after the presentation of germ theory, no one had become more passionate about it than this elven healer.
We had kept in regular contact since the presentation.
They said bacteria might be flowing through the blood and asked me to help prove it.
I gladly accepted as soon as I received the message.
It did not take long for us to become close.
“I apologize for how I acted at the presentation. We are healers, after all. When a new theory emerges, we have no choice but to examine it thoroughly. I have been worried that my questions may have sounded overly aggressive.”
“It’s all right. Healing studies can only advance because there are people like you, Erpen.”
“Thank you, Saint. Before we begin our joint research, may I ask you a few questions about IV fluids and blood transfusions?”
“Of course.”
Erpen was an ardent believer in the IV fluids and blood-transfusion techniques I had created.
The most common side effect of their bloodletting treatment had originally been hypovolemic shock.
But after I introduced IV fluids and transfusions to the healing world, the survival rate of their bloodletting treatments rose dramatically.
It had gone from thirty percent to fifty percent.
Perhaps because of that, Erpen never threw their authority around during our joint research and was always friendly.
Our connection continued, and when I discovered antibiotics, they were the first person I contacted.
“I succeeded in isolating bacteria from blood using the method you taught me.”
“Congratulations, Erpen.”
This was the office of Erpen Adamberta, director of the Adamberta Healing Center.
Unaware that I had come to tell them about my discovery of antibiotics, the elven healer welcomed me as usual.
“It was no easy task. There were so few bacteria in the blood that finding them was difficult.”
Blood cultures were difficult work to begin with.
Drawing blood under sterile conditions was difficult enough, and even after successfully drawing it, the bacteria often died.
But Erpen had succeeded in the end.
They had proven that bacteria in the blood caused fever.
“What will you call this disease?”
“I have not decided yet. Do you have a name in mind, Saint?”
“How about sepsis?”
“Sepsis... It is an intuitive name. Let us use it.”
Unfortunately, the title of discoverer of sepsis went to Erpen.
I would have liked to prove it first.
But discovering antibiotics had been my priority, so I had no choice but to leave that achievement to this elven healer.
‘Well, I can’t take every achievement for myself.’
Perhaps because they believed they had made a discovery that would remain in medical history in their twilight years, with more than a hundred years left to live, Erpen seemed particularly happy today.
“Now we need to find a way to draw these bacteria out separately through bloodletting.”
Or perhaps they were simply excited at the thought of inventing a new bloodletting method.
They sounded like someone obsessed with bloodletting, but their treatments were surprisingly systematic.
Since poison was flowing through the blood, they cut a safe blood vessel, drew out blood, and regenerated fresh blood with Heal to reduce the poison’s concentration.
They repeated that until the poison concentration approached zero.
Did that not sound familiar?
That’s right.
The method differed, but the principle was identical to emergency dialysis and IV fluid administration.
‘It might even be more effective than emergency dialysis.’
Twenty-first-century dialysis was not perfect technology.
It could not filter out one hundred percent of waste products, it removed many nutrients, and it could damage blood cells and nutrients.
In contrast, bloodletting that applied divine magic did not have those side effects.
Aside from the minor drawback that the patient could die from hypovolemic shock or dehydration, Erpen’s bloodletting was cutting-edge treatment for this era.
That was why they were so devoted to it. It actually worked.
But it could not be effective against sepsis.
“As I explained, bacteria are living things that continue multiplying. Even if you draw blood, if the bacteria remaining inside the body multiply again, we return to square one.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Unlike poison, bacteria multiply. Bloodletting may not work after all.”
Erpen immediately accepted it.
Then their expression suddenly darkened.
“...Actually, I know there is something you have deliberately not told me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Among the people who died because of my bloodletting, many must have died because bacteria were passed on through transfusions, correct?”
“...”
It was a fairly logical assumption.
Their transfusions had been far from sterile procedures.
Perhaps, as they said, some of their patients had died because of improper transfusions.
Still, I considered that unlikely.
“No, sepsis does not develop that easily.”
It would be different with a virus like hepatitis C.
But sepsis from a transfusion was rare.
Unless the blood bag itself was full of bacteria or the needle had been smeared with feces.
