"What's wrong?"
"Nothing!"
"Please, save me!"
Sigh.
Well… it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as they call it—isn't it essentially bringing someone back from the dead?
I heard it from Liston hyungnim, but even though Europe has gone through the Renaissance, isn't the influence of religion still enormous?
Healing someone on the brink of death? Well… that's somewhat within human capability.
But bringing the dead back to life? That's truly divine territory.
'It's true.'
Even doctors in the 21st century can't always bring the dead back to life.
The saying "life is in the hands of heaven" exists for a reason.
In fact, one of my professors would always offer a brief prayer after surgery.
"We've done all we can; the rest is up to God."
Even though I wasn't particularly religious, I'd say I leaned toward theism, so I often joined in those prayers.
'But this is resuscitation through medical mechanisms… expecting the general public to understand that is still a bit greedy.'
At this point, aside from me, the closest to a modern doctor would probably be Liston, but even he seems a bit… uncomfortable with CPR, doesn't he?
When I explain it, he pretends to understand, but…
Judging by his actions, it's clear he doesn't.
"What do you mean save? We saved this person."
"Ugh… where am I?"
"Where?"
"Gasp!"
Anyway, was it because he just died and came back to life?
Or maybe because he's young? But he regained consciousness almost immediately.
Though the moment he saw my face, he looked ready to faint again…
Thankfully, Liston slapped him just in time, so that didn't happen.
Although his face swelled up pretty badly…
This guy definitely has a knack for hitting people, so the force was just right.
"You're the one who circumcised these people, right?"
"Ah… sob."
"Did you do it or not?"
"I did…."
"Good. Caught red-handed."
"Ahhh! Please spare me!"
After interrogating him, everything became clear, and we decided to lock him up.
Liston was already fiddling with his knife, seemingly ready to kill him…
But that wouldn't happen.
I've got quite a few guys who listen to me now.
"Lock this guy up too."
"And this one here."
"Why are there so many quacks?"
Anyway, we started by rounding up the quacks.
Well…
Does it even make sense to differentiate between surgeons and non-surgeons in this era?
But there was still a significant difference between the two.
"Hey, you know better, right…?"
"I'm sorry."
"Didn't you hear me say to give them water instead of alcohol?"
"I did…."
"Then why did you just send them home?"
"I'll remember to give them only water from now on."
At least this guy understands when spoken to.
Or, to be more precise…
"I know where you live. I know your hospital. You understand, right?"
"Yes, yes!"
He has no choice but to understand.
If he doesn't, Liston will come knocking.
He'd be better off with the old fisherman.
That guy might just tie him up in a sack and beat him, but if Liston hyungnim gets involved, no one knows what'll happen.
He might not even know himself.
He might start with controlled hits, but once he gets going, what's the point?
He could literally kill someone.
"But why should we give them water?"
Some of them asked questions like that.
Honestly, this was better.
Better than those trembling and mindlessly agreeing to give water instead of alcohol.
At least they showed some willingness to learn and understand.
'Good thing I came.'
And I'm becoming a genius at tailored education.
There's a bit of dishonesty mixed in, but…
Does that matter?
The key is to make them understand so they don't do anything foolish again.
"Now, what happens when you drink alcohol?"
"It's refreshing. Safe."
"Right. I acknowledge that. But that's not all, is it?"
"Ah… it feels good."
Behind the doctor, Liston unknowingly nodded in agreement.
It seemed he fully agreed.
Given that this era still doesn't understand the harms of alcohol, I could understand why the doctor would say that.
Even in the 21st century, aren't there doctors who abuse alcohol?
Even those who've experienced the downsides of alcohol firsthand still struggle with it, so what can you expect from those who don't know?
"And if you drink more, your face turns red."
"Ah… some people do."
"What do you mean some people? Want me to show you?"
"No, no! It happens to everyone!"
"Right."
I was trying to keep things civil, but he got a bit cheeky, so I had to straighten him out.
It wasn't exactly a relaxed atmosphere, and my reputation wasn't a joke, so he quickly corrected himself.
Not just him, but the rest of the hospital staff too.
It got noticeably quieter, and I continued.
"Why does the face turn red?"
"Uh…."
"Hmm?"
The silence didn't last long.
My question made everyone ponder.
It wasn't ridiculous.
People tend to only see what's visible.
Things beyond perception are like blind spots.
In an era like this, with so little uncovered, the scope of perception is even narrower.
