"You won't be able to speak right now."
Some time later, or rather, the next day, the patient opened their eyes.
In the meantime, their face had swollen up like a balloon.
It was only natural.
Considering how badly they were injured, it's a miracle their facial bones weren't completely shattered.
Though it seems like their nasal bone might be a bit out of place…
Unfortunately, I've never tried to realign a nasal bone before.
'If I mess that up… given that the base of their skull is likely fractured… it could lead to a disaster.'
Living with a crooked nose is better than dying, right?
Besides, it's not like they made a living off their looks…
If this were the 21st century, I'd call an ENT specialist right away and get it fixed, but here, aside from me, the best you'll find are quacks. So, it's better for the patient to compromise.
-*Sigh.*
As I was thinking this, I looked at the patient with as much affection as I could muster. Meanwhile, the patient was struggling to speak.
But all that came out was the sound of air, not the familiar voice.
Why?
Because I made a hole.
Both inhaling and exhaling were bypassing the vocal cords.
"You won't be able to speak. It's okay. This is temporary…"
-*Hiss!*
Is that a glare?
"Haha. You really can't speak."
As I was thinking that, Liston, who was standing nearby, chuckled.
Don't laugh…
It feels like you're mocking them.
-*Hiss.*
But it seemed like the patient was okay with it.
Well, if they could get angry at Liston…
They'd have to be an extraordinary person.
"You fell off a bicycle. If you remember falling, blink once. If you don't remember, blink twice."
"Blink. When I say so."
This…
Communication with patients, or just communication in general, is really difficult in this era.
Most couples don't even talk to each other, so what can you expect?
So, when I'm alone, it's really tough, but with Liston around, things are a lot easier.
"You don't remember… Does your tongue hurt?"
"It probably hurts. They say it hurts. Or not?"
"The second blink might be because of tears."
"This is frustrating… When will I be able to talk?"
"We need to stop that…"
"Then stop it."
"No… that's their airway. Their tongue is too swollen right now… It's going to be difficult for a while."
"Will it go down over time…?"
At least communication was possible.
Of course, it would be better if they could speak, but right now, their throat is completely blocked.
If I hadn't made that hole, they would've died yesterday.
-*Hiss.*
The patient, unaware of this fact, kept making frustrated sounds as air escaped…
But no matter how I looked at it, there was no sense of gratitude on their face…
Still, I checked on their condition.
'First of all, Lord… thank you for letting them survive the night.'
Does this person know that I'm thanking God for their survival?
'There's… cerebrospinal fluid leaking… Damn it.'
Damn it.
Cancel that prayer.
What the hell is this?
I can't even touch that area.
'But… maybe it'll get better if we wait…?'
I put on my best poker face and spoke.
"For now… the patient should stay lying down like this."
"Is there a reason? You should sleep lying flat."
I stubbornly propped the patient up at about 30 degrees.
Of course, there's no such thing as an adjustable bed in this world…
At best, I could only prop them up with a pillow.
The only saving grace was that the patient was so badly injured that they couldn't move much, so they had no choice but to stay in that position.
The patient probably didn't see it as a saving grace, though…
"If you shine a light, you'll see something leaking from the back of the patient's nose, right?"
"It's just snot."
The bigger problem was Liston—no, the doctors of this era.
They believed that the only things that could come out of the nose were snot or blood… These ignorant fools…
In reality, our brains float in cerebrospinal fluid, and if the base of the skull—the bone at the top of the nasal cavity—is fractured, that fluid can leak out. But they couldn't even imagine that…
So, in cases where the fracture is minor, if you just avoid putting too much pressure on it, it can heal on its own. But how could they possibly understand that?
"There's some blood too."
"Compared to yesterday, it's mostly stopped. Besides, their tongue is so swollen they can't even breathe. It'll come out eventually."
So, I had to continue this frustrating conversation.
"That's… right."
"Right? Did you just come up with that reason?"
It's not just that they're annoyingly quick-witted, it's also difficult.
"Their tongue is swollen. If it's elevated, the swelling will go down."
"Hmm… That sounds plausible for something you just came up with."
Plausible…
Because it's true…
Of course, that's not the real reason for doing this, but the human body is affected by gravity, so swelling naturally goes down.
Usually, this is done for leg injuries, but what does that matter now?
"It's not just plausible, we need to get that out as soon as possible. So they can talk."
"True. It's really uncomfortable. It's a great method for saving patients who can't breathe, but… hmm."
"Still, consider teaching this method to other surgeons at the next meeting. Where else would you find a technique like this?"
"That's true. Living without being able to speak is still a hundred times better than dying."
Liston stroked his chin.