Otherwise, sepsis did not commonly result from the act of transfusion itself.
White blood cells and immune cells were not that fragile.
So I denied Erpen’s assumption.
“Our trading company packages blood products cleanly before sending them to you. Very few people would have developed sepsis because of your transfusions.”
But Erpen did not seem convinced.
“You do not need to comfort me so much.”
No, I was telling the truth.
Perhaps because they had recently been studying bacteria, Erpen was greatly overestimating how frightening they were.
That was not desirable either, so I corrected their misunderstanding.
“If sepsis developed from nothing more than a needle prick, wouldn’t people get sepsis whenever they cut a finger turning a page?”
“Ah, now that you put it that way.”
“Bacteria are certainly frightening, but humans aren’t that weak.”
They knew about bacteria, but not yet about white blood cells or the immune system.
I could understand why they were reacting with something close to hypochondria.
Erpen awkwardly cleared their throat.
“Ahem... Forgive me. Learning new knowledge at my age makes me feel as though I have returned to my student days.”
“I understand. I was like that once, too.”
It seemed medical student syndrome existed in this world as well.
(*Medical student syndrome: a kind of health anxiety where you suspect stomach cancer when your stomach hurts, or fear lymphoma when you develop a fever in your sleep.)
“Come to think of it, I came today because I have something to tell you, Erpen.”
“What is it?”
“I have created a medicine that can treat most diseases caused by bacteria, including sepsis.”
Erpen froze with their cup raised before them.
“...I recall that it has only been about two months since we discovered bacteria?”
“I was lucky. Before the germ theory research, our trading company was conducting large-scale research into whether dyes could be used as medicine. We happened to discover a medicine effective against bacteria.”
It was not a lie.
I had been pursuing the antibiotic project even before researching germ theory.
There was one reason I had been able to discover it so much faster than in the original history.
I already knew part of the answer, and the scale of my research was entirely different.
‘They were individual researchers, while I’m a director of a trading company. It’s only natural, really.’
Was research progressing slowly because one person was doing it?
Then hire a hundred people, lock them in a laboratory, and have them look through microscopes for sixteen hours a day.
It turned out that enough capital could replace time and effort.
“We infected mice with bacteria and administered these medicines to the mice that developed fevers. Nine out of ten survived.”
Perhaps the bacteria had never encountered antibiotics before.
The results were incredible.
Bacteria in twenty-first-century Korea had been difficult to kill because of resistance.
“We have also run several clinical trials in Limbus Pit. I believe it can go on sale in as little as two months.”
“...”
I waved a test tube filled with red medicine before them.
Erpen silently watched the medicine in the tube, then opened their mouth.
“You did not make the medicine beforehand and then discover bacteria, did you?”
“...”
How did they know?
When I remained silent, Erpen gave a small chuckle.
“I am joking. This is hardly the first time you have done something like this, Saint. You explained the mechanism of diabetes and produced insulin within half a year. This would not have been difficult for you.”
“I was lucky.”
“The gods grant luck only to those who strive.”
* * *
We decided to name the antibiotic Prontosil.
“So this medicine can conquer every bacterium now?”
“Unfortunately, it works on some bacteria but not others.”
Prontosil was effective only against streptococci and pneumococci.
It had almost no effect on other bacteria.
‘I need to make penicillin soon.’
Blue mold.
That cursed thing still had not appeared.
I had practically worked the healers to the bone checking nearly every kind of blue mold.
Yet I had not found anything that even resembled penicillin.
‘Could it possibly not come from blue mold?’
Come to think of it, quinine in this world had been extracted from bark rather than sap.
Perhaps it would come not from blue mold, but from some strange green moss.
‘I should check other molds as well.’
In any case, until penicillin appeared, Prontosil would be the undisputed king of antibiotics.
“Have you decided on the medicine’s price?”
“I’ll sell it cheaply. Much more cheaply than quinine.”
“As cheaply as bleach?”
“I think it may be.”
Bacterial infections were more common than malaria.
Since bacterial infections were common, the medicine needed to be more accessible.
‘Hygiene and prevention are like group projects.’
