The "Give Water Instead of Alcohol" project went much more smoothly than I had anticipated.
Just by mobilizing the gang with the police, rounding up those quacks was a breeze, wasn't it?
Whether in the past or present, for those who break the law, fists are ultimately more frightening than the law itself.
"Please let me go home, I promise I won't do it again!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you really want to go to jail?"
"No, of course not."
I wonder if it's okay for the police to act like this.
If this were the 21st century, wouldn't people say, "Do you think you can get away with treating a citizen like this?"
Even though these are guys who recklessly cut other people's flesh, made them get cut even more, and even caused severe pain or death, they'd have all sorts of things to say, both reasonable and not.
It's a result of the so-called heightened awareness of human rights.
To be honest, the concept of inherent human rights is truly necessary.
Even in the 19th century, where some notion of human rights is taking root, aren't the poor and powerless essentially not treated as equals?
The human rights movements that occurred throughout world history are meaningful in themselves.
"People like that only come to their senses after a good beating."
"Well... I suppose so."
But unfortunately, the world also has people who don't seem quite human.
There are more than a few individuals who feel no guilt for their wrongdoings, and if the punishment is light, they commit the same or worse acts again.
I don't think everyone locked up here is like that.
But there certainly are some, and even if they aren't, they might still do something foolish just to make a living.
One might ask, "Would they really do it, knowing they could be locked up or beaten again...?"
But people in this era repeat offenses even when faced with the death penalty.
The saying "the throat leads to the magistrate's office" really starts to make sense.
'Well, what... at least we're not beating them.'
In that sense, you could say I'm treating them quite leniently.
At least I'm not beating them up, right?
I just locked them up.
Of course, I don't plan to leave them like this.
"So, speaking of which..."
I called for someone.
Not just anyone, but the Hospital Director.
When it comes to business matters, no one is more open-minded than him.
"So, you plan to build a sanatorium on that land you bought before?"
"Yes. I want to make it a facility with good amenities."
"Hmm... a well-equipped sanatorium..."
"We'll start by taking in the wealthy. It's an unavoidable necessity."
"Well, that's true, but... will tuberculosis really improve with that?"
"People send them to sanatoriums because they think it will help, right?"
"Haha."
The Director let out a hearty laugh at my words.
It wasn't a jovial laugh, but one that felt somewhat mocking.
In the past, I would have been upset, wondering why he was like this, but not anymore.
There's always a reason.
The problem is that it's his own personal reason.
"It's called a sanatorium, but... don't nobles just rest in their own villas? It should be seen as a detention camp. They think of it as a form of punishment."
"Do you think so too, Director?"
"Wouldn't anyone whose mind is unstable end up there?"
"For now, I'm only targeting tuberculosis patients."
"Well... that might have some meaning. It's a treatment with a long tradition dating back to ancient Greece, isn't it?"
"Well..."
If every traditional treatment was effective, there'd be no reason for people to be dying like this now.
But regarding tuberculosis, he had a point.
Except that they also added bloodletting to the regimen, which, far from curing them, actually killed them faster.
In reality, the wealthier people were placed in environments with beautiful scenery, but since they were bled while enjoying those views, one could question whether the "rest cure" for tuberculosis held any real meaning.
But in truth, rest is quite meaningful for tuberculosis patients.
'There's speculation that Zhuge Liang would have lived much longer if not for Liu Bei.'
The revered Zhuge Liang.
That famous figure, always depicted with 100 Intelligence in games by a certain Japanese company, was a well-known tuberculosis patient.
His nickname was "Crouching Dragon," and it's reasonably inferred that he got it not just randomly, but because he was often lying down due to the fatigue from his illness.
Anyway, he was reluctant and tired, but after Liu Bei visited him three times, he joined his cause, and what do you know? The group was full of people strong only in martial prowess, so he ended up carrying the entire military strategy on his own back.
Amidst all that hardship, he managed to achieve the "Tripartite Division of the World," only for Guan Yu, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei to die, and Liu Bei to pass away one after another, leading to a situation where the game was practically thrown.
And our Emperor was Liu Shan.
He basically died from overwork.
"That can happen. But bloodletting is out of the question."
"Hmm. Are you planning to perform some bloodletting technique only you know again?"
"No, it's not that, I'm telling you."
"What do you mean it's not? How long are you going to be so sinister? You can confide in me."
"I'm telling you, what I do isn't bloodletting?"
"Haha."
This time, his laugh was mixed with a sneer.
It's genuinely just slander, but unfortunately, for him and others in the 19th century, they have their own basis for it.
What basis, you ask? They perceive pericardiocentesis as heart bloodletting, cerebral hemorrhage treatment as brain bloodletting, sinus surgery as nose bloodletting, and so on.
In the past, it was just suspicion, but not anymore.
It's conviction.
All sorts of rumors are circulating, so it's natural for this one to spread too.
You know, those crazy rumors that the person who received CPR during the knighting ceremony is feeling a bit unwell now?
