Chapter 114

114. The Orthopedic Surgeon’s Father (3)

****

I looked at Elise.

Princess Elise. Despite her modest attire for visiting my hospital, that trademark haughty gaze of hers hadn’t changed a bit.

“I did receive it… Let’s talk about the patient’s symptoms first. I’ll give you enough medicine for a week—drink plenty of water after taking it. Arsenic can sometimes be expelled through urine.”

There’s no direct antidote for arsenic, but there is DMPS, which helps with elimination—it also works for heavy metal and mercury poisoning.

Elise took the medicine bottle.

“Is this it?”

“Take two pills per day.”

“Thank you.”

That concluded the consultation.

Fortunately, there was no nerve damage, and just in case, I even gave her the arsenic treatment. Then Elise clapped her hands together.

“Well, let’s talk business now.”

“Hmm, sorry, but discussing such matters in the clinic doesn’t seem quite appropriate. It looks like I’m pressuring patients into deals. Let’s move somewhere else.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right.”

“Would you follow me, please?”

I stood up from my seat.

****

The Academy Library.

Princess Elise sat across from me with her legs crossed. I had grabbed a few sheets of paper from one corner of the library. There’s a lot to explain here…

“To be honest… I insulted and attacked you publicly at the banquet hall, and yet here you are treating me so kindly. Embarrassing.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I heard you were arrogant, high-handed, and loved arguing.”

It seems rumors have been exaggerated. When did I ever act like that, you lunatics? I sighed.

“If I refused to treat patients who were dumb or had bad attitudes, I wouldn’t even make enough money to pay for food. Not that you’re like that, Princess. I don’t judge patients’ characters when treating them.”

“Hm…”

“Symposiums are meant for arguments.”

“Hmm. So symposiums are places to argue… You really are an unusual person, Professor. I’ve heard you cause quite a ruckus every time.”

Which is true.

“There are lives on the line. Changing even a single dot in a medical textbook could mean life or death for thousands of people.”

“That could happen.”

“For that single dot, we might grab someone by the collar, swear, perform impromptu plays, debate for hours to persuade the academic community…”

I trailed off.

A symposium is a place where everyone must give their all. Especially in this era, still stuck before the Age of Enlightenment, it’s even more crucial.

Elise slowly nodded.

“I understand. Please explain.”

“Well, what our company does…”

“Our lab has developed a new drug that kills bacteria. Quite a few papers have already been published. A specific strain of blue mold produces a substance that kills bacteria. And we can chemically refine this substance.”

“What are bacteria?”

I scratched my head. I had underestimated things. To non-experts in this world, bacteria are still a relatively recent medical discovery from just a few months ago.

It’s understandable if they don’t fully grasp how significant it is to have a substance that selectively kills bacteria. Especially if they don’t even know what bacteria are.

“It’s a kind of microscopic particle that causes disease. You can see them with a microscope—a tool made by stacking several magnifying glasses together.”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“I discovered it.”

Elise frowned.

“So the person who discovered bacteria and the person selling drugs to kill bacteria is the same teacher?”

Now that I think about it, her skeptical look makes sense. Discovering bacteria and finding a way to kill them within a year—anyone would find that hard to believe.

“Yes.”

“Uh…”

“I admit, it sounds suspicious.”

I looked at Elise, unsure how to explain further. What if she doesn’t believe me?

“It’s been independently verified by other researchers. This is the result of deep investigation by the academic community into what causes diseases and how to solve them.”

Elise didn’t drop her skeptical gaze. But it’s the truth—what am I supposed to do?

“Hmm, continue explaining.”

“Alright. Anyway, we’ve also found a way to mass-produce this bacteria-killing drug.”

“Okay.”

“All we need now is investment. The more initial funding we get, the more drugs we can produce and the more people we can help. That’s why I’m asking for your support.”

The young princess pondered for a moment.

“You’re not really a businessman, are you?”

“Pardon?”

“Am I curious about how this drug works or how many people it can save? Sure, I might be curious, but would I truly understand even if you explained it?”

“It’s complicated?”

“It’s about money.”

“This involves human lives, and given its potential monopoly, shouldn’t the government step in to maximize public benefit?”

Elise smiled.

“You’re more naive than you look.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s talk money then.”

I nodded.

“As I mentioned to the Imperial Palace: potential cases of puerperal fever, wound patients, gangrene patients, surgical patients. Based on statistics, I estimate around ten million patients in the empire alone would need this drug annually. Conservatively speaking.”

“How much does each patient use?”

“One pill for prevention. Several pills if used after bacterial infections occur. Again, conservatively, we’d need over ten million pills annually to meet the empire’s demand.”

That’s a big number. Elise thought about it.

“Ten million pills a year. Is that possible?”

“Spread out, that’s 30,000 pills a day. We can extract 30 pills worth of medicine from one liter of culture medium.”

“Okay.”

“It takes about a month to finish cultivating the blue mold, so we’d need thirty 1,000-liter cultivation tanks or three 10,000-liter ones.”

Elise tapped her palm as if calculating. A 1,000-liter tank is roughly the size of a large bathtub, so it’s definitely feasible.

“So, you’re saying the revenue would be ten million gold per year if sold at one gold per pill?”

How come this conversation feels exactly like the one at the palace? I sighed again. How do I convince Elise?

It’s less about persuading her to invest and more about helping her see things from my perspective.

I briefly thought about it. All I managed to secure earlier was an investment from the palace.

Persuading bureaucrats that helping patients would greatly benefit society was difficult. Elise’s reaction this time was similar, if not identical.

“That said, one gold might be a bit expensive. Some public regulation will likely be necessary—”

“Hmm… Professor, based on what you’ve said, this seems like a great investment opportunity. Still, I have some doubts. How effective is it?”

Effectiveness?

Oh, I know how to approach this now. This isn’t just a good investment opportunity, and I’m not sitting across from a banker.

Elise tilted her head.

Isn’t there an economic effect?

Beyond the moral obligation to treat patients, how much economic benefit could arise from appropriately addressing certain diseases?

“The economic impact of this treatment… It’s not just about the sales revenue of the drug, but also the activities of people saved from death. Taxes they wouldn’t have paid if they had died.”

****

I once read a paper stating that investing in preventing lead exposure in infants could yield seventeen times the economic return on the investment.

Infant lead exposure triggers a cascade of problems, from reduced intelligence to chronic diseases.

This situation is similar.

I began earnestly explaining.

“Saving lives from disease would bring significant economic benefits. Think of puerperal fever patients, those with wounds, and surgical candidates. These are economically active individuals, aren’t they?”

Elise isn’t just a banker moving money around; she’s a ruler responsible for her own fief. This angle might work.

“People infected with gram-positive bacteria are often soldiers, mothers, and children who end up hospitalized. Preventing their deaths or injuries would multiply the economic effect by tens or hundreds of times compared to the investment.”

“Oh, I haven’t considered that.”

“Don’t just think about investing. Consider purchasing the drug too. Saving people isn’t just about saving lives; preventing tens or hundreds of thousands of deaths would create enormous economic benefits.”

I observed the princess’s expression. Elise seemed to finally understand the situation after some contemplation.

“You’re right.”

“In the past, even a minor arrow wound during battle required amputation, didn’t it?”

“That was a hundred years ago.”

“It’s not as extreme now, but gangrene remains a terrifying illness. Now we finally have a proper way to treat it.”

Elise appeared completely convinced by this point. Another victory for me, Elise.

****

It was a highly successful negotiation.

Back at the research lab, I stretched out my legs and relaxed. This time, I not only secured the investment but also gained support for distributing the drug, which will help patients immensely.

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