Dark-Haired British Doctor Chapter 395

Episode 395 Cataract [2]

William Turner.

I said before that I was quite famous, but I was just considered to be the greatest living British painter.

Even so… … .

'Culturally, our British Empire is still somewhat behind the French.'

Compared to mainland Europe, Britain was in a very poor state.

To begin with, the land of Britain is not that large, and there is a significant gap between the island and the continent in terms of civilization development.

Well, it seems that since the Age of Exploration began, what was once a disadvantage has actually become an advantage.

Nevertheless, it is clear that culture takes time, as most of the great Europeans we know, especially artists, are German or French.

Since we've been living so well for a while, you see the Beatles and Queen appear.

But it is now the 19th century and Britain is still a cultural backwater.

“That… that’s true.”

Meanwhile, William Turner was a man whose name was known even in France, so he could truly be said to be the pride of our British Empire.

It was a little heartbreaking to see someone like that come in sick and not be able to easily share his worries.

But I also thought that this kid wasn't really sick, but had some other problem.

-That… …Pi Young-shin?

-Yes, go ahead.

-You've worked really hard day and night for our British Empire… … By the way, I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately.

-Oh, yes. Tell me anything. I'll do my best.

It's not because I'm a twisted person.

That's because this isn't the first or second time we've had this kind of conversation.

The worries that he brought up as if he was going to say something so important were ultimately related to his lower body.

One thing that stood out was that he seemed uneasy for some reason.

Well, it's not like people in the 19th century had no sense of shame, so why wouldn't they?

“Tell me anything.”

what…….

William Turner may be famous, but he is not the kind of person who can change the fate of a country, so I decided to ignore him.

My mind has become broader, that's what I'm saying.

So I waited for a while, ready to listen to whatever was said.

“Your eyes look a little weird.”

“Yes, yes. Squats… Yes? Eyes?”

But the words that came out were completely different from what I expected.

“Yes, my eyes are a bit… strange. They’re definitely dim. I can definitely see less than before.”

“Huh? Really? Your eyes?”

"yes."

He was an ophthalmology patient.

Ophthalmology… … .

'The place I wanted to go.'

Whenever someone asked me if I was a surgeon, I always proudly told them that I went to medical school to save people's lives, and that's why I came to surgery, which was the perfect fit for me…

Well, it's not like I didn't have that kind of feeling in a corner of my heart, so it's not like I'm completely blind, but it's not like I didn't have any lingering attachment to other subjects.

Of all the departments, the one I regret the most is, of course, ophthalmology.

At first, I wanted to open my own practice and make a fortune.

It seems like I'm letting out my frustration here, but anyway, the ophthalmologist is really nice.

It is because the eye, which is the part that ophthalmologists deal with, is too difficult and dangerous an organ to be touched by other departments.

'So I was interested, but… … Honestly, I don't know how to treat it at all… … .'

If it's a real problem with another department, I'm confident I can tackle it to some extent.

Honestly, even if it's a minor surgery like ENT, well…

Yeah? It's not like it's a big problem if you can't hear in one ear, right?

Oh, that's 19th century standards, not 21st century standards.

Here, it's an atmosphere where even if someone dies while receiving treatment, they just get over it, right?

I'm being careful because I think about my reputation and our hospital's reputation, but the others are still incredibly ignorant.

There are quite a few people who study horse riding more diligently than medicine.

“Snow. Since when has it been like that?”

Although I was worried about this and that inside, I continued to treat patients because I was a helpless doctor.

Because I have a very calm personality, the other person didn't even notice that I was worried, let alone flustered.

“Ah, yes. As expected, the question is different. Well, actually, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been wondering. It’s been a few years, I think.”

“It’s been a few years… but seeing that you came to the hospital now, it seems like it was only recently that you started feeling really uncomfortable.”

“Oh, actually, I didn’t really know. Well… it was a bit uncomfortable to read, but isn’t that the case for everyone? When you get older.”

Oh, this gentleman is soon turning 60.

I was born in 1975.

1775.

So, it is quite natural to get older and do whatever.

“That’s true.”

Well, by 21st century standards, it's not common for people to lose their eyesight to the point where they can't read books because they're old, but in this day and age, getting old like Turner is rare.

I can say that this is a truly blessed life.

“Then what kind of discomfort did you feel?”

How long can I live?

Even if those who are jealous of Joseon shamans don't kill them with swords or guns…

Somehow I don't think I can live that long.

I don't smoke and I hardly ever drink, but that's because I live in London.

I would rather not know anything, but for me, the curse of knowledge is very strong.

