The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 587 - 297 Medical Ethics Issues in the 19th Century_2

Similarly, the reason Mr. Eld Carter, the gem of the Classical Literature Department at the University of London, consistently ’praised’ Cambridge and Oxford was self-evident.

As soon as Arthur saw Hadcassle, it was as if he saw himself two years ago, and he nodded in agreement, "Sir, you needn’t be angry. After hardship comes ease, fortune changes, and one can’t always be down on their luck. Although Britain’s traditions dictate this nation’s love for old-fashioned stubbornness, not everyone standing at the bottom of the river will be drowned in this cesspool. As long as you can present a coherent argument, demonstrate your value and correctness, and find an investor willing to take a risk, things will start to improve."

Upon hearing these words, Hadcassle’s eyes brightened a bit.

He had waited so many years just for a chance to turn things around, but when he presented his proud discovery to everyone, instead of flowers and applause, he faced cold stares and closed doors.

Just like Arthur had said, he desperately needed a bold investor now.

Mr. Hasting, the Liverpool Commissioner of Customs appointed by four departments, was a very suitable candidate.

He spilled his guts like grasping at straws detailing his ordeal.

"Mr. Hasting, I know what your mission in Liverpool is, and you are aware of your purpose, right? We are both here to quell the cholera outbreak in Liverpool. I’m not sure whether conforming to public perception or achieving results is more important in your work, but I believe in medicine, as long as the patients recover, that is stronger than anything."

Upon hearing this, Arthur’s pipe glowed intermittently, "Sir, if I’m not misunderstanding, are you saying you have a way to cure cholera?"

Hadcassle quickly waved his hands, "No, no, no, Mr. Hasting, as much as I’d like to tell you I can cure cholera, my professional ethics do not allow me to do so. But... although I can’t guarantee all patients will recover, I assure you that my method will greatly reduce the cholera mortality rate."

Arthur straightened a bit upon hearing this, "What is the method you are speaking of?"

Seeing Arthur interested, Hadcassle quickly gestured to a student beside him, "Snow, bring out the report."

Snow took out a document from a small cloth bag and placed it on the table.

As Hadcassle opened the document, he explained, "Actually, even before the cholera outbreak, I had started investigating this disease. My mentor, Mr. Corbin, had served as an army doctor with the British troops in Mumbai years ago and participated in many cholera treatments.

He had long warned British doctors, ’Never comply with the continuous and miserable demands of patients for water, as I have witnessed many patients die from drinking water.’ This point is also essentially a consensus among doctors with experience in India.

In treating patients, I have always followed his teachings. But on top of that, I started to have some doubts about my teacher’s theory due to several noteworthy observations."

Arthur asked, "What did you find?"

Hadcassle began, "I had a cholera patient who was so weak that he fainted and his arm was cut by a stone on the roadside. However, when he was brought to me, I found that the blood flowing from his wound was black and thick, which indicated severe dehydration caused by the body.

Given his critical condition, it was no longer possible for me to continue following my teacher’s restricted drinking therapy because Professor Herman had speculated in an article published last year that the direct cause of patient deaths was the thickening of the blood, making circulation impossible.

But feeding him pure water would definitely aggravate his diarrhea. To address this issue, I revisited recent research articles on cholera treatment. Mr. O’Shaughnessy’s study on patients in Newcastle caught my attention.

He discovered through laboratory analysis that the patients’ blood was losing a significant amount of water and neutral salts, yet these missing elements were found in excess in their stool. This clearly supported Professor Herman’s viewpoint: the crux of the patient’s exhaustion and death was blood circulation obstruction caused by bodily fluid loss.

At that moment, I wondered if it might be possible to restore the patient’s arterial properties and ultimately cease the severe symptoms of the disease by ensuring complete contact between some high-oxygen salt and the cholera patient’s dark blood. To realise this idea, the first methods that came to mind were enemas and intravenous injections."

"Brilliant thought!"

Arthur’s eyes sparkled upon hearing it, and listening to Hadcassle’s detailed, professional explanation, he, possessing modern thinking, seemed to gradually grasp the treatment of cholera.

He grabbed Hadcassle’s hand and asked, "Continue, please."

Seeing Arthur’s intense reaction, Hadcassle also got somewhat excited.

He continued, "I first prepared a solution containing potassium chloride, carbonate, and baking soda for enema treatment of the patient, but since the patient’s intestinal absorption was already disordered, it could not properly absorb the saline solution and instead worsened his diarrhea symptoms. So, I began trying intravenous salt supplementation."