Chapter 88: Mercury. Mercury Chloride (2).

"Uwaaaaah!"

The scream echoing through the hallway was chilling to the bone.

It was only natural.

It was the sound of someone being tortured.

Doctors in the 19th century could afford to be a bit lazy, but their unnecessary diligence was the problem.

'Well… if they're going to take a patient, they should at least ask… or not? Actually, this patient isn't even ours.'

The ambiguity of responsibility was also an issue.

There was no such thing as a medical lawsuit, and records of who treated which patient and how were rarely kept properly.

If the patient next to me hadn't told me, even I, who's technically an insider, wouldn't have known they were being dragged away.

*Thud.*

Anyway, I followed the sound of the scream.

At the end of it was a room I had never seen before in my life.

It looked eerily sinister at first glance.

The atmosphere alone made it seem like an anatomy lab.

But seriously… who puts an anatomy lab right next to a hospital ward?

This whole setup is wrong on so many levels.

"Oh."

"You're here."

When I opened the door and stepped inside, the scene that unfolded was even more horrifying than I had imagined.

First, Zemel was chuckling nonchalantly.

He didn't seem to care that Killian was trembling in fear in front of him.

No matter the outcome, his intentions seemed to be firmly rooted in treatment, and he was acting with confidence.

'Even so, this is too much…'

We don't laugh like maniacs when we swing our scalpels during surgery.

That smile of his was straight out of a madman's playbook.

But this was just the beginning.

The real horror was yet to come.

"What… what have you done?"

Killian was drooling uncontrollably.

You know how in movies or dramas, there's always that character who, despite looking like a mess, ends up giving some profound advice before dying? Yeah, that's exactly what Killian looked like.

Of course, that only happens in movies or dramas. In reality, people like him just keep deteriorating until things go horribly wrong.

"Haha. Do you know what Calomel is?"

"Caramel…?"

Isn't that a snack, not a medicine?

That sweet, sticky, brown stuff.

I've had it a few times, and it never made me look like that.

If it could turn someone into that state, it shouldn't be sold anywhere.

"It's a processed form of mercury… a medicine that induces catharsis."

"Catharsis…?"

I've read a bit in my younger days.

I especially loved novels.

Good novels always evoke catharsis, whether through crude or sophisticated means.

"What are you talking about?"

I took a step closer.

I wanted to rush over and check on Killian, but I was too scared.

As a surgeon, this was my first time seeing something like this.

It's terrifying, really…

"Ugh, ugh! This! This!"

"Good. You must need to relieve yourself. Go ahead. Let it all out."

"Ugh, ugh!"

Unfortunately, I didn't get an answer to my question.

The situation had escalated too quickly.

Killian, who had been drooling like someone out of their mind, suddenly grabbed his buttocks and started groaning like a dog in distress.

Well, he was in distress.

"Here, over here."

Zemel pointed to an exposed iron plate.

For a moment, confusion flashed across Killian's face.

He had long since reached his limit, so he couldn't say anything meaningful, but it didn't matter.

Anyone could read his expression.

It was screaming, "What the hell is this?"

"Relieve yourself here."

But Zemel, as if he weren't human, just pointed at the iron plate with a straight face.

"Ugh."

In the end, Killian gave in.

Killian, whose very name sounded strong—an Irish sailor, the symbol of strength—pulled down his pants and squatted over the iron plate in front of everyone.

Then he began to expel something violently, and it was pitch black.

"Bile is coming out. Good, let all the bad stuff out. You'll be cured of syphilis in no time."

"No. This is…"

"You must be seeing this for the first time. I don't use this method often, but haha, it's quite effective."

"What the… what is this…"

This madman.

There was probably a lot mixed in there.

But I can say with certainty that there was no syphilis bacteria in that.

No, the color wasn't even from bile.

That was…

That was a color I'd seen many times during my shifts in the emergency room.

'Melena…'

When people think of bloody stool, they usually imagine something red, but that only happens when there's bleeding near the anus, rectum, or colon.

Bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract results in black stool because the water in the blood is absorbed, and the iron oxidizes.

It's not just black—it has a glossy, almost jajangmyeon-like sheen…

"Killian, are you feeling dizzy?"

"Dizzy… ugh…"

The textbook example was right here.

I don't know what's in that so-called "caramel" medicine, but it seemed to have caused gastrointestinal bleeding.

At the same time, it must have increased intestinal activity, leading to this kind of expulsion…

In short, this was bad. Really bad.

"Your face has turned pale. Good."

Meanwhile, Zemel looked at Killian, whose face had turned pale from acute blood loss, and said it was a good sign.