That's why, no matter where I look, there's lead paint over there, there's desserts with mercury in them, there's smog today too, and so on …

“A friend of mine told me this. He complimented the change in my painting style. I was so surprised.”

“Your painting style…? It must have been something you developed as a painter, so why are you surprised to hear that?”

After a moment of distraction, Turner's expression became so unpleasant that I started to focus on the conversation again.

“I didn’t really intend to draw it like that.”

“No, then……?”

“I just draw what I see. But… according to a friend, my recent work has been very dreamy. Now that I think about it, I often feel like the scenery I see lately has been a bit blurry.”

“Hmm… the scenery is blurry.”

I followed Turner's gaze and looked out the window.

Certainly the London sky was as cloudy today as it always is.

Perhaps if I were not a doctor, or rather a typical 19th century doctor, I would have just said, 'That's a mistake,' and let it slide.

But I know very well that there is a disease in the world called cataracts and what its symptoms are.

It's not that I'm particularly interested in ophthalmology.

It's just that my friend got cataracts at a young age.

I had a friend who was an ENT doctor, and he described it as… …the world becoming blurry, like looking through a glass pane.

'But… … I can't know just by hearing it.'

If I had an ophthalmoscope, I could pretend to look at my eyes, but in this day and age, there's no way I could do that.

It's not like there's no technology.

In an age where we have microscopes, it's impossible to make something like that.

But I can't make it because I don't know how to make it or why it's necessary.

I have no idea what the principle of the thing is and I have never used it before, so I couldn't even guess.

“Hey, can I see the picture?”

“Oh, I knew you’d do that, so I brought some. Hey!”

At Turner's shout, servants came carrying several paintings from the carriage.

“No, you idiot! How many times have I told you that this is something I drew recently? Put it in the order I drew it… How many times have I told you that!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

ah…….

Turner is certainly a talented man and has gained money and fame since a young age, but his reputation is not all good.

The negative reputation regarding character is particularly severe.

In the first place, it's strange that there isn't a single person as famous as me who is a common practitioner.

I already have four disciples, but William Turner doesn't have a single disciple, so I guess that says it all.

When we see such a person become a docile lamb in front of us, it is true that the person is successful.

Of course, it's not just because I'm successful, but also because I'm scared, but anyway.

“So this is the one you drew when you were younger, and this one is the one you drew recently?”

"yes."

“Umm…….”

“What do you think? Actually, even the drawings I drew when I was young seem quite blurry now that I look at them.”

“Umm…….”

I listened to William Turner's words and looked closely at his paintings.

As I just heard, I definitely got the feeling that the picture was a bit blurry.

But… … Judging from the years this gentleman has lived, London’s air pollution must have gotten considerably worse in the meantime.

Even today, the view of London I saw on my way to work was so hazy that it almost gave the impression of being dark.

Of course, the painting itself… … that is, the brush strokes are a bit more blurred… … .

'As you get older, you get tired, don't you?'

Well, I heard that our William Turner is not only ill-tempered, but also quite physically fit.

Oh my goodness, my hobby is going to the sea.

I heard that he sometimes rides on boats steered by others, but he also steers his own small boat.

But the fact that the teeth didn't fall out much means that the strength is really good.

Even so, he may be a step behind Liston or Joseph… … .

'In that sense, if you think about it as a blurry drawing, it's not strange that it becomes blurry.'

The idea that age and air pollution affect painting style was something I came up with, but it certainly seemed plausible.

Also, my memory could be being manipulated, but I vaguely remember reading in an article that fine dust had an effect on a certain artist's style.

Well… … If you think of fine dust, it would be London, so wouldn’t it be William Turner?

So now all that was left for me to do was comfort and reassure the patient, but I still felt a little uneasy in my chest.

This was because the picture wasn't simply blurry or blurred.

There was something else.

"ah."

As I watched the picture patiently with that thought in mind, only then did I see a change.

“Mr. Turner.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Have you noticed that you’ve been using more yellow lately?”

“Huh? Oh… is that so…? Well, I think I’ve been buying more yellow paint lately.”

The colors in the picture were changing.

More yellow.

Clearly, the colours of London are changing.

But it's more correct to see it as getting darker, not darker.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who sees something yellow under the London sky.

But Turner's painting was definitely singing, so I took a light and held it up to Turner's face.

“Eek. Please save me!”

Normally, I would be angry at that, but maybe because of my reputation, something completely different came out.

Anyway, Turner's eyes, illuminated by the light, were… … .

It was difficult for me to compare because I had never seen other people's eyes like this before.

'I can't tell just by looking at it.'

Instead of being honest, I lied.

“I think you have cataracts.”