Chapter 29: Laughing Gas Party (2).

There was one thing I had overlooked.

I had also been exposed to the gas.

It was only natural.

I was right there in front of it, after all.

"Hey, hey, you're gonna die laughing! Hahaha!"

Joseph approached me, laughing uncontrollably.

"No way... the doctor here is killing people!"

Alfred also burst into laughter.

When I looked around, I noticed a slight smear of blood on the club.

I must have gotten carried away while hitting Colin, and it seemed I had used more force than I intended.

'Huh?'

My chest grew cold as I turned to look at Colin.

I had intended to give him a beating, but I never meant to kill him.

If he were seriously injured, it would be a problem. He was quite a powerful figure, and I couldn't handle the consequences in my current state.

'Ah, it's just a scratch.'

Upon closer inspection, thankfully, it was just a minor scrape on the skin.

One peculiar thing was that, despite my careless handling of the wound while examining it—and also being a bit intoxicated—Colin didn't seem to notice at all.

'Did I hit him too hard on the head?'

I wasn't sure.

It could be that the gas made him unable to feel pain, or perhaps it was because I had struck him.

'Still... there's a possibility.'

It might not be just the pain.

But the fact that he didn't move while being hit was undeniable.

'If he just stays still... maybe I can perform a proper surgery?'

Of course, I couldn't perform complex surgeries like the Whipple procedure (for pancreatic cancer) or flap surgeries (transplant surgeries) that I had done in the past. But in this era, people were dying from far less serious conditions.

For example, appendicitis.

To be more precise, it was appendicitis that was killing people left and right.

This was something that could be easily treated with surgery...

"Hey, open your eyes."

I thought I was still deep in thought, but it seemed I had dozed off.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

Anyway, Professor Robert Liston was standing in front of me.

His face looked perfectly fine.

"Yes, yes, I'm awake!"

I was clearly moving my hands.

If I didn't open my eyes, I was sure to get slapped, so I quickly responded.

The professor, however, looked somewhat disappointed as he clicked his tongue and stood up.

"You're awake."

The thought that I almost got slapped made me feel like all the strength had drained from my body.

So much so that I needed Joseph and Alfred to help me up.

"Ugh."

Colin seemed to be in the same state.

He was being supported by one of his lackeys.

I wondered if he remembered anything, so I stared at him, but surprisingly, he smiled back at me.

'Idiot.'

He doesn't remember me hitting him.

Or maybe he's just too happy to care.

"Hehe."

"This guy's really weak to the gas."

That thought made me feel good, so I laughed.

The more I laughed, the better I felt.

Is this why it's called a laughing gas party?

'This is definitely some strong stuff?'

Of course, being a born doctor, even as I laughed, I couldn't help but think about it.

"Alright, sleep well."

"Huh?"

While I was thinking, I realized I was in bed.

I had made it back to my room.

My memories were fragmented, popping in and out.

I couldn't tell if my memories were cut off or if I had just fallen asleep and woken up.

But in any case, the gas used at the party... it was definitely worth researching.

The first thought I had when I woke up in the morning was, 'My head doesn't hurt much.'

Even if I had been drunk, my head should've been pounding by now.

"..."

It seemed the gas didn't linger in my body as much as I thought.

Not that it mattered if it did.

It was still better than performing surgery raw.

Honestly, I even considered using opium.

'If I use opium... it could suppress breathing and potentially kill the patient.'

Yeah, that's going too far.

I shook my head and, after breakfast, headed to school with my senior and Joseph as usual.

"I'm going to the library for a bit."

"Huh? Why? Aren't you going to class?"

"Well... Professor Blundell doesn't really take attendance, does he?"

"That's true, but... wouldn't listening to the lecture be more helpful than reading a book?"

I wanted to say no.

Blundell.

That guy...

He doesn't know anything.

Of course, he's probably better than you guys, but...

"There's something I'm really curious about. I'll catch up on the lecture later."

"Hmm... alright."

If I said anything more, it would cause a scene, so I brushed it off.

It wasn't a complete lie.

Ever since I hit Colin yesterday, I had been dying to figure out the nature of the gas and everything else.

'Could it be... that these guys have been using anesthesia gas all along?'

I hoped it hadn't been around for long.

'No, if it's new... then there wouldn't have been much research on it, right?'

No, I hoped it had been around for a while.

'But if that's the case, these people are so pathetic it makes me want to die.'

Honestly, I didn't even know what I wanted anymore.

That's just how this era was.

Damn these people.

They're so clueless.

They seem to know, but they don't.

They seem clueless, but they're truly clueless...

- Nitrous oxide.

Anyway, I remembered the name I had heard from the professor on the way back yesterday.

Nitrous oxide.

Nitrogen.

'Doesn't nitrogen also appear in anesthesia used during surgery...?'