"Now, everyone knows about blood vessels, right?"
"Yes."
"I know!"
"Good. What flows through those vessels?"
"Blood!"
At least we're not in the Middle Ages; that would've been disastrous.
But now, at least, doctors have some knowledge of anatomy.
Of course… it's not the most accurate anatomy, but hey, they know about blood vessels and the heart. I'm proud.
"Right, what color is blood?"
"Red… oh?"
"Yes, faces turn red because of blood."
"Then does drinking make you bleed?"
"No, that's not it. Why would the face turn red?"
"Hmm."
I was feeling proud, but he said something strange, so my expression froze.
If I were just a regular person, it wouldn't matter, but given that I'm seen as intimidating, everyone froze a bit.
'Ah… this isn't the teacher I imagined becoming.'
I wanted to freely ask questions and have open discussions, but…
When I say something, everyone reacts like this, so it's a bit disappointing.
Anyway, the focus now isn't on my enjoyable teaching session but on correcting behavior, so I continued.
Since it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, explaining was easier.
"Blood vessels dilate, so doesn't that make the face red?"
"Ah… so that's how it happens?"
"Isn't that caused by electricity?"
"Think logically. Is there any other reason the face would turn red?"
"Hmm…."
"Mmm…."
Usually, when people go "hmm," it's because they have nothing to say, but…
Looking closely at their faces, it's not that they have nothing to say, but rather that they're too scared to speak.
No, this isn't just a feeling.
Having lived in the 19th century for a while, I'm sure of it.
"Anything to say?"
"Hmm."
Even when asked, they stay silent.
Must be fear.
Why are they scared?
Probably because they want to contradict me.
If they agreed, they wouldn't react like this.
"What do you think, hyungnim?"
Looking closely, Liston has a similar expression.
Come to think of it, I've only demonstrated empirically that drinking alcohol is bad, but I haven't explained the theory behind it.
This is the first time.
"So… there's a theory like this."
Thankfully, Liston has become cautious when he realizes his medical knowledge—or more accurately, his beliefs—differs from mine.
This time, it's noticeable.
"Wine is red, right?"
"Yes. So?"
"The theory says that when you drink it, it's absorbed directly into the bloodstream. That's why… your face turns red. It's because there's more blood."
"Even beer… if you drink a lot, your face turns red too, right?"
"Is that so?"
"Is that so? Of course! It's all alcohol!"
"Same alcohol…?"
"Same alcohol. Ah, right. Let's conduct an experiment. Bring wine and beer, anyone who has some."
I thought I explained well, but these idiots didn't get it.
Guess I'll have to show them.
"And you, come here."
"Ah."
"Yes."
So I called two doctors from the hospital, made them sit, and brought wine and beer.
Both had a decent amount, so even if they claimed to handle alcohol well, their faces were bound to turn red.
"Drink."
"Yes."
"Yes."
They started gulping down the alcohol, looking like they'd hit the jackpot during work hours.
But it didn't last.
At a banquet, it might be different, but drinking in daily life is usually done in moderation.
Moreover, forcing alcohol makes you feel worse.
They did.
"Ugh."
"Ahh."
"Drink."
Oddly, their faces weren't red yet.
I didn't want to push them this far, but…
What could I do?
That's how experiments work.
Don't get the desired result? Keep going until you do.
"Ugh."
"Ahh."
"Good."
After making them drink quite a bit, their faces finally turned red.
At one point, I wondered if they'd actually turn red, but they did.
"Wow…."
"So it's true?"
Seeing them shocked made me realize I'm truly in the 19th century.
Listening to their murmurs made it even more apparent.
"Doesn't beer just turn into urine?"
"That's what I thought. The color's like that too…."
"Does beer turn into blood too?"
"Hey, didn't you hear Dr. T.P. Young say blood vessels expand?"
"But logically, that's a bit strange."
"True. But… it's scary."
They're all talking like this.
Fortunately, not everyone is like that.
"Definitely… hmm…."
"Well, Dr. T.P. Young wouldn't say nonsense."
The way their pupils were twitching nervously suggested they were more scared than genuinely convinced, but…
Still, I'm grateful they pretended to understand.
Moreover, this was a great opportunity to learn about widely-held misconceptions in the 19th century.
I could use this to continue educating other hospitals, couldn't I?
All I need are two subjects and some alcohol—it shouldn't be too hard.