Chapter 35: Let’s Use It in Surgery! (3).

"Ugh, ughhhh!"

The patient, waking up from anesthesia, screamed in pain.

It was understandable—they were in agony.

'Even though the anesthesia worked, there's still no painkiller…'

I looked down at the patient, feeling helpless.

The only painkiller that came to mind was opium.

It wasn't because I was a drug addict, but because I knew it was commonly used in this era.

'It's not like it's cancer pain… I can't use something like that.'

If they got addicted…

Treatment would be nearly impossible.

Even in the 21st century, treating drug addiction was no easy task, and here… it would be better to just give up.

"It hurts… it hurts so much."

"Well, we did cut off your leg. Of course, it hurts."

Was it fortunate?

The medical staff of the 19th century were all indifferent to the patients' pain.

No, it wasn't just indifference—it was more like resignation.

In a way, it was for the best.

If they tried to do something reckless like giving them medication, it could end up being dangerous.

Dr. Robert Liston casually replied,

His demeanor was so brazen that the patient, at a loss for words, just grimaced.

"At least it didn't hurt when we cut it off. That's something, right?"

"Well… I suppose so."

The patient, too, seemed to find solace in the fact that they didn't even remember the surgery.

And who could blame them?

Surgery, as it was called, was little more than butchery back then.

It was so bad that patients would flee at the mere mention of surgery, to the point where surgical wards had only one entrance.

If you tried to run and got caught, you'd have to endure it. If you managed to overpower the surgeon guarding the entrance, you could escape.

This wasn't a joke—it was the reality.

"Well, if it hurts too much, have some alcohol."

"Yes, yes."

So the patient drank alcohol.

Damn it.

'Is this really okay…?'

The harm of alcohol, especially after surgery, was beyond words.

For one, it caused blood vessels to dilate, which was a huge drawback.

Dilated blood vessels meant more blood flow, and what would happen if blood flowed through a wound that hadn't healed yet?

Even someone as skilled as Liston couldn't have tied off all the blood vessels, right?

No, even before that, blood could still seep out from the capillaries.

'Can I give them an IV? No… no way. I must be crazy.'

I thought about giving them fluids if their blood pressure dropped, but that was out of the question.

First of all, was there even a needle suitable for inserting into a blood vessel? Even if there was, it certainly wouldn't be clean.

And was the water even clean?

At best, they might have distilled water, but injecting that into a person's bloodstream…

'That would be a perfect way to commit murder.'

I shook my head.

Seeing this, Dr. Robert Liston chuckled.

"Look at this. Even Dr. Piyoung is shaking his head. Just bear with it."

"Yes, yes."

He probably thought I was looking down on the patient.

I wanted to say, 'How could that be?'

Especially since ignoring a patient's pain was the opposite of what a doctor should do.

But I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

What good would it do to argue when I couldn't do anything to help?

"Haha. Well, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you."

Fortunately, people in this era were generally indifferent to pain, whether they were medical staff or not.

Even the patient, who was no exception, sipped alcohol and thanked us.

It was a scene that would make you faint if you thought too deeply about it.

The person who just had their leg amputated was now sipping strong alcohol.

But by now, I had grown somewhat accustomed to 19th-century medicine, so I managed to stay calm.

"Anyway, Dr. Piyoung. You did really well today."

Moreover, there was another reason I couldn't afford to make a fuss right now.

'He's been calling me Dr. Piyoung since earlier. There must be a reason.'

He didn't call anyone else "Doctor," not even by mistake.

Even among the assistants, less than half were addressed as "Doctor."

But he called me that.

'There's no proper licensing system here, is there…?'

Even so, I was still a student, and a first-year at that. What good would it do? But that's just how things were here.

It felt like… nothing was set in stone.

Even the ages of the students were all over the place, and the same went for the doctors.

The professors would just gather and say, "You seem qualified enough to be a doctor," and that was that.

Of course, according to what I'd heard from the old man, they were occasionally trying to establish a proper system, but…

Well, systems are always a mess before they're fully established.

'Is this how you become a doctor?'

I pushed aside my racing heart and nodded.

"No, Professor. It's all thanks to you."

"Hahaha. This guy, I told you to call me 'bro.' There's not much of an age difference between us."

He laughed heartily, even though it was a lie.

How could there not be much of an age difference?

"Hahaha. It's hard to call you 'bro' when your contributions to medical history are so monumental."

"Contributions, huh? Well, I suppose so. Today's anesthesia will surely go down in history. Your name will be included too, so don't worry. There's just one problem, though."

"What… kind of problem?"

"The academic world, especially the medical field, can be quite rigid. You've seen Blundell, right?"

"Ah…"

I wasn't sure how to respond.