I regretted not studying anesthesiology more seriously.

I couldn't even remember the names of the drugs properly.

How could I possibly remember the chemical names?

'Instead of cursing anesthesiology... I should've read at least one book.'

Since I didn't get along well with them, I just ended up cursing them all the time.

We were always in urgent surgeries, asking them to hurry up, but they kept delaying, so what else could I do?

"Ah, here it is."

Since the university was almost a comprehensive institution, there were quite a few chemistry-related books.

The library was huge, so it was only natural.

But where among these books would I find information on nitrous oxide?

I had no idea.

Since there was no search function in this era, I had no choice but to dive in blindly.

'At least the books are thin.'

The only saving grace was that the books were all thin.

It made sense since there wasn't much knowledge back then.

The problem was, even if it wasn't here, I couldn't say for sure it didn't exist elsewhere...

"Hmm..."

I flipped through the books, searching for nitrous oxide.

It wasn't easy.

Since this was an era of woodblock printing, engraving, and lithography, the quality of paper and printing was terrible.

Some pages were even stuck together.

Damn 19th century.

"I can't find it..."

Damn it.

After hours of searching, I still couldn't find it.

And it's not like I learned anything either.

Since I'm not a chemist, I wasn't particularly interested, and studying 19th-century science without any background knowledge was too risky.

If I filled my head with wrong information and caused an accident, what would I do?

'Wait, hold on.'

Then it hit me.

In medicine... even in modern medicine, evidence-based medicine didn't really take hold until the late 20th century, right?

Before that, expert opinion was treated as the most important.

For example, if a professor with 30 years of experience said, "Well, this is what I think, so why are you questioning it?" everyone just went along with it.

Back then, I thought, "Why is that old man acting like that? How could such a primitive era exist?" But now that I'm here, I think I understand.

'Asking someone is the fastest way, isn't it?'

Evidence-based?

That's nonsense.

You can only talk about evidence if you can find it.

If the data itself is flawed, what evidence are you talking about?

'The factory... that chemist.'

Actually, it would probably be faster to go ask the professor here, but...

That's something only our esteemed British white men could do.

If I went without prior notice, who knows what kind of crime I might get involved in?

Besides, it was awkward to use Professor Robert Liston.

We had formed a bond, but it felt like it was only on my side.

Whatever I did, I needed to first secure anesthesia and make some progress in anatomical research before anything else could happen.

"Senior, senior."

So I closed the book and ran to the lecture hall.

Coincidentally, Blundell had just finished his lecture—or rather, his nonsensical rambling—and was heading out.

"Ugh, it's so hard."

"Huh? What is?"

"Ah... today we learned about pressure..."

"Pressure?"

What's there to learn about pressure?

The first word that came to mind was blood pressure, but that couldn't be it.

This era, as always, was far from common sense.

It's no wonder I feel like I've been transported to another world.

'Blood pressure... damn it.'

Is sticking a needle into an artery and measuring the spurting blood what they call blood pressure?

That's murder.

You should never do that.

"Anyway."

If I kept thinking about it, my mind would get dizzy again, and I'd start longing for the laughing gas I inhaled yesterday, so I changed the subject.

Fortunately, Alfred didn't seem to fully understand the lecture either, so he didn't say much.

He just stood there with a blank look on his face.

"Let's go for now."

"Huh? What about dissection?"

"Ah, dissection. Let's do that after we visit the factory for a bit."

"Why? Did your gloves tear? I don't think you can tear those even with a knife."

Yeah, that's right.

They were so tough it was a problem.

They were so stiff that they didn't move as I wanted them to.

When I tried them on, aside from the lack of sensitivity, there were other issues too.

"No, it's not that. I have some questions for the professor."

"Ah... couldn't find it in the library?"

"No."

"Of course. What can you learn from books?"

Okay...

Even if books were backward in this era, how could someone who claims to be a scholar say something like that?

Of course, I wasn't so shameless as to complain while riding in a carriage, so I just nodded.

"That's true."

"Alright. Let's go. After seeing what you did yesterday... it's pointless for us to go first anyway."

Besides, my senior was that kind of person.

Even if someone who joined a year later stood out, he would only feel pure admiration rather than jealousy.

Personally, I thought that was just as difficult as standing out.

Anyway, the carriage moved, and it didn't take long before we stopped in front of the factory.

Actually, the distance wasn't that far. If this were Seoul, I would've walked, but since it was London, I took the carriage.

I didn't want to end up dead in broad daylight and suddenly appear in the dissection room as a corpse.

"I want to know about nitrous oxide."

"Huh? Nitrous oxide?"

"Yes."

After walking down that dangerous path and entering the factory, I was met with the indifferent face of the chemist.

He looked at me and said exactly this:

"Why do you want to know about that old, useless gas?"