Dark-Haired British Doctor Chapter 402

Episode 402 Ophthalmology [4]

A disease in which the retina detaches.

Coincidentally, it was a disease that was somewhat familiar to me.

Because among my classmates, the closest one was the one who had that disease.

It's retinal detachment… … .

Since the guy was a doctor and went there late, he had a case where his macula fell off and was then reattached, so I think he suffered from metamorphopsia later on.

what…….

You could say he was better than me, though, since he didn't die a violent death like me.

'The question is, is that really true?'

Some patients have complaints like this.

Why do doctors talk and write in a language that only they can understand?

There's nothing that can be done about it.

In a way, medical terminology is a new language that medical professionals around the world have created and learned so that they can communicate without any problems.

There is a movement to create pure Korean terms, but this is precisely why they are not widely used.

Isn't modern medicine no longer something that can be developed by a single genius?

Inevitably, we need to learn from each other by looking at the papers and conference presentations that are pouring in from all over the world, but what if we just say those things in different words?

It's like the Galapagos.

'Right now, I'm the Galapagos. No… … Should I consider everyone the Galapagos?'

19th century medicine had not yet reached that stage.

Different doctors say different things, and while some of them are correct, most are incorrect. And even if they are correct, it is difficult to understand because the expressions are different.

“The retina is detached? What does that mean?”

So I pretended not to know to find out exactly what this person was talking about.

Then, the gentleman who had been eating well while sitting between us put down his fork, knife, and glass for a moment and wiped his mouth.

I guess he must have lived in Germany for a while, but since we are all doctors, I guess we can't help but have some expectations when it comes to hearing medical information.

Everyone stopped eating and listened to him.

'Well… Germany is somehow different.'

It is not a unified empire yet.

Bismarck may have been born, but the Iron Chancellor would have been the same age as me, so… … .

It could be said that it was too far to be active, and since Germany is a country next to France and not too far from England, and has a large Germanic population, it was intentionally divided into four.

At first, I also thought that it was typical of English-speaking countries…

You might think that because I'm British I don't look down on the French, but the French are truly hidden gems.

'They say Germans are scary, this.'

Let's talk about that later, but what I think now is that there is a reason why the British government put so much effort into suppressing Germany.

I don't know if it's because of the genetic differences or if there's something culturally different…

Despite being in the 19th century, Germany is showing great scientific excellence.

It goes without saying that most of the surgical instruments I use are made in Germany.

In 19th century Britain… … even though it was truly the world's most powerful country, they still thought German products were better.

“There was a man named von Graepe. He performed an autopsy in 1805 and discovered a body where the retina had detached spontaneously.”

“What do you mean, fell?”

Since this perception was not unique to him, Liston also took the attitude of asking him to teach him.

Of course, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have taught you this.

There's something a bit cold about it.

Some people say it's because of the weather, but anyway, they're not easy.

But I don't know if it was because Liston asked or because he was just a particularly nice person, but he explained it to me step by step.

“Ah…… Isn’t the retina originally attached to the back of the eyeball?”

“Yes. I’ve been studying eye dissection recently, so I know the structure well.”

“Good. Anyway, that’s what fell. It looks like there’s water in between.”

“Oh… But then is there a problem?”

“Yes. I checked and found out that the corpse had been blind while alive.”

“It’s not a cataract?”

“I’m in my 20s.”

“Ah…… Hoo…….”

There are also young cataracts, but since it is not common knowledge to doctors at this time, both were passed over.

Since I don't know the exact prevalence rate or anything like that, I just skipped it for now.

Besides, that's not what's important now.

'Surely… … Are you really talking about retinal detachment?'

Retinal detachment… … .

I know from watching it from the side, it's a truly absurdly scary disease.

Did you really lose your eyesight in an instant?

Is it because it's this time that it doesn't exist?

That can't be true.

It would be meaningful if we could save even a little bit of those people's eyesight.

“After that, this… we decided to call it retinal detachment. It looks like the retina has detached due to some kind of liquid. If either of you doctors have a more appropriate term, please let me know.”

At Theodore's words, Liston looked at me slyly.

It was more or less like that even before I planted my hair, but after that, I swore to follow my will completely, so it is like that.

Even so, Liston is Liston, so he talks back sometimes, but whenever that happens, I just look at his head and he corrects himself, so it's really convenient.

Anyway, since this is a phrase that was used in our time, I just nodded.

“That sounds right. I remember seeing a similar case when I was dissecting it. I thought that it would affect vision in some way… If this is the case, then it seems right to say that the retina has a dominant effect on vision.”

“Aha, yes. It’s reassuring to hear you say that. In fact, there are people who won’t listen even if you say something like that. Oh, I completely agree with your opinion, teacher. I studied art… Even in art, it’s clear that the retina is the key.”