Hygiene and prevention had little effect if only one person paid attention to them.
It only worked when not just I, but my neighbors and even the next neighborhood over took care as well.
That was why I intended to sell it cheaply.
There was no point in making it expensive and allowing only a few people to benefit from it.
“I have already spoken to the board. Many citizens will not need to feel burdened when using this medicine.”
Several directors seemed to want to sell antibiotics at the same price as Viagra, without understanding any of that.
When I pushed the matter through, they backed down and agreed to sell it cheaply.
But unaware of my intentions, Erpen looked at me with moved eyes.
“It was the same with the vaccine... You are truly without greed. The Church was far too late in canonizing you as a saint.”
“I feel that way every time as well.”
Gregor, who had been quietly following behind us, twitched his beard and nodded vigorously.
Their intense gazes settled on my crow mask at once.
I clapped my hands to change the subject.
“However, it is still too early to use it freely. We plan to conceal that it is a treatment for bacteria and introduce it as a catalyst for healers.”
“That is certainly right. We do not know how black mages might abuse these bacteria. It would not be wise to spread the information carelessly.”
Of course, complete secrecy would be impossible.
Still, it was far better than not trying at all.
“May we test the medicine immediately, then? We happen to have patients strongly suspected of sepsis admitted to the healing center.”
“I will stay beside you and explain the dosage and method of use.”
Erpen made decisions readily.
Perhaps because the concept of clinical trials was not widespread in this world, they had no hesitation about using a new medicine on patients immediately.
“This is oral Prontosil. Use it for mild infections, three times a day.”
“Then does this injectable medicine work faster?”
“Yes. This is a water-soluble Prontosil injection. However, you must not inject it directly. It has to be administered indirectly through IV fluids.”
“What is the dosage?”
“Administer twenty milliliters of a 2.5 percent solution.”
Scratch, scratch.
Erpen wrote notes in their notebook.
Before us, a patient who looked ready to depart for the Lord’s side at any moment was gasping for breath.
Erpen skillfully found the patient’s vein, started an IV, and administered the antibiotic as I directed.
“Then should I cast Heal now?”
“Yes. This is an improved spell formula that uses the Prontosil in the patient’s blood as a catalyst.”
Divine magic used divine power as its resource, but its grammar was the same as magic.
I handed them a slightly revised version of the spell formula.
“I refined this spell formula myself.”
“The basic framework is the low-grade Heal spell formula. Ah, it is based on humoral theory, so unnecessary parts remain. We can remove this section.”
Perhaps because they had created divine magic that regenerated blood based on Heal, they modified the new magic on the spot as soon as they saw it.
‘As expected, healers know divine magic better than I do.’
After scribbling on the formula a few times, Erpen nodded and held out a hand toward the patient.
[Heal]
A pure white light seeped into the patient’s body.
Perhaps because divine magic was miraculous, the patient’s condition improved almost immediately.
Prontosil appeared to be working successfully as a catalyst.
I immediately asked Erpen a question.
“What do you think? You are the first person to use divine magic with Prontosil as a catalyst.”
“...”
“Erpen?”
Erpen did not answer. They simply stared blankly down at their own hand.
Then they stopped another healer passing by.
“You have a sepsis patient, correct? Treat them using this spell formula and this medicine.”
“Yes, Director.”
That priest immediately cast Heal on their patient.
Then they showed the same reaction as the director.
They froze in place, staring blankly at their own hand.
The process was repeated several times afterward.
Administer Prontosil, cast Heal. Administer it, cast Heal.
Only after around ten healers had been left speechless did Erpen finally speak to me.
“Saint?”
“What is it?”
“What on earth have you made?”
“?”
“The divine power consumed by low-grade Heal... has been reduced to the level of Refresh. With this... we could cast it thirty times a day without difficulty.”
Then Erpen stared into the sky with a stunned expression and muttered.
“...I never thought I would realize so vividly that humoral theory was nonsense.”
* * *
After that, an unexpected antibiotic craze swept through the Adamberta Healing Center.
“Let’s try Prontosil on this festering wound... Good heavens...! The divine power...!”