Well, since proper follow-up care isn't possible, I'm not sure if it's due to decreased heart function or if there was already brain damage at that time, but in any case, his cognitive function has declined.
I explained that it was a plausible outcome, but rumors are spreading that Kim Taepyeong used sorcery to swap his soul.
'No... does that even make sense?'
When I protested, Liston said that bringing the dead back to life was even more nonsensical.
Judging by the way his pupils rolled, it seems he believes that rumor.
Ha.
I keep sighing.
"Why the sigh? I'm still the Director, you know."
"It's not about you, Director."
"There are only two of us here."
"It was meant for Liston hyungnim."
"You dare sigh because of him?"
"Well, he's not here."
As always, after being honest, I laid out my original plan.
"Anyway, I plan to use these guys as laborers."
"They look pretty scrawny."
"They should still be able to do something, right?"
"Well, work can be assigned in a certain way. And... since it's your project, it's bound to make money."
"Of course."
"Ah, since we're on the topic. When exactly will that red ginseng be available again?"
The Director's words made me think about red ginseng for the first time in a while.
As soon as I mentioned to Duke Adolphus that it was effective for preventing hair loss, orders surged. Even after raising the price, it sold out quickly.
Despite multiple announcements that it was sold out, purchase inquiries keep coming in; it's that popular.
I heard that one balding noble even left a terrifying remark, saying that if I kept hoarding it like this, I'd get stabbed someday.
'It's going to be a bestseller in 21st century South Korea.'
People's perceptions are really hard to change, you know.
Even in South Korea, when you're unsure what to give as a gift to elders, nothing beats red ginseng.
If that perception spreads to England, Europe, and even the Commonwealth...?
Perhaps 21st century South Korea might focus solely on ginseng cultivation instead of rice farming.
"I'm looking into it. It should arrive soon."
"Good. I'm in a real bind. His Majesty the King has been making inquiries too."
"He's my primary physician, why wouldn't he tell me?"
"Probably because you keep telling him not to do whatever he plans, so he finds it frustrating."
"Ah, but that's because he tries to do things that are truly useless."
First, bloodletting...
Sigh, that damn bloodletting is the real problem.
But more urgently than that, the treatment needed is for cavities.
No...
I was genuinely shocked, you know?
For laborers, their overall health is poor, and hygiene is naturally bad, so poor oral health was an expected point.
'Duke Jamie was like that too, but that guy...'
It's problematic to judge the upper class solely by the Duke's standards.
If you do that, the future of the British Empire looks precarious.
In actual history, it turned out fine, so probably...
If I hadn't been here, our Duke would have castrated himself, painted his walls with arsenic, and passed away.
And his position would have been taken by someone smarter.
This might be going too far, but anyway, I believed the other high-ranking officials would be fine.
'But to think His Majesty the King is in that state...'
As I was shaking my head and sighing, the Director stared intently at my face and said,
"It's something done out of anxiety, isn't it? There's a basis for everything he does."
"I told you, it's not!"
"Then propose an alternative."
"I told him to exercise!"
"What kind of exercise is that?! It's torture!"
Here we have a doctor who gets furious for suggesting exercise to a patient.
It's not just him; most people are like this.
Only someone like Liston, who enjoys physical exertion, would just go along with it, but others... especially those of even slightly higher status, absolutely despise the exercises I suggest.
At first, I really didn't understand.
I mean, is telling someone to move their body a little really something to get so angry about?
"Well... if you push it to that extent, it's torture, but I'm saying moderate exercise would be good for his health?"
"Don't make me laugh. That is torture."
But you see...
I had been using a treadmill, especially on the more vicious prisoners?
It's called a treadmill, but it's actually more like a mill...
It was a machine designed to be powered by human legs instead of water.
Seeing it in person, it's so large and massive that it feels less like exercise equipment and more like a torture device.
Seeing the prisoners on it, sweating profusely until they collapse from exhaustion, is like witnessing hell.
I've heard that some even die from it, so I can understand why this gentleman reacts this way.
In short, any repetitive action that causes excessive sweating is perceived not as exercise, but as torture.
"I'm not asking His Majesty to personally turn a mill. I'm just telling him to do sit-to-stands with the correct posture. Is that not allowed either?"
"It hurts! I tried it myself, and it hurt terribly!"
"In Joseon, there's a saying: 'Good medicine tastes bitter to the mouth.'"
"Save those stories for Liston over there. Aren't you tired of going on about Joseon this, Joseon that?"
"It is my homeland..."
"You are now a proud noble of the British Empire!"
"And you raise your voice like this in front of such a noble?"
"No... you, really. Why do we need such formalities between us? My point is, suggest something else, something plausible, other than what he absolutely hates."
"Something plausible?"
For cavities, we'll have to drill them out.
But that's something I can't do right now.
If there's something I can do, it's to make them brush their teeth properly...
'A dentistry department will emerge someday.'
That's the thought that crossed my mind.