Dark-Haired British Doctor Chapter 477

Episode 477: Progress in the Heart [6]

I am standing at the academic conference again.

This time, he wasn't alone, but with Liston and Alfred.

To be exact, I was the lecturer and these two played supporting roles.

Alfred is nothing special, but Liston is a man of such high reputation that it's almost an understatement to say he's a master, and since he's in charge of assisting, everyone gathered here is listening intently.

“You all probably know of cases where people complain of chest pain and then die suddenly or within a few days or months.”

I continued my lecture in front of them.

The 19th century was hell, though… … .

Nevertheless, it was a possible lecture because it was a better hell than the previous era.

This means that there are some useful records among the records accumulated over the past several thousand years.

“I know very well.”

“Aren’t you talking about angina?”

“It’s a scary disease…….”

There is even talk of angina.

This is thanks to an 18th-century British doctor who described a disease that causes heartache and eventually leads to death.

In fact, a doctor named William Heberden had treated and studied quite a few patients with chest pain.

However, one thing that is unfortunate is that while we have discovered the course of events leading to death when such symptoms are present, we have not discovered at all why this happens.

what…….

That's how the world is.

What this means is that an exceptional individual cannot make progress without a hitch.

'I'm the exception.'

The development of academia is like a triangle, so it is impossible for one field to develop like crazy.

If I take one step forward, someone else has to take another step forward so I can take another step forward, right?

But there are not just two disciplines in the world, but dozens or even hundreds of them.

Can I make progress by running around here and there on my own?

It's impossible for humans.

If you know the answer like me, then I don't know…

In fact, even I cannot take steps forward in other fields.

“Various causes of angina have been proposed, but they are mostly linked to movement.”

So I'm only giving a medical explanation.

I don't know much about things like chemistry or physics.

I've stopped at the level of studying for the college entrance exam, so what can I do from here?

Even human memory is prone to evaporation, isn't it?

If I were to take the CSAT now, I would probably fail in everything except Korean and English.

William Heberden described a chest disorder with strong and unusual symptoms, which, while out of proportion to the danger it carries, are not extremely rare. This condition deserves further discussion. Because of the sensation of chest tightness and the accompanying anxiety, it might be better called angina pectoris.

This is a name that came from the materials I looked up for the lecture.

Everyone is nodding their heads, as he is a British doctor who made a name for himself half a century ago.

People with this condition experience a painful, unpleasant sensation in their chest when walking, especially when climbing hills, or immediately after eating. However, the symptoms disappear when they stand still and rest.

"yes."

“That’s the treatment for angina.”

“Did you call us to say something so obvious…?”

He was quite an observer.

Actually, angina is exactly like this.

The problem is that standing and resting is not the cure.

In the first place, angina is a disease that occurs when the coronary artery gradually becomes blocked.

So, even if your heart beats just a little bit more than usual, meaning you work harder, it can't supply the necessary blood, so you feel pain.

If you write, the blood demand will decrease again, so you will feel better for a while, but that does not mean that your blood vessels will widen.

Rather, it only gets narrower.

As time passes, the artery narrows to the point where blood cannot flow at all, and then suddenly a myocardial infarction occurs.

“Why do these symptoms occur?”

I asked them.

Then the commotion began again.

“It seems like people who are usually impatient are more likely to be successful.”

“That’s right. And even the faint-hearted ones are handsome….”

“Darwin? That guy said so.”

Surprisingly, some risk factors other than direct causes have been identified.

Even in the 19th century, it was common knowledge that people with Type A personality traits were more prone to angina.

Of course, there is no such thing as Type A yet.

Oh, this has nothing to do with blood type.

It's just a classification of personality types.

“What are the characteristics of an impatient or weak-hearted person?”

"hmm……."

“What… Are you not popular?”

“Work… Sometimes people who are good at their jobs are like that.”

But, as for the more fundamental question, there was no one who could give a proper answer.

It's not that these people are stupid, but rather that the limitations of the times have reached this point.

"It'll be your heart pounding, mostly. I've been paying attention to that. Even if you're a laid-back person, what will happen when you stand before an audience like this for the first time? Right there. Get up and come out."

For the same reason, I believe that if I explain it kindly with an example, people will understand it well.

Actually, hasn't Liston been modernized in many ways?

Probably better than the average doctor of the early 20th century.

So I called one of the doctors who was watching.

“Uh… yes.”

Now, you can say that there is no one in London who can go against me.

Even the king cannot disobey my orders, so how could a commoner disobey?

The doctor came out helplessly.

I placed him next to Liston.

Then he had Alfred, the anesthesia genius, touch his wrist, or rather, the radial artery.

“How much?”

“About 80?”

“Is it fast?”

"yes."

“Let’s try making it faster. Can you measure it well?”