“Let’s try it on a pneumonia patient as well... What?”
Divine magic using antibiotics as catalysts had nearly ten times the efficiency.
That level of efficiency could normally only be found in symbols such as sunlight, crosses, and holy water.
Intoxicated by that rush, some healers declared that they had to use every bit of divine power they had left today. They bought Prontosil and went down to Limbus Pit to volunteer.
“More...! I need more experience!”
Erpen and I could not bring ourselves to stop them when we saw that crazed sight.
Well, a good thing was a good thing.
At times, people even suggested declaring antibiotics sacred relics.
“Can it be declared a sacred relic?”
“Why not? Quinine, insulin, and vaccines have all received consecration. Antibiotics should receive it as well.”
Erpen seemed utterly convinced that antibiotics would become sacred relics.
“It is unfortunate for the Mensia Sect.”
At the same time, the Mensia Sect’s fate had been decided.
The Mensia Sect had made its living from plagues, especially infectious diseases.
But the Adamberta Sect had claimed antibiotic treatment.
There was no need to consider what the Mensia Sect’s future would look like.
“Tsk, tsk... Even Dormun did not listen to the advice in the end.”
Erpen clicked their tongue in regret.
But they did not seem to pity Doremun.
“That person represents a sect. They must naturally bear responsibility for their choice. So I hope you will not trouble yourself too much over it, Saint.”
I had wondered whether I should give them another chance.
But Erpen defended me, saying that even that was their responsibility.
Their firm attitude made me feel much lighter.
One day, after we had continued our joint research with Erpen by using Prontosil in various situations for some time...
“Director!”
A low-grade healer hurried toward us.
“The Lafabri Sect has sent us a mother! She has puerperal fever!”
“Those people receive news quickly.”
It seemed word that we had antibiotics had reached them.
I did not know how they had learned of it, but they appeared to have decided that the mother needed antibiotics immediately.
“Come to think of it, Saint, those Lafabri people are rather pitiable. I do not believe they truly disbelieve in bacteria.”
“I know.”
I had already considered a way to save them.
But that was a matter for later.
We immediately examined the mother sent by the Lafabri Sect.
A somewhat full-figured woman lay on a stretcher, breathing rapidly.
Erpen looked at her face and sighed.
“Ah... Now I understand why they swallowed their pride and sent her here at once.”
“You know her?”
“She is the Marchioness of Kernen. This is her fifth birth. I know her because I once treated her white lead poisoning, lead poisoning, through bloodletting.”
As they spoke, the old elven healer skillfully took the patient’s pulse.
“The vein...”
They felt along her arm.
“The vein...”
They felt along the top of her foot.
“...?”
A look of bewilderment came over Erpen’s face.
“I cannot... find a vein...?”
They were right.
I looked as well, but she was in no condition where a vein could be found.
‘The edema is too severe.’
Her postpartum edema was severe enough to hide every vein.
“An intramuscular injection...”
“It will not work.”
Intramuscular injections were absorbed slowly.
If we injected it into her buttock, the medicine would not spread until after she had died.
“Then what do we do, Saint? Do you have a solution?”
“I do. Gregor will bring it shortly.”
The moment I saw the patient, I thought Erpen might struggle to find a vein, so I told Gregor to retrieve something.
By now, he should have searched through the healing center and found the item I requested.
Just as I expected, he returned with it in less than a minute.
“Saint! I have brought it!”
“You did not break down any doors or walls, did you?”
“...I broke a doorknob. I was in too much of a hurry.”
“No, you did well.”
It was only a doorknob.
When a life was at stake, breaking something in a hurry was acceptable.
“I will compensate you for it later, Director.”
With that, I accepted the item Gregor had brought.
In my hand was a large needle, exaggeratedly said to be as thick as a little finger.
I told Gregor to press firmly against the mother’s shin.
Then I held the needle vertically against it.
“S-Saint, what are you planning to do?”
“You know that blood is made in the bone marrow, correct?”
“D-Do not tell me...”
“I am going to use that.”
“W-Wait...!”
Before Erpen could say anything more, I put my body weight behind the needle.
Thunk!
The needle pierced through the shinbone.
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