Clang.
While laying the patient down, I turned my head toward the sound coming from my lower body.
'Ah.'
To be honest, by now, most people who see me are scared.
But today, well, it's a bit different.
It felt like a primal kind of fear.
Normally, when people are scared of me, it's more about the stories surrounding me rather than me personally, but…
'Ah, so that's why.'
I keep forgetting, but I'm still wearing an iron cup.
It's not that I'm attached to the custom-made pants.
I'm wealthy enough now that I can wear an outfit once and throw it away.
If I were to pinpoint the real reason, it's probably insecurity.
Well…
Originally, after circumcision, antibiotics are prescribed, right?
Based on my experience as a surgeon, I don't think it's given solely out of fear of inevitable infection.
In fact, for surgeries like thyroidectomies, antibiotics aren't strictly necessary.
However, whether antibiotics are given or not has a massive impact on the medical staff's sense of security.
'But I'm not medical staff; I'm the patient.'
It's not like I have a mindset of "everyone else can cut theirs, so it's fine."
I'm not that kind of negligent doctor.
But no matter how empathetic a doctor is, the difference between being the one who's had it cut and the one who hasn't is enormous.
The insecurity caused by the absence of antibiotics is truly significant.
That's why I sterilize the iron cup every day and wear it.
What if it touches something and rots…
Living is already hard enough in the 19th century; I don't have the confidence to live half-castrated.
"Pyung. Looking at that so intently… doesn't seem like a good idea."
While I was staring at the iron cup, Liston intervened.
While I was genuinely just looking at the iron cup, to others, it might seem like I was looking at what's inside it, so I fully understood his concern.
Moreover, the expressions of the others who've been watching me since earlier were getting worse.
Well…
It's not like the prisoners or the police know I'm wearing an iron cup.
Aside from its size being too large, the fact that I'm like this in my daily life alone would seem strange.
"Ah, right."
"Yeah. You're quick to agree when it suits you."
"I'm always rational."
"Right. But why are you pulling down the patient's pants?"
"Ah, right. That's not today. I've been doing it so much lately."
"Are you really sure about this? This is your first time properly trying this, isn't it?"
"That's true, but it's fine."
My mind wandered for a moment because of the iron cup.
Liston stopped me.
We're a great team, I'd say.
Of course, if I were the patient, I wouldn't welcome this kind of team trying to fix me…
"Ugh."
Our prisoner seemed to feel the same way.
Why did you have to go and rob someone, huh?
No matter how tough times are, if you stab someone's arm with a skewer, you should always consider that the same could happen to you, shouldn't you?
Well, that doesn't mean I'm going to amputate this person's limbs.
I won't even do anything while they're conscious.
I'll anesthetize them.
"Alright, we're going to treat the cavity."
"Ugh."
"It might hurt a bit, but you'll be anesthetized. We won't have to pull anything."
"Ugh."
"I can't say for sure, but…"
"Ugh!"
"Alfred."
The prisoner was getting louder.
I really don't understand why they're acting like this when I'm trying to treat them.
Well, the outcome might be a bit off, but…
I'm genuinely doing this out of goodwill.
Moreover, at the end of this lies the healthy lives of not just the king and the powerful figures of the British Empire, but also ordinary citizens.
Creak.
Well, it's okay if others don't understand for a while.
How can a sparrow understand the will of a great eagle?
"Ugh."
It's fine, but if it's noisy, it's hard to concentrate, so I told them to keep quiet.
Since I'm going to anesthetize them anyway, it's okay to do it a bit early.
"Hmm."
"Why?"
"Never mind."
Liston shook his head vehemently and helped me open the patient's mouth.
Using a mouth opener, one of my masterpieces.
The ones they've been using so far were just lumps of metal.
But I have a rubber expert.
So I coated the parts that touch the teeth or lips with rubber.
Of course, it doesn't feel as good or smell as pleasant as the ones used in 21st-century dentistry, but since they're anesthetized, what does it matter?
If we can avoid damage, that's the best.
Creak.
With a somewhat eerie sound, the mouth opener was inserted into the patient's opened mouth.
Then, the cavities that weren't visible before started to show.
The light I installed probably helped too.
Anyway, I pointed at one of the cavities that had become visible.
"This one?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… Wouldn't pulling it be cleaner? Grinding it down seems…"
"Let's try it. Teeth are created by God, so preserving them as much as possible is good, right?"
"That's true."
Darwin's "Origin of Species"…
It'll probably come out in about 20 or 30 years.
Which means there's no one to challenge creationism until then.
Even though the Renaissance era began after people started saying the Earth revolves around the sun, faith itself remains solid, so it's a given.
In such a situation, invoking the Lord like this…
Ah, not like Judas Iscariot.
Anyway, it always works.
