Chapter 107: Infectious Disease [1]
Heo Jun could not concentrate on the anatomy, after he had heard that there was an infectious disease.
Patients were more important than the anatomy practice.
He was in the anatomy practice to cure patients.
Finally, Heo Jun raised his hand when Ganghyuk put his scalpel on the chest of the body.
“Scholar.”
“Yes, Dr. Heo.”
“I am afraid to say this but we cannot continue anatomy without seeing them.”
“Ah.”
Ganghyuk was overwhelmed by the luck that they had a dead body without family and relative and did not think of it.
But with Heo Jun’s comment, he agreed with his opinion.
“Heum… Anyway, I could not finish today.”
As a matter of fact, he felt tired.
It was an anatomy class but there was nobody who helped him. He must have cut and sector for himself and had to explain the functions after showing the organ.
‘An anatomy class itself lasts months.’
But it was possible in that world because they had formalin.
Anyway, he could not put all of the things in his students’ head in a short time.
Then they would not remember anything.
‘This is a demonstration.’
It cannot be called a practice.
Ganghyuk did the work and others watched him.
‘If we have multiple dead bodies, the story would be different.’
Ganghyuk thought of the smallpox in Gwanggyo.
Ganghyuk and Heo Jun could save many people but there were many people who died of it.
If he tried to have an anatomy practice, all of the fellows in the warehouse could have a body.
‘It is not good to think of the possibility of death… But if they die after treatment and we can use them as our practice… Heum.’
Ganghyuk had a headache because of the dilemma.
While he was thinking of this in his mind, Heo Jun gave him a clear answer.
“Let’s go. We can see what we could do if we saw them. We had the dead body at the first day. I think we have another opportunity later again.”
He was right.
There would be more bodies as people near Bojewon were on the way to death.
Actually, people who came to Jinjewon and got the treatment of Dongpa were in a better situation.
Most of others were not able to walk to Jinjewon. They were dying because of starvation and age.
“Yes. I feel uncomfortable doing this without seeing the patients.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“I have to clean the scene before we go.”
“You are right.”
As the Flail and his fellows guarded the place, nobody could come in.
But if somebody saw it, it would be a big scandal.
It would be reported to the King as a terrible incident and Ganghyuk who was the leader of the group would be prosecuted.
“Do we have woods in the backyard?”
“Yes, sir. I prepared dried ones.”
“Good. There will be no other people around this house, right?”
“There are some… but they are all wanderers. They are not interested in what happened in this house.”
“Ok. Let’s move the body and burn it.”
“Yes, sir.”
At the order of Ganghyuk, Dolseok nodded.
All the organs in the stomach were already removed and put in the basket.
The body was as light as a feather because it lost blood and organs.
In several minutes, the body and the debris from the body were put on the wood.
“Shall I fire?”
Dolseok held a torch.
He was very useful.
In emergency, he was not so useful as Makbong and Yeoni.
But in the peaceful time, he was the most useful one among the fellows.
“Wait. Although we don’t know his name, we need to pray for the repose of his soul.”
“Aha”
“He is our teacher to give his body for our learning. Close your eyes and stay for 5 minutes. Show your gratitude.”
“Ah, Yes.”
Ganghyuk paid a silent tribute closing his eyes after finishing the remark.
When he was a medical student, he paid a silent tribute whenever they dissect a dead body.
Ganghyuk always showed his gratitude for the dead body.
Owing to them, he could be a good surgeon.
“Eum”
All of the fellows bowed and paid a silent tribute.
Heo Jun and Heo Im grew respect for Ganghyuk in their mind.
‘He extends this man of low birth every courtesy.’
Although his body was not buried but cremated…
But if he was not used for anatomy practice, his body might be thrown away and eaten by animals.
The time was not very long.
Ganghyuk stopped his tribute before 5 minutes.
“Fire”
“Yes, sir”
With the order of Ganghyuk, Dolseok fired.
The firewood was dry, and oil was added on it. Therefore, the flame was big and quick.
“It burns very well. Tell the Flail not to allow anyone to come here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s go. Let’s see what kind of infectious disease attacked the poor people.”
All the fellows including Heo Jun and Heo Im followed Ganghyuk.
Makbong also followed.