“Yes, of course.”

Alfred had been working so hard in anesthesia that it could be said he was overworked.

As a result, heart rate, breathing rate, and even blood pressure became incredibly well measured.

At the same time, Liston is a master of intimidation.

"I think heart pain, or angina, isn't solely caused by these characteristics. It's more likely due to a structural problem."

“Huh, huh?”

At my words, Liston pulled out the sword he was holding.

Britain's strict laws naturally forbid civilians from carrying weapons and walking around the city, but Liston had been granted permission.

The reason given was that it was a surgical tool, not a weapon.

“You all know that there is a blood vessel that goes from the aorta to the heart.”

“Ah… coronary artery?”

“Isn’t that a vestigial organ?”

“You mean by the theory of use and disuse that Lamarck advocated?”

It's pathetic to say such things, but it's somehow worth knowing that there are coronary arteries.

This is actually great.

Going back, we come to Leonardo da Vinci, and I think that guy was a true genius.

Honestly, when you look at the so-called geniuses of the Middle Ages, they seem amazing because they do this and that, right?

But when I actually look at the books these people wrote, I get the feeling that they are just people with a rich imagination, rather than geniuses in the sense we think of them.

This is also expressed very gently, and honestly, it makes me wonder if he is delusional.

It's amazing to see that he wrote medical books, natural science books, and other such books.

But Leonardo da Vinci is not only a work of art, but also anatomy, which is truly admirable.

'Thank you, Leo.'

There is a story that he was the first to describe the coronary artery.

It may not be true, but it's probably true that it was described 'properly'.

I saw the picture and it was very well drawn.

Anyway, I continued.

“I believe that angina is a symptom that occurs when the blood vessels, namely the coronary arteries, become narrow, reducing blood flow to the heart.”

“Ehei…….”

“How could that be?”

“At least the heart isn’t an organ that can have problems because of blood…….”

“Are you denying that the heart must beat for blood to circulate?”

Naturally, the reaction was enthusiastic.

At times like this, I suddenly think that my descendant might be the king of the North… the great leader Comrade Kim Il-sung.

I want to catch the loudest guy and dismember him with a howitzer.

'It can literally make it so that no trace can be found… … .'

However, I remember being born and raised in 21st century South Korea, and here in the UK, we also basically follow a parliamentary political system.

So instead of taking out the howitzer, I had Liston cut the doctor's clothes with his knife, which had just been dragged out.

“Ugh!”

"how is it?"

“110 times.”

“Eww.”

“Wow, that’s generous.”

“120 times.”

Then the doctor's heart started beating like crazy.

It couldn't be helped.

How could he be okay when a guy like Liston swung his sword at him?

“Does your heart hurt?”

"yes?"

“Does your heart hurt? Should I make it beat harder?”

“Oh, no. No! It doesn’t hurt!”

Of course, I'm not the type of person who does this for no reason.

Of course, this isn't a human experiment or anything, so I think it's okay to do it without any particular meaning…

Anyway, this proves that not everyone experiences chest pain when their heart beats faster.

“Okay. Anyone else interested in applying?”

I guess it could be just my opinion that I've proven it.

So I looked into it to see if there were still people who didn't understand.

'Hmm… everyone's nodding.'

The stage is a bit high and there is a distance between them and the people, so I am confused as to whether they are nodding or simply avoiding eye contact…

Isn't something good something good?

"So everyone understands. Good. As expected, they're smart people, so they talk quickly."

I chuckled and let go of the doctor who had been helping us for a while.

The doctor returned to his seat, hissing as if he had seen a ghost.

As I was walking, my legs kept giving out, so one of the students helped me up.

Just in case,

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

"yes yes!"

He showed a meticulous attitude by checking once more.

If you say you're sick, I'll open your chest right away… no, I tried to show you that you're getting better by giving you amyl nitrite, but it was a little disappointing.

“Well… now that you’ve proven the old theory wrong, how about proving mine is correct, Dr. Liston?”

“Oh, it’s Liston.”

Liston had already put the knife back in its sheath, or rather, in its surgical instrument case.

Even though there were no traces of blood anywhere, I felt like I could smell blood somewhere.

That can't be helped.

How many limbs has Liston cut off so far?

If there was a blood-drinking demon sword in this world, and it was that sword, the world would have faced not a thousand demons, but a billion demons.

"I saw with my own eyes that a dog died of a heart attack shortly after I tied off its coronary artery. I don't think there's anyone in London foolish enough to doubt my words these days… but there's a Korean saying that seeing is believing. It's better to show than hear a hundred times… so bring me here."

"yes!"

Liston prepared for the experiment with a dignity befitting his age.

Certainly, when you're on the same side, there's no one as reliable as that guy.