A Hospital in Another World?

Chapter 153

How can we eliminate the risk of infectious diseases?

Garrett Nordmark spread out his paper and quill on his desk. The Magic Council had treated them well, allocating a dedicated dormitory at the Bridge Academy, located below the headquarters mountain, for the visiting scholars. Despite arriving late, Garrett managed to secure a private room with a bathroom. The room was equipped with a bed, bookshelf, wardrobe, and various furnishings.

Though smaller than the suites in the Mage Tower, it was sufficient for Garretts needs.

With tranquility, Garrett began writing his thesis. The quill glided across the pristine paper, not as convenient as a ballpoint pen but still serviceable in this era. Garrett, having experienced the challenges of transcribing books onto low-quality thick paper, found the current writing conditions satisfactory:

"Research on the Possibility and Prevention of Diseases Caused by Close Contact with Bats"

Keywords: Bats, Diseases, Contagion, Virus Host

Garrett paused his pen. Bats carry over 4100 types of viruses, making them a source of many diseases that occasionally erupt. However, without high-powered microscopes, proving this point was a daunting challenge.

Well, this was indeed a serious challenge.

Putting down his quill, Garrett rested his chin on his hand, absentmindedly tracing his jaw with his thumb. He pondered on the fact that his expertise was in clinical medicine, not research. Even if those researchers were given a scenario where they lacked resources and couldnt afford bats, ten out of ten would be infuriated.

Garrett glanced around the room.

Various tools were at his disposal alcohol lamps, flasks, crucibles, test tubes a complete set of simple alchemical equipment lay neatly arranged. Two large bottles of high-concentration alcohol sat nearby, looking harmless.

The microscope was still in its box, yet to be unpacked. Surgical instruments were in another box, tightly wrapped and unopened, unsterilized.

During his deployment on the battlefield, he had adopted a moving-house approach, packing almost half a hospital. Fortunately, that proved useful; otherwise, would the Magic Councils airship have taken a detour to fetch his luggage? Garrett was confident it wouldnt.

However, these alchemical devices surely wouldnt assist him in conducting experiments. Garrett mentally crossed out the possibility, thinking of the P4 laboratories he had seen in the news, and comparing it to the alchemical equipment before him, which couldnt even match a high school chemistry lab.

Garrett began to search another small box. Aen Stone, Healing Potions all useless. Confirming that all his current magical equipment was of no help, Garrett expressionlessly pulled out a letter from his teacher. After some consideration, he retrieved his paper on bacteria and dysentery, magically duplicated it, tucked it into his waist pouch, and briskly walked out of the academy.

"Bernard... Bernard!"

The academys single rooms were only sufficient for Garrett himself. Of course, a barbarian could sleep on the floor, but Garrett didnt want him to feel cramped or add another over two-meter tall giant into the limited space.

So, for the time being, the barbarian was accommodated in an inn. Garrett planned to explore and find a house to rent when he had time after class. However, for now...

"Bernard, accompany me to Oakridge. Lets seek help from the teachers friend!"

At the foot of Oakridge, Elder Wood of the Nature Cult was in distress. Over the past few days, he had treated several adventurers fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting...

Superficially, it didnt seem like much a trip into the mountains, catching a cold or eating something bad, falling ill was normal. But upon careful questioning, all of them had recently, within a month, ventured into the mountains to catch bats!

"Dont provoke bats."

This was an ancient teaching of the Cult, passed down for a long time. The reasons for it were unclear.

These creatures were nocturnal, ugly, and not particularly tasty, so people usually didnt bother catching them.

But in recent months, the Magic Council had stirred up a trend of capturing bats...

And now, a patient presented before him, who, after a fever, sore throat, and muscle pain, was now struggling to breathe!

"What? A visitor? From Newster County?" Elder Wood impatiently waved his hand to his student. "Arrange a place for him to stay. Once I cure this patient, then we can talk to him!"

"But..."

The Nature Cults house wasnt that big. Garrett, presenting Elder Elwins letter, had already been led in, standing on the side. Elder Wood treated the patient, and Garrett, with his neck stretched out, silently counted the breaths. Even if the respiratory rate didnt reach 30 breaths per minute he wasnt certain without a watch it was at least 27-28 breaths per minute!

Is this... approaching respiratory distress?

Elder Wood raised his oak staff, murmuring a prayer. A shower of light fell, and the patient seemed to improve a bit, managing to cough up a thick phlegm. However, the treatment didnt last long, and soon, the patient returned to a state of struggling to breathe.

Interesting. What was the principle behind this treatment? Enhancing the lungs ability to exchange oxygen in the alveoli, or directly increasing blood oxygen saturation?

Garrett quickly speculated. Seeing the elder casting the second treatment, still only maintaining, not improving, he stepped forward.

"This patient has a lung problem! He needs to inhale oxygen!"

"Inhale... what?"

Next to Elder Wood, a level 5 priest and an apprentice looked on. Garrett took out a small tube of oxygen from his pouch and held it up:

"Part of the air we breathe is essential for human vitality and is also a crucial component for fire combustion! The vitality of humans and flames is sustained by it! If the concentration of this gas increases, the power of burning flames will multiply. See for yourselves!"

He pulled out a small twig, lit it, and swung it until only sparks remained. Inverting the test tube, the barbarian drew a dagger and skillfully cut off the bottom. Garrett swiftly inserted the twig into the test tube.

The moment the brilliant flames erupted, the eyes of the three priests lit up.

"Fire works this way, and so does life! This patient is struggling to breathe; ordinary air isnt enough for him. He needs to inhale this pure gas!"

Is that so?

The servants of the god of nature remained skeptical. The room fell silent, with only the patients rapid breaths and the occasional sounds of the bellows-like wind machine. Elder Wood suddenly reached out:

"Child, let me see that tube in your hand."

Garrett quickly handed over the new test tube. Elder Wood held the smooth walls of the tube, examining it from all angles, but couldnt make sense of it. Finally, he had to ask Garrett:

"Child, is the gas in this tube what you call pure and capable of sustaining human vitality?"

"Yes!"

"Using it will help the patient?"

"It helps, but its scarce! We need a lot of this gas... its best to have a mask covering the patients face or insert a tube directly into their lungs."

Ventilators, oxygen pipes, or at least an oxygen tank; what use is this small test tube?

Elder Wood frowned in contemplation. Holding the tiny test tube in his left hand, he suddenly raised his right hand, pointing the oak staffs tip towards the patient:

"Lets give it a try then."

The tip of the staff, adorned with green leaves, gently swayed, and a translucent bubble materialized out of thin air, enclosing the patients head. It was the bubble technique Garrett had learned. A level 1 mage or a level 1 priest could use it. The seasoned priest effortlessly employed the spell.

"I pray: Fill the bubble with the same gas as in this glass tube, sustaining human vitality, allowing the patient to effortlessly inhale..."

Garrett was dumbfounded. No potassium permanganate heating, no high-pressure separationdirectly using divine magic to gather pure oxygen?

Sir, are you sure what youve gathered is truly pure oxygen? Is there no contamination, like carbon monoxide?

What is the underlying principle here?

Regardless, this peculiar divine magic indeed had an effect. The bubble techniqueor rather, the bubble serving as an oxygen maskgradually stabilized the patients complexion, and the bluish tint on their lips began to recede. Oxygen inhalation, or whatever it was, was truly effective!

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