When I first met him, he used to run his hand through his hair when deep in thought, but now…
"Why are you looking at me?"
"No, nothing."
Maybe it's because surgeries have increased due to anesthesia…
I really zoned out for a moment.
"Don't look at me…"
"Okay, okay."
Liston's face drooped, and he scratched his chin again before speaking.
"What were we talking about earlier?"
It wasn't anything particularly meaningful.
The power of a missing mind is truly astounding.
No, if this keeps up, I'm going to get killed.
"A tracheostomy."
"Ah, right. That… Hmm. Yes, that's a meaningful procedure. It's not too difficult either."
Not too difficult…
It only seems that way because I'm good at it. In reality, it's not that easy.
Of course, objectively speaking, it's more of a minor procedure than a full-blown surgery, and there are even machines that can do it by just rotating a bit, making it something even internists can handle in simple cases…
But that's in the 21st century.
"Yes, but if something goes wrong, the patient could die. And they wouldn't even die in a dignified way."
"That's true."
Liston closed his eyes quietly.
He was probably recalling yesterday's surgery—or rather, the scene of me operating.
If they had died, it would've been a horrific sight.
"So, you need to teach it properly."
"Hmm… That's right. We can't just do it in a lecture hall."
"Then…?"
"We'll have to do it in the dissection room."
For now, there was nothing more we could do for the patient but watch.
No, if anyone else tried to do anything…
They'd die.
'Emily… she's doing fine too.'
Aside from this patient, Emily was also doing well.
It seemed like not stitching her up was a stroke of genius—there were no signs of local infection, and thanks to the brain fragment, there were no signs of rabies either.
She's already been discharged and came back for a follow-up twice.
Actually, she came today because I sent her money without saying anything, and she was surprised.
-It's okay. Write. Don't worry about living expenses.
Truly, condoms are a blessing.
Long live France.
Thanks to this, I'm supporting Emily Brontë and still have money to spare.
"Since we're on the topic, should we go?"
"Ah, yes. Let's check on her condition. We have time until next week, but… I haven't been able to do any dissections lately, so I'm not sure about the turnover rate."
Turnover rate… for corpses?
I looked at Liston in confusion, but this involuntary balding man didn't seem to notice and continued shamelessly.
"Ah, and. About making bicycle riders wear helmets."
"Ah, yes. That. Just wearing that would reduce the number of people dying from falls."
"I think so too… It seems like common sense."
Fortunately, it was a meaningful suggestion.
Besides, 19th-century humanity had some experience with helmets.
Bicycles hadn't been around for long, but horses had been ridden for a long time.
And since horses were expensive animals, they were practically the exclusive property of the nobility, especially for leisure.
"I've passed the message to the police chief. Well… I doubt everyone will start wearing them, but it's better than nothing."
"Yes, yes."
If I could, I'd ban bicycles altogether…
But you can't take away such an efficient mode of transportation from the common people just because it's dangerous.
Besides, I'm just an Asian doctor, not the Queen.
Even the Queen probably couldn't do that.
Maybe in the distant future, an aspiring artist with a mustache from Austria might try something like that?
*Creak.*
While we were chatting about this and that, we suddenly found ourselves in the dissection room.
Unlike Liston, I've been in and out of here relatively often lately.
Why?
"Oh, you're here?"
"Pyeong's here."
"Help me with this."
Our disciples—Joseph, Alfred, and Colin—were here, so that's why.
They're more like friends, but when you're teaching them day in and day out, it's more of a master-disciple relationship.
"Oh, wait a second."
"Ah! Professor!"
"Eek!"
"Please save me."
I entered first, and when Liston came in, the students who had been running towards the entrance scattered like cockroaches in a lit kitchen.
"What's this?"
"Nothing. The kids are working hard."
"Hmm… They're the only three making progress…"
"I might be a bit biased."
"Is it okay for a future professor to say that so openly?"
"If I become a professor, I won't be biased, so it's fine, right? Besides…"
"True. I know."
At first, it was fine, but maybe because I'm too good, they started calling me a yellow monkey behind my back.
As a result, factions formed—Joseph, Alfred, and Colin were loyal to me, another group of about ten were neutral, and the rest…
"If you want to die, there's nothing you can't do."
"No, it's not okay for a professor to say they'll kill someone."
"If you listen, I won't kill you, so it's fine, right? There's no difference between you and me."
"Well…"
There's a big difference, though…
While I was thinking this, Liston quietly walked around the dissection room and muttered with a dissatisfied expression.
"There aren't enough cadavers. We'll have to get more from somewhere."
This was a bit scary, even for someone as close to him as me.
"And…"
"About wearing helmets?"
"Yes."