"Hand me that. Dead people's teeth break easily, but I need to see if this really works."
"Hmm… Alright. Here."
Having finished persuading him, I took the drill from Liston.
It's not the type of drill we're familiar with, of course.
It's a manual drill that only spins when you twist it; originally, it's used for opening heads.
You might wonder how often head-opening happens that they'd make a tool for it…
After the rumor spread that I treated a nobleman's headache with bloodletting, all sorts of brave doctors and patients started trying it.
Of course, most die.
Not just the patients.
Some doctors are killed by the patients' guardians, I hear.
'But… collective intelligence is truly remarkable.'
Even though the 19th century seems utterly primitive to me, it's also called the Belle Époque era.
It's the era when people started fully enjoying the fruits of civilization. Maybe that's why. They make tools incredibly well.
What I'm holding now is an improved version; compared to the early models that only Liston could use properly, this is almost revolutionary.
Drrrrrrr.
The spinning sound is quite terrifying…
Screech.
Oh, when I touch it to the tooth, the sound becomes even more horrifying.
But still, it's fine.
It's breaking, but…
Contrary to my worries, the drill isn't overwhelmingly powerful.
Crrrrrr.
Bone powder is scattering everywhere; I wish I had suction.
But the moment I think of that idea, human suction would appear, so I need to hold back.
Normally, I would have suggested the idea without hesitation, even if something worse than human suction appeared…
But since I've undergone circumcision this time, I've become more cautious.
Sigh… Oppressing the idea bank like this slows progress…
It's hard to talk about this anywhere.
Crunch.
"Ah."
While thinking this, I was truly doing my best to grind down the cavity.
Then, a strange sound emerged, and a larger chunk than before fell off.
"Hmm."
"Hmm."
I paused for a moment and examined the fragment that had just fallen.
Not just me, but everyone except Alfred, who was handling the anesthesia, did the same.
Then, they started alternating their gazes between the remaining tooth and the fragment.
"Does it look clean?"
"That's what I thought."
"All the black parts are gone."
"Not just the black parts… There's also some white attached. Is that okay?"
Joseph, who's a master of sterilization, scrutinized the fragment with a critical eye and voiced his concern.
But the 19th century is an age of optimism.
Everyone instinctively dismisses negative opinions.
Actually, doctors shouldn't do that no matter where or when…
I decided to let it slide for now.
"At least the decayed parts are gone."
"Hmm. So can we just leave it like that?"
"Doesn't seem like it shouldn't be?"
"Is there a method?"
Because the path forward is too long.
All concepts are lacking…
Look at it now.
Even to anyone's eyes, that tooth shouldn't be left alone, but Liston is asking if we can leave it.
"That's why I prepared this."
"Mercury… It's a historically significant medicine. But didn't you say using mercury is dangerous?"
"Well…"
We need to manage this.
Otherwise, something might enter the weakened area and break it further.
Moreover, if only this kind of tooth remains, it'll just break from chewing.
In the 21st century, I wouldn't know, but here, food is still extremely coarse, so the likelihood is even higher.
Wait…
I'm really rich, right?
Yet, it's still hard to eat only very soft foods.
Thanks to that, my jaw has developed quite a bit.
Well, that might actually be a good thing.
It's made my face more masculine.
"Why did you stop talking?"
Ah, it's not the time to be thinking like this.
It's not just Liston who pushed it forward; it's genuinely mercury.
Well… It's not just a lump of mercury; it's an alloy of mercury and another metal, but to others, it's all the same.
"Kind of makes sense. After all, mercury has a long history as a medicine."
No, that's not why I'm using it.
It's because I have to, knowing it's bad.
When alloyed with silver, it becomes something that's easy to…
Insert into teeth.
With just a little heat, it softens… briefly hardens, and sticks well.
Since the state varies slightly depending on the mercury content, the optimal mercury alloy, or amalgam, will need to be progressively discovered as treatments continue…
"No, no. You've seen why I picked this, right, brother?"
"Ah… That's true. Mercury is a fascinating substance. I can see why people try to make gold with it."
"No…"
"Anyway, yes. If we do this, any remaining tooth worms will die."
"There are no worms. Can't you see?"
"Haha, you're hardly one to talk. You're the one who discovered the existence of invisible miasma! I'm planning to collect this and examine it under a microscope. I'll clearly see tooth worms with my own eyes."
"Uh…"
This is…
Yeah.
No matter how much you try to teach standard knowledge, if the listener's background knowledge remains in the past…
They understand it as garbage even though you're teaching it perfectly.
'By the way, is it a bit soft?'
While discussing this, I quickly noticed that the amalgam's shape had already smeared a bit, and I vowed to reduce the mercury content a bit more next time.
What if it falls apart?
Just stick it back on.
Welcome to the hospital with the best after-sales service.