Dark-Haired British Doctor Chapter 64

Episode 64: The Experts of Hair [2]

Not even 5 out of 5… … .

Five people came, but all five of them had hallucinations.

For a moment, I thought the prevalence rate could not possibly be 100%, but after thinking about it calmly, I thought that was not the case.

‘Come to think of it… … a sick person must have come.’

Isn't that right?

In 21st century Korea, people go to the hospital for checkups or even for minor illnesses.

The hospital here is… … .

Shit… … .

Are you coming?

Are you coming if you're not sick?

If there was anyone who came to the hospital to play, that person really needed to have their head opened.

“Eww!”

“Save me!”

Even though I wasn't saying anything, screams were being heard from all directions.

You might wonder why there is anesthesia, but anesthesia is only used for serious surgeries.

I had been paying attention from the beginning, and Liston also got involved later.

People died because of anesthesia.

Even though the paper I provided as evidence was from a paper published in the 1700s, and it clearly states that anesthetics can kill people if used incorrectly, they just wrote it like that…

There were even cases where people would just play along and then collapse under the anesthesia.

Eventually, the director came forward and established a rule to only use it during surgery.

Anyway, it's full of crazy people… … .

“Okay, shall we go somewhere quieter?”

I shook my head, tossing the dark thoughts aside, and took a step forward.

The patients didn't find me suspicious and just followed me.

It had to be that way.

I am Dr. Liston's first assistant and a mysterious genius doctor from the East who also invented anesthesia.

Squeak.

The place we arrived at was Dr. Liston's laboratory.

Of course, permission was granted to write like this, but Dr. Liston probably didn't know that it would be written like this.

It was natural that everyone had a hard time.

It's difficult for me too… … .

It was possible because I found out that this gentleman was more outgoing than I thought.

Even now, surgery is probably being performed in a proper square.

It would take an hour just to get there and back, and it wasn't even just one.

and…….

'Cutting off four limbs in the square.'

It must have been a tremendous spectacle, so the director came up with an outrageous plan.

To go there today, you had to pay an entrance fee.

It was incredibly cheap, but the very idea of paying to see someone else perform surgery was outrageous.

Anyway, I guess I can't waste the time I've earned.

So I sat the patients down naked.

There might not have been a proper place to sit because there were knives here and there, but even so, the patients sat on the floor.

It looked that desperate.

'Well… … your severed arm hurts.'

In the 21st century, if you say you have phantom pain, everyone will understand, worry, and even treat it, but isn't this the uncivilized 19th century?

If you said that your amputated arm or leg hurt, people around you would probably laugh at you.

Telling me not to talk nonsense.

Honestly, doesn't it look like that?

In a world where science was not fully developed and where there was little understanding of the brain, it was only natural that it seemed that way.

“Let me ask you your name first.”

I asked them in the order they were seated, starting from my right.

This patient also had a vague memory.

He was a dockworker who got stabbed by a rusty nail and was left unattended, contracted tetanus, and had to have his arm amputated.

ha…….

tetanus…….

I guess I'll have to do something about that.

“Yes, my name is George.”

“Yes, George. What’s next?”

So the introductions continued, and as a result, I realized that I knew all five of them.

I never thought I'd be involved in this many amputations.

Oh my… … .

Anyway, they were all people who had undergone amputation due to heartbreaking circumstances.

Even everyone was poor.

The bigger problem was that London at the time treated things like human rights so poorly that it had no consideration for people with disabilities.

The story was that these people, who were already poor and forced to do hard labor, had their arms and legs cut off and were suffering from phantom pain.

‘Wow… … Seriously, what should I do?’

Something had to be done.

It's not because I'm a doctor, but because I'm a human being.

Joseph and Alfred's expressions also changed from a moment ago, perhaps because they had heard the story in detail.

These kids, who dreamed of becoming doctors out of many other careers, must be kind-hearted.

This was especially true given that there was plenty of work to be done in Britain at this time for the wealthy and powerful.

“First, let me ask you about your symptoms.”

“That’s… … a little strange. I know I don’t have hands. But this… … .”

“Yes, if anyone says something strange, ignore them. It can happen. As you can see, all five of you here have the same symptoms.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Then let me ask you again. What kind of sensation do you have in that hand?”

“Ah, that… … Sometimes it tickles. Sometimes it hurts… … Most of the time. Drinking alcohol doesn’t help much.”

“Ah, alcohol… … .”

How does alcohol affect phantom pain?

I'm not sure, but I don't think it would have any particularly good effect.

What was truly amazing was that I had nothing else to give.

‘I guess I should look through some old literature… … .’

I think that old literature has been of great help in the discovery of painkillers and antibiotics.

I remember seeing that a new malaria drug was developed based on something that was in an old document and even won a Nobel Prize.

At that time, I saw it and thought, 'Oh, I should have done that,' but now I think, maybe I could do it.

