The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 591 - 298: The Duality of the Cholera Nightwatchman_3

The members of the Liverpool Health Committee, who were also the most prestigious doctors locally, almost surrounded their teacher, pointing fingers at his nose and swearing at him. Had it not been for someone holding them back, Hadcassle would have definitely not escaped a beating today.

Moreover, even the onlookers enjoying the spectacle were all important figures from Liverpool. Who knows how they would view a student of this disgraced doctor in the future?

Thinking that his future might also be jeopardized, possibly even losing the qualifications to further his studies at a medical school, Snow’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

In one’s lifetime, the chances to change one’s fate are not many.

Seeing that the door leading from a miner’s son to a middle-class doctor was about to close, his heart felt a twinge of pain.

Having gone through similar experiences, guessing what Arthur was thinking was not difficult for Snow.

And his extensive experience handling cases had also taught him exactly how to alleviate the worries of a witness.

Arthur did not waste words but instead reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a pen, took a notebook from the table, and began to write vigorously.

Seeing this, Snow’s face turned pale, "You... What are you writing? It’s not an arrest warrant for Mr. Hadcassle, is it?"

Arthur kept writing the letter, "Young man, an arrest warrant isn’t something you can scribble on any piece of paper, and that’s not my responsibility either. I’m writing a letter, a letter of recommendation for admission."

"A letter of recommendation for admission?"

"That’s right, a letter of recommendation for the University of London’s Medical School."

Arthur tossed the notebook to Snow, "I am one of the first graduates of the University of London, so I happen to have a bit of influence there. The designated internship hospital of the University of London Medical School— the London Free General Hospital’s manager, Professor William Marsden, also happens to be a friend of mine.

With this letter of recommendation, I believe the medical school would certainly be willing to accept you. As for the tuition, don’t worry about it, I can take care of it for you. As for living expenses, if you study hard enough, the annual academic gold award should be enough for you."

"Lon, London University... Medical School? Oh my God!"

Snow might not be very familiar with the University of London, a school that had just been granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation; the university’s reputation in the medical field was also not as prominent as Scotland’s two major medical powerhouses, Edinburgh and Glasgow, but the mere word "university" was enough to shock his nerves. ƒreewebɳovel.com

A university represented a societal evaluation higher than that of a specialized medical school, meaning his start would not be as a bottom-tier doctor, but rather, he could start from the middle ranks of the medical field upon graduation, have an opportunity to work at a high-level Royal Hospital like Saint Mary’s Hospital, and have the chance to become a member of Westminster’s core circle of British medical academia.

While putting the pen back into his coat pocket, Arthur asked, "Alright, Mr. Snow, now you should be able to tell me the whole truth, right? What is the real issue with Mr. Hadcassle?"

Snow’s head was still spinning a bit, but he felt as though the door that seemed to be closing was suddenly wide open for him, and the person coming out of that gleaming golden door was none other than Mr. Arthur Hastings who stood in front of him.

He had never expected that the very thing Hadcassle risked so much to acquire would accidentally fall right onto his own head.

Snow sniffed hard, nearly crying from emotion, "Mr. Hastings, I really don’t know how to thank you."

"No need," Arthur smiled, "We’re all Yorkers here, fellow townsfolk after all. Seeing you, I realize there are quite a few Yorkers in all walks of life. Maybe I should consider starting a York Club. Just work hard and study diligently, and perhaps you could even become one of its founding members."

The young man who had silently worked under Hadcassle was not used to such enticing bait; he bit immediately, almost wishing he could show Arthur his very heart.

"Hast... Hastings, sir, I assure you, everything I am about to say, is the truth. Mr. Hadcassle, well... although he can’t be considered completely upright, he isn’t as bad as Mr. Rosenberg claims. He indeed dissected the bodies of patients, but it wasn’t as extensive as in a dissection class. If you speak from the standpoint of legal procedures, he certainly did break the law. But before conducting any autopsies, he did consult the deceased’s family. As long as they agreed to the autopsy, the medical expenses could be waived. It was precisely because of this that he managed to collect so much data."

"Hmm..." Arthur, hearing this, felt somewhat relieved, "So it was not terribly heinous. But are you sure he consulted everyone involved?"

"Um... this..."

Snow hesitated and said, "Of course, there were times he didn’t consult them. Sometimes he would go to the slums to find cholera patients collapsed on the roadside. One of the cured patients he mentioned was picked up in this way. What you might not know is that most families of cholera patients do not trust the new treatment of intravenous injections unless their family member is in the final moments, and most are reluctant to adopt such aggressive treatments."

"Mr. Hadcassle was too eager to turn around his fortunes, so to find enough severe cases to validate his treatment, he would go to the slums to pick up patients whenever he had a moment. This is also why he had such detailed data..."

Arthur frowned and asked, "Didn’t those patients he picked up have families? Did he consult the patients’ families?"

Snow looked troubled, "Mr. Hastings, with a disease like cholera, everyone is very fearful, especially ordinary poor people. Once a cholera case appears in a poor family, the relatives avoid them as much as possible. In some extreme cases, they even kick them out of the house. Mr. Hadcassle did try to find them, but sometimes the patients were too critical, and the families might not have been willing to see the patients, so... you understand, not all patients could get their families’ permission..."