Chapter 157: Free Medical Lecture (2)
As soon as he finished speaking, both professors and students completed their preparations to take notes.
The noisy atmosphere in the auditorium instantly quieted.
Ray looked around and, after a brief pause, spoke,
Todays lecture is on Practical Emergency First Aid and Understanding Microorganisms.
He continued, addressing the attentive audience,
Weve seen the healers contributions in the war. But saving someone on the brink of death isnt solely the healers responsibility.
He was a professor and a saint chosen by the gods.
Yet, the irony of a saint suggesting that lifesaving wasnt exclusive to healers wasnt lost on the audience.
Many people wore puzzled expressions upon hearing his words,
Some of you might have experienced or witnessed this on the battlefield, but there are certain diseases and injuries that not healers, priests, or even we saints can heal.
Even the saints cant heal them
Then they must be considered as good as dead
Before the murmurs could grow louder, he resumed,
However, with different treatment methods, these ailments are not beyond cure. The medical academy, which opens its doors to students today, will focus on treating diseases and injuries that have stumped healers.
In essence, his words served as an invitation to those interested in enrolling.
They had all too often encountered diseases that neither healers nor priests could cure in their lifetimes.
Divine magic wasnt omnipotent. There were indeed afflictions it couldnt remedy.
For instance, there were allergies that were treated in Grand Duke Silos territory.
Before delving into his lecture, he wrote something on the blackboard.
He defined traumatic sepsis, a fundamental concept relating to wounds and injuries that frequently claimed soldiers lives during the war.
Naturally, such a definition was unknown in this other world.
Faced with their puzzled expressions, Ray tapped the podium twice.
Thump- Thump-
Henceforth, we will refer to all external injuries as trauma.
No one objected to his words. The lecturing professor had spoken, and counterarguments were not expected.
Before we start the main lecture, lets discuss why soldiers who could have been saved died from minor traumas during the war.
A few students in the front row quickly responded to Rays cue.
Their answers did not seem well-considered.
The healers and priests were too few to treat soldiers with minor traumas.
Despite their quick responses, he calmly educated them,
Thats half correct. But why did soldiers die from injuries that were clearly not fatal?
.
No one was quick to answer his seemingly nonsensical question.
After waiting a moment for a response, Ray finally spoke when everyone remained silent.
The answer is due to traumatic sepsis.
As he underlined the word he had written on the blackboard, they showed interest.
There are numerous microorganisms around us that we cant see. For example, even on the palm of the student who just answered.
He explained it simply, but they did not quite understand, as it was a sudden revelation.
One of the attending professors asked,
Are you saying that these microorganisms live in every place and on every object?
Thats right.
But I dont feel anything around me
Ray was astounded by his words.
Was he trying to sense them with mana?
Lacking knowledge was one thing, but such a bewildering statement left him momentarily speechless.
Yeasts and fungi are classified as eukaryotic microorganisms.
Taking the professors words as an example, it was as if he had tried to sense microorganisms from fungi using mana.
It was absurd. If he could feel that, he would be a stronger being than even Aira.
Microorganisms are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Its impossible to feel their presence.
Sensing anything below the visible limit of the human eye, around 0.1mm, was virtually impossible.
A flurry of questions arose, dissatisfied with the explanation.
What exactly are these microorganisms? How do you know about them, Professor?
Id like to see some evidence.
Evidence
He pondered for a moment and then brought up an example.
I believe everyone knows what happens to bread left at room temperature for a long time.
It rots.
Thats right, it rots. But its not just rotting fungi grow on it. Does it make sense if I say this fungi is also a microorganism?
Their silence indicated they didnt understand.
It seemed better to explain why fungi grow on such things.
Microorganisms have unique properties. Categorized by their nature, they are algae, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, yeasts, etc. The epidemics you fear so much also originate from these microorganisms. The decomposition of corpses is also due to their activity.
Epidemics, you say?
The idea that microorganisms were everywhere and could cause epidemics made some stand up in alarm.
They felt an inexplicable discomfort on the parts of their bodies that were touching chairs or desks.
Ray wrote again on the blackboard:
Pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases in plants and animals, those producing toxins that lead to food poisoning, and harmful microorganisms that spoil or decompose various substances related to food, clothing, and shelter.
He briefly explained the characteristics of different types of microorganisms.
Not all microorganisms were harmful.
Penicillin, like that created by Ray in the Grensia Mountains, was produced by blue mold.
Ignorance had led to only harm from microorganisms, but knowledge changed the story.
If used correctly, they could be utilized to produce useful substances, just like in the modern world.
Returning to the main topic, when trauma becomes infected with microorganisms, it can lead to a severe inflammatory response known as sepsis. If not treated in time, the mortality rate is incredibly high. This is why soldiers in wars often died from relatively minor injuries.
Does that mean even falling on the ground can be fatal?
A female students question made Ray ponder for a moment before he nodded.
That might be the case here, unlike in the modern world.
Given the subpar hygiene, a fall that causes a larger wound could lead to sepsis.
It can be fatal.
Their looks conveyed, How are we supposed to live in such a scary world?
Traditionally, one would treat or prevent sepsis with appropriate antibiotics.
One might rely on healers or priests, but only if they were immediately available.
In the end, knowledge truly helps.
However, theres no need to overly fear sepsis.
Tissues and blood inherently possess a certain level of defense against external stimuli, pathogens, and harmful substances.
Just because pathogens invade doesnt mean one will immediately fall ill.
People in this other world generally possess higher defense capabilities than those in the modern world, so theres less to worry about, except in war scenarios.
Adding basic explanations, Ray planned to teach them about emergency first aid.
Calmly making eye contact with his audience, Ray continued to speak.
If you were injured during a war, what would you do? Would you give up on life because of the fear of traumatic sepsis? Would you excise the flesh?
The rather tough nature of the discussion left them unable to respond.
But the answer was obvious.
Nobody would want to give up their life or body.
For minor traumas, simply washing the wound with clean water can be effective. To prevent infections like sepsis, we will call all actions that kill microorganisms disinfection from now on. With proper disinfection of trauma, theres no need to worry about sepsis.
Do you understand?
Im sorry, but I still cant grasp the concept.
That was expected.
They were unaware of the existence of microorganisms, and absorbing all this information at once was overwhelming.
Raise your hand if you have had Cleg at least once.
Cleg is akin to a cold.
The common cold is caused by over 200 different types of viruses.
About 30-50% of these are Rhinoviruses, and 10-15% are Coronaviruses.
Viruses similar to the Rhinovirus that cause cold syndromes are not exclusive to the modern world.
In this other world, something similar exists, referred to as Cleg.
Most professors and students raised their hands at Rays question.
Those who didnt were likely only from the Chepes Ducal Family.
The grandeur of the Ducal Family is beyond imagination.
They probably didnt even realize they had Cleg and were treated by a healer.
Ray himself had had Cleg as a child and was thoroughly treated by his mother, Saein.
Everyone knows that Cleg can be fatal if contracted severely.
Are you saying, Professor, that Cleg is also caused by microorganisms?
Not exactly. Its not entirely unrelated, but Cleg has a different primary cause. Explaining this would be endless, so Ill simplify the principle for you.
Ray cast a spell on a small barrel placed at the base of the podium.
Water.
As his mana resonated softly, the barrel soon filled with water.
Ray nonchalantly washed his hands there.
Even when you wash your hands like this, the microorganisms on them are not completely disinfected. But its not ineffective.
His mana emitted a chill, gradually cooling the water.
The audience in the auditorium became increasingly absorbed in his lecture.
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