Why?

Because Blundell was right there.

I didn't know if he was close to Dr. Robert Liston or if he was his subordinate, but he was almost always by his side.

"Why am I being dragged into this? I was the one who pulled that tooth earlier in my class."

"Ah, right. Well, you've improved since meeting me."

"No, I mean…"

"Anyway, this much is already an improvement. Other doctors probably won't believe it unless they see it with their own eyes. Even though we did it in public, some will still think it was a coincidence."

Dr. Robert Liston's words had some truth to them.

Would they want to admit that the gas they'd been using at parties was actually a god-tier anesthetic?

They wouldn't want to admit it.

It would mean admitting their own incompetence.

And after all the suffering they'd endured due to the lack of anesthesia, if some newcomer they'd never heard of suggested it, they'd be even more resistant.

It would be easier if they thought Liston came up with it himself, but fortunately, he had a sense of loyalty.

"Besides, I'll vouch for you. If someone without qualifications claims to have done something, they'll raise hell. Even though they themselves lack qualifications."

Moreover, Robert Liston had an immense pride as a surgeon.

No, perhaps it was excessive?

"What kind of surgeon takes minutes to amputate a leg?"

He could do it in 30 seconds.

In an era without anesthesia, that was a tremendous advantage.

Instead of suffering for minutes, you'd only suffer for 30 seconds.

Even some nobles specifically sought out Robert Liston for this reason.

But now that anesthesia had been discovered, that advantage might become a disadvantage. However, it seemed the professor hadn't considered that yet.

"Anyway… you'll have to become a doctor. They'll still make a fuss, but it'll be better."

Robert Liston's words were a bombshell.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Even Colin, who had stayed in the ward this long because of his tooth extraction, was stunned.

Of course, Joseph and Alfred were too, but the only one who spoke up was Professor Blundell.

He looked displeased.

"What? What did you say? This guy's only been here for a little over a month."

"Look at what he's accomplished in that month."

"What has he done?"

"You fool… Look at the mortality rate in your ward."

"Well, that's… not exactly a medical breakthrough…"

I thought he was an idiot.

Now I understood why Robert Liston called him narrow-minded.

How could he not see that handwashing saved patients?

"But patients survived, didn't they? And look at today. Anesthesia. It worked. This is a monumental leap for humanity."

"Well… I can't deny that. But giving him a doctor's license right away… There's going to be backlash."

But even he backed down when anesthesia was brought up.

That's how significant the discovery was.

Even the clueless doctors of the 19th century could see that.

"There will be backlash. I'm not saying we'll give it to him right away."

"Ah, I thought you meant immediately."

"Do you think I'm that reckless?"

"…"

You came in and pulled a student's tooth without warning, and you're not reckless?

Blundell seemed to want to say that but kept his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Dr. Liston continued.

"He'll have to prove his knowledge. He'll need to take an exam."

"I'm confident in exams."

I smirked at that.

To be precise, 19th-century scholars did work hard.

Students worked hard to become scholars too.

But…

I'm from South Korea.

I endured that grueling education system and entered medical school as the top of my class.

In other words, my confidence in exams was no empty boast.

"Do you know what kind of exam it is?"

Unaware of my background, Robert laughed.

Blundell outright sneered.

It was understandable, given that I'd only been here for a month and was already confident about exams.

'Just wait and see, you fool.'

As I chuckled inwardly, Dr. Liston spoke.

"First, anatomy. No matter how much of a genius you are, you can't know everything about the human body."

I couldn't stop laughing.

Not knowing everything about the human body?

I was a former surgery professor.

"So starting tomorrow, you'll need to train with me. It'll be tough."

"No, I'll do it. I'll do my best."

"Good. I'll use that as your exam. Blundell… will handle handwashing."

"Huh?"

"You're not going to do it?"

"No, I'll do it."

And just like that, I got two exams out of the way.

"The rest is an interview… Well, you're good at talking. And I'll be there, so don't worry."

"Ah, yes."

It seemed like I was getting all my exams waived.

The interview might be a hurdle, but with Dr. Liston there, it would be a completely different story.

It wouldn't be an interview—it would be more like coercion.

I could already picture it.

-'You don't seem to understand… If you don't agree, you're not leaving here today~'

That's what Liston would say.

In other words, the only exam left for me was anatomy.

And I was good at anatomy, even as a student.

I was good at it even before getting my medical license, and now I was even better.

"Well, you've worked hard today. Let's go have a drink."

"Huh? At this hour?"

"You'll be safe with me."

"Ah, yes. I suppose so."

"Then Colin, Joseph, Alfred. You're coming too. I'm in a great mood today. I'll treat everyone. Let's celebrate Dr. Piyoung's future in advance."