I wonder if the Nobel Prize exists now… … .

Well, I guess I can leave my name in the history books to some extent.

“Who’s next?”

Anyway, I continued asking questions.

Everyone's answer was similar.

It was like that for me, but it didn't seem to be like that for others.

Even though it was an interview, quite some time had passed, and while I was out taking a break, Joseph spoke to me.

He had a rather surprised look on his face.

“Peace.”

"huh?"

“Don’t you feel like you really have hands?”

“Oh, right.”

“That’s not true! All five of them said that.”

At first I wondered why it was so over the top, but after thinking about it carefully, it made sense.

“That’s right. No… … Really, this… … It’s so strange and scary because it looks like it has hands.”

“That’s right, senior. I also get goosebumps a little… … It’s not like I’m hallucinating or anything… … .”

“Because all five of us were like that… … I also thought that it was a real pain.”

“Yeah, that’s right. So that patient earlier must have had another arm amputated.”

“Oh, I see. Anyway, since you’re acting like that… … What is this… … I definitely don’t think it’s caused by nerves or anything.”

The two were not just surprised, but were also talking about this and that.

Surprisingly, I felt like I was moving in a pretty accurate direction.

I realized that it wasn't for nothing that Moon Jin became the default.

They say that if you just ask questions, you can get some answers, right?

I also learned it while getting scolded to death during my residency, but when I actually tried it, it really was like that.

“Then what the heck… … .”

“Well, it felt like I was seeing a vision. I felt like there were fingers, not just hands. Maybe… … .”

"perhaps?"

“No, um. I don’t know.”

While they were admiring each other for a moment, the two continued their conversation, and finally, feeling that they had nothing more to say, they almost simultaneously began to look at me.

It seems like they treat me like Doraemon's pocket or something…

'Actually, that's not such a wrong idea.'

At least as far as medicine is concerned, aren't I the real Doraemon of this era?

By the way, Doraemon was also a 22nd century robot that went to the 20th century.

I too am a 21st century doctor in the 19th century… … .

No, no.

“It’s not just about welcoming.”

After about 30 seconds of them both staring at me, when I was starting to wonder what the hell was going on, I opened my mouth.

I felt like if I dragged it on any longer, things would get really weird.

"huh?"

"what……?"

“You can feel it too.”

"sense……?"

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not just feeling pain, you’re also feeling a ticklish sensation. You’re feeling a tactile sensation.”

Anyway, I just threw out the topic.

Can I have that?

I didn't think I could do it, but it didn't matter.

"uh……."

"hmm……."

Both of them became confused.

This is all I needed to do.

Because it means that all existing concepts are being shattered.

Isn't this how progress is made?

Actually, I didn't know, but when I came here, it seemed like that.

This isn't something that can be explained with just words.

I have to break them all… … .

“You’re experiencing more than one sensation at the same time. It can’t just be a neural illusion.”

"why?"

“Even if there are nerves, how can they move anything other than muscles?”

"ah……."

Of course, I'm not strong enough to break it, so I went into eye-level education.

It wasn't difficult because the concepts of these two had already been shattered.

Open your mouths you punks, knowledge is coming in.

“Where is the place that puts all this together and thinks about it?”

"uh……."

"head……?"

“Yeah, head. I think it might be a head problem.”

It wasn't just knowledge, it was knowledge that spanned centuries.

The point was that they were trying to unfold the essence of brain science at a time when the term brain science did not even exist.

“Your head?”

“Isn’t this a bit out of the blue… … ?”

Maybe it was because she was so far gone, but she didn't seem like a witch when she said things like that.

He just looked at me with a bewildered expression.

Well, it made sense since it jumped from the arms and legs to the head.

But what can I do?

This is the correct answer.

“Think about it. This is actually an illusion. No matter how they feel, they clearly don’t have arms or legs. They just feel that way. So where does this illusion come from?”

“Arms or legs… … ?”

“The arms and legs can’t think on their own. In the end, isn’t it just the head that’s making mistakes? The head is where the thinking happens.”

“No, but you know those people don’t have arms or legs. Isn’t that the same head?”

"ah."

When did we first distinguish between the unconscious and the conscious?

No, that's not really the case…

'We know that even when we eat food, our mind makes mistakes… … .'

Hasn't it been known for a long time that the brain is a dumber organ than we think?

However, during this period, there was a strange obsession with reason, and so the idolization of the brain progressed considerably.

'Ah. Yeah. Yeah!'

Luckily, I knew a very easy way to create illusions.

It was thanks to the training I received while in the Air Force.

Some military doctors are required to take part in pilot training, and to qualify they must undergo some basic flight training.

One of the things I learned was that pilots need to understand the environment they work in, and one of the things I experienced was flight illusions.

“Joseph. Put Senior Alfred here and spin him around.”

"huh?"

“Turn it back.”

“Uh… … It looks like it shouldn’t be turned.”

“Ah, turn it around!”