It was as if he was following some kind of directive.

'Revenge…? Is that it?'

Is he trying to torture and kill him under the guise of treatment?

If so, his current actions and attitude made perfect sense.

Otherwise, how could anyone do this to another person?

"Everything is proceeding as usual, Professor."

"Good, make sure to record it properly. Calomel is quite effective as a laxative. Maybe we should sell it commercially."

"It would probably sell well."

Ah.

Are they just demons?

As I listened to their conversation, I kept an eye on Killian.

I was worried that the so-called "calomel" might have some adverse effects on me, so I put on the gloves I always carried with me.

They weren't sterile gloves, but ones I used to protect myself when necessary. They were a bit dirty, but if I were in Killian's place, I'd appreciate any kind of attention.

"Are you okay? Sit down for now. Here. No, stop… stop relieving yourself…"

"Ugh… thank… thank you… please… get me out of here…"

Have you ever seen a grown man beg like this?

A man who looks as rough as Killian?

I don't know about others, but this was a first for me.

And because of that, I felt… strange.

Like I wanted to help him no matter what.

"I'll find some moldy bread for you, so just hang in there until then."

Thinking about it, I remembered the moldy bread scattered around my senior's house.

One of those might contain penicillin, the precursor to penicillin.

Of course, I'd probably end up ingesting some other nasty stuff too.

But it's not like I haven't already been exposed to plenty of bad things.

"No… no… they're all bastards…"

Killian, misunderstanding my words, let out a desperate cry.

Well, "moldy bread" doesn't exactly sound appealing.

But still, to dismiss my goodwill like that… unforgivable…

"Good. Before this effect wears off."

Just as I was about to feel slighted by Killian's reaction, one of Zemel's assistants, seemingly unfazed by the smell, walked over and pulled up Killian's pants.

"Hey, at least give him a chance to wipe."

Given the consistency of the stool, there must have been a lot of residue…

But saying that would have been pointless.

If anyone here cared about hygiene, the beds wouldn't be covered in pus.

Meanwhile, Joseph, Alfred, and I were diligently washing our hands and changing sheets, which, in this context, felt less like a miracle and more like heresy.

This was an era where people not only didn't care about hygiene but seemed to believe that being clean was somehow wrong.

And the problem was that even doctors thought that way…

"Now… get in!"

While I was hesitating, and Killian was still dazed, he was pushed into another room inside the main room.

"Uh…"

Inside that room was something that looked like a coffin.

Wait, was it a coffin?

Was this an execution?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the assistants actually opened the coffin.

Inside was something.

At first glance, it looked beautiful.

"This is…"

"Quicksilver… mercury. It's precious. Not easy to come by in such quantities."

It probably wasn't easy.

Quicksilver, or "fast silver," as it was nicknamed, was highly valued.

Of course, even in the 21st century, it might have been prized in certain industries, but from what I could tell, mercury's heyday was firmly rooted in the barbaric era.

Like right now…?

"Get in!"

"Huh? Where… why are you—"

"Don't worry. There's a hole here for breathing. Just immerse your body."

"But… why…?"

"It's treatment. I know. I've heard all about how bad he is. But as a doctor, you must always do your best for the patient. Don't think of it as a waste."

"No… that's not it… no…"

I tried to stop them, but it was no use.

Zemel and I were on completely different wavelengths, so persuasion was pointless.

Damn it.

While I hesitated, Killian was forced to lie down inside the coffin.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"Hey… keep your mouth shut. Do you want to waste the mercury?"

"Ugh…"

There were some inappropriate threats.

It's true that mercury shouldn't be ingested, but is it okay to immerse a person in it…?

'Maybe the phrase "immersing someone in mercury" originated from this…'

The situation was so grim that such thoughts crossed my mind.

Anyway, Killian, already exhausted from days of torture and having just expelled a significant amount of bloody stool, had no strength left and soon lay down obediently inside the coffin.

"Stay like this for a while."

"What effect will this have?"

By now, even I was curious.

It wasn't that I didn't know there was no therapeutic effect.

If anything, there would only be side effects.

But these people must believe in something, right?

They're supposed to be doctors, after all.

So I asked.

"Effect? Of course, there is. It'll make you drool… and the bacteria inside will boil and come out."

"I see…"

"Mercury is born from the earth. It can't be harmful."

"Right, right."

Of course, it was all nonsense.

But then again.

These were the same doctors who watched mothers die in childbirth and blamed it on "bad air" or "cosmic energy."

'When I get home today, I'm going to find some moldy bread, no matter what.'

As I looked at poor Killian, I started thinking about the moldy bread I'd give him.