“Art? What does that have to do with art?”

It's only natural that people who are doing well these days would start saying strange things.

I was thinking, "Yes, yes," because I thought that this gentleman was also a 19th century person, and then I ended up saying something surprisingly plausible.

In order for perspective to be possible, the images must be formed in reverse, and to do so, it would be more reasonable for humans to see objects with the retina at the back of the eyeball rather than the lens as was previously thought.

After listening to it, I decided to trust this man named Theodore a little more.

“Oh… I see. I’ve learned something.”

“Haha, that’s ridiculous. Teaching? I will consider it an honor for the rest of my life to hear such words from a poet.”

“So what’s the point? I know I have this disease, but what’s the point?”

“Ah. Yes, my patient is in this situation right now. He’s a patient… or rather, he’s a companion, but now he’s become a patient.”

“I see. No, wait.”

Being a patient means that this gentleman saw that the other person had a retinal detachment.

That means you've seen the retina… … .

Even though I had cataract surgery and had glaucoma, I honestly never got to see my retina properly.

It wasn't something that could be seen with the naked eye.

We need an ophthalmoscope, but unfortunately, the ophthalmoscopes we have made so far do not allow for easy internal observation.

'no way.'

These German bastards… …?

I asked him a question, worried that a world war might break out sooner.

“How did you see it? The retina is located at the back of the eyeball, so it is not easy to see things in a living person.”

“Ah. Yes. That’s a valid point. It’s hard to see just by looking at it. But if you have this, you’ll be fine.”

Then Theodore smiled and took out something that looked exactly like an ophthalmoscope.

It's not the form we usually know, but…

Still, it looked a lot better than what I'm using now.

“This is……?”

“It’s called an ophthalmoscope. If you wear it, you can see inside. In fact, if it weren’t for the poet, I wouldn’t have been able to make it.”

"huh……?"

“Didn’t you say you looked at miasma under a microscope?”

“Oh, that’s right. I published it as a thesis.”

When I was publishing my thesis, the Dean and Liston gave me crucial help.

Academia is a place where personal connections are important, so we have to pull and push each other, but what do I have?

If it weren't for these two, no one would have accepted me.

So I looked at Liston and he laughed, 'Huh, huh.'

Meanwhile, Theodore continued talking while fiddling with his ophthalmoscope.

“Then the microscope boom happened. But I have some grand plans.”

“Grand plan…?”

“Yes, I live in the arms of the higher-ups and enjoy a life of luxury. Poet Pi Young-si is my role model.”

“Ah, umm.”

what…….

Looking back on my situation now, it's not entirely wrong, but I feel a little offended when I say it like that.

It seems like he's become a bit of a traitor or something.

So I made a face, but it was of no use because Theodore was looking into space instead of at me, as if he had already marked someone.

“Anyway, I knew he had poor eyesight. That’s why I went to the ophthalmologist. Then, while I was making ophthalmoscopes, I came to England to find my benefactor, the poet Pi Young-shi. On the way back, my companion had a problem, so I had to come to him urgently.”

“Aha… Hmm, can I take a look at this?”

“Of course. Actually, I’m going to give it to you as a gift. Haha. I know it’s weird to call you a substitute, but please be kind to me.”

“Oh, really? Of course. Haha.”

The impression was quickly lifted.

Maybe it was because he was a person who wanted to be successful, but he was very perceptive.

I looked into Joseph's eyes with the ophthalmoscope he had given me, and even though it was not very bright indoors, I felt as if I could see the retina.

“Me too? Oh, I see.”

Liston refused for a moment, so I looked at his head, and he willingly gave me his eyes.

Thanks to that, I was able to see Blundell's eyes.

As I repeated it, I was able to get a clear feeling of where and what the retina looked like.

As I was smiling in satisfaction, Theodore, who had been waiting for me to finish this, opened his mouth.

“So… how do you think we should treat retinal detachment?”

“Ah. Hmm. That… I guess I’ll have to think about it for a bit.”

“You shouldn’t drag it out too long. I saw it a few times when I was in Germany, and if you drag it out for too long, you’ll go blind.”

“I guess so, I guess.”

“Of course, the prognosis is not good for those who were treated quickly. In fact, many of them died.”

“Huh? That’s a lot?”

“Yes, that’s right. Well… there are sacrifices that are unavoidable… right?”

How can you talk about someone's death so lightly?

I must confess that until just now I had thought that Theodore was not very 19th century.

But at this moment, he looked like a typical 19th century doctor.

…with a lot of patient's blood on his hands… …and yet he doesn't feel ashamed of it.

“Right. Haha.”

“I guess that’s the price of progress.”

Of course, I didn't say anything to him.

My friends are all in agreement, so I can't ruin the mood.

Instead, I asked him why he had the surgery.

I did that because I thought I could do something better if I knew that.