Dolseok smiled at the trace of vomit on Makbong’s lips.
“Hey… How could you start vomiting even before the it started?”
Makbong did not say anything.
He was as dumb as an oyster.
Dolseok pulled his legs.
“You told me that I had a chicken heart. But I think you are the real chicken.”
Yeoni smiled.
She did not imagine that Dolseok could pull Makbong’s leg relating with courage.
Perhaps Dolseok did not expect it or imagine it.
He was overly excited.
‘He goes too much. Makbong may hit him in some time.’
Ganghyuk was worried about fighting between the two because Dolseok teased Makbong too much. Yeoju opened her mouth.
“Stop it, Dolseok. I know how you looked in Eotanmyeon.”
“What? Miss… Why are you talking about Eotanmyeon?”
“Makbong saved your life. You pissed out of fear when you met Japanese bandits. He saved your life.”
“When did I piss?”
“I am the witness.”
“…”
With Yeoju’s attack, Dolseok became silent.
Makbong felt better and the group could walk quietly.
“Eum, that must be the place.”
There were a lot of torches.
It seemed that people from Bojewon and Jinjewon were seeing the patients.
Ganghyuk worried if they did the right thing.
“Let’s go. It seems there might be a good number of patients.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Before going to the people, wear this mask and gloves. We do not know what disease we are dealing with.”
“Yes, it is like when we had to cure smallpox.”
Heo Jun murmured wearing the mask.
If it was smallpox, it would be better for the group.
All of them had immunity.
‘But if it were smallpox, a great number of people would die.’
At that time, he could find a cow stricken by smallpox very quickly.
It was God’s help.
But there is no guarantee that he would find one here.
“We must pray it would not be a bad disease like smallpox.”
“Yes, you are right. I slipped my tongue.”
“No, not at all. It seems that there must be an infectious disease, even though it was not smallpox.”
When they got nearer to the patients, they could feel that there is an infectious disease.
Every patient showed similar symptoms.
There was bad odor, too.
“God sake. Did somebody shit on the street? What an odor?”
Makbong murmured.
As he said, there was enormous shit odor.
It was natural because most of the patients had diarrhea.
They could see people whose pants were dirty here and there.
“Hoo”
Ganghyuk covered his nose with his sleeves.
The smell in the warehouse was bad but it was far worse than that.
“It is in chaos.”
Dolseok said showing the people to the group by moving his torch.
As he mentioned, the area was a scene of carnage.
As it was a poor village, population density was quite high, and the first response was very late when they found the disease.
What they could see was people who were dying and medical personnel from Bojewon.
It seems that there was no resident who was not sick.
“Dr. Heo. Please call the patients. As you know, the core of the infectious disease handling is control and alienation. I am not a public officer … So I think Dr. Heo is the only person who can do it here.”
“Yes, I see.”
Heo Jun frowned at the chaotic site and then held a person who seemed to be working in Bojewon.
“Who?”
“Ah, I am Dr. Heo Jun who works in the Naeeuiwon.”
“Ah, how are you, sir? Is this news reported to you?”
“No, I was passing by and saw it. Who is the responsible person here?”
“The chief responsible for this scene is Sir Gang Chan.”
“I see.”
Heo Jun moved quickly.
He went to the person that the man pointed.
He was a middle-aged man with round face.
His beard was sparse and it looked his figure scrubby.
“Are you the chief here?”
“Yes, who are you?”
“I am Heo Jun, Chemjeong in the Naeeuiwon.”
“Oh, what brought you here, sir?”
The chief of the site bowed to He Jun.
Ganghyuk pondered touching his beard.
‘Power is good. Should I have a public office?’
It was not impossible.
He had good friends and capability.
While he was daydreaming, Heo Jun and Gang Chan continued talking.
“I saw it by chance. I was passing by this area. It seems that there is an infectious disease. How do you treat this?”
“As there are too many patients here… An able doctor is doing the job.”
Heo Jun tilted his head.
The best doctor in Bojewon should be Baik Ganghyuk but he was with him in the warehouse. Then who was treating the patients?
“Who?”
“We have a famous doctor here. Dongpa is a really good doctor.”
Gang Chan pointed a man shouting.
He shouted showing his spirit.
“Do not give anything to the patients. Even water.”
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