Chapter 25

Episode 25. Finally, Pasteur (1)

***

It’s the clinic again today. Fortunately, there aren’t many hospitalized patients—just a few with pneumonia and colds lying around.

On the other hand, outpatient visits weren’t few.

“It’s Lizelrote.”

First impressions of the patient… Well, that sounds a bit off. But from their complexion and how they walk in, you can gather some info.

Today, it seems to be a female Academy student. Her steps are slightly wobbly but not enough to fall over.

Her hair is brown-tinted blonde, her eyes a reddish-brown hue. She’s got her hair curled and pinned up near the back of her head—it kind of looks like Princess Leia’s hairstyle from Star Wars, or maybe a Western-style Pucca look would fit perfectly.

Whether intentional or accidental, two strands of hair dangle down her back between the tied-up sections.

That’s about the appearance. The reason for the unsteady gait could vary—dehydration, skipping meals, fatigue, inherent clumsiness, or even leg issues, though it doesn’t seem like the latter.

Judging by her expression as she enters the room, it’s likely a condition affecting daily life. She looks gloomy and tired—not just worried or in pain.

This much I can tell at first glance.

“Alright, please speak.”

“I’ve been feeling nauseous for a few days now. It’s hard to walk. When I get up from my seat, everything spins, but after a few minutes, it gets better.”

A few diseases come to mind.

Dizziness is common, but it’s no small matter. It significantly impacts daily life and has a high chance of being linked to nerve or brain problems.

“Open your eyes wide.”

The first thing to check is nystagmus.

We need to confirm if the eyes are trembling. Spontaneous nystagmus could indicate serious issues like brain tumors. Let’s see…

No eye tremors.

“When exactly do you feel dizzy?”

“When I stand up from a seated position.”

“Do you feel dizzy when your head moves?”

Human heads usually automatically adjust to maintain balance. This isn’t a conscious process; it happens via the cerebellum and other areas.

When you lean or turn your head for actions like lying down or turning your neck, your brain adjusts accordingly.

Dizziness related to posture changes. Causes could vary, such as otitis media, but the most representative one is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).

In simpler terms:

Sudden dizziness depending on posture. “Benign” means no other severe underlying issues.

Let’s finish the neurological exam.

“Without moving your head, only follow my finger with your eyes. Good.”

Nothing unusual stands out.

“Is it something serious?”

“No, it doesn’t seem so.”

It’s not a serious illness. BPPV is, well, benign. You won’t die or suffer major harm from this condition.

There’s no specific medication, but shaking your head in a certain order helps. BPPV occurs when particles connected to sensory nerves in the inner ear dislodge.

This procedure is called the Epley maneuver.

“Please sit on the clinic bed.”

“Why?”

“To confirm the diagnosis. It seems like you might have otolith disorder, where stones inside the ear roll around instead of staying in place, causing dizziness.”

Lizelrote looked at me.

“Does that even make sense?”

“Yes.”

“Are there originally stones in the ear?”

She clearly doubts it.

I mean, if you know nothing about ear anatomy, that reaction makes sense. How should I explain this?

“I found them during an autopsy.”

“Ah.”

Lizelrote nodded.

Of course, if you dissect a person (donated corpse), you’ll find the cochlea inside the ear, which contains tiny stones.

“What should we do?”

The Dix-Hallpike test. I don’t know why it has those names. Are they Nordic? Two names attached?

Anyway, it’s a differential diagnostic test for otolith disorders.

“First, turn your head toward the side where you feel dizzy. Then lie down quickly while I support the back of your head. Relax.”

If it’s positional vertigo, nystagmus should start at this point. I checked Lizelrote’s pupils. Her right pupil was definitely trembling. Is her vision clear?

“Close your left eye and tell me what you see.”

“Hmm, it’s a bit blurry.”

Ah, interesting.

Even while experiencing nystagmus, the patient doesn’t feel the eye tremor—just slight discomfort or blurriness.

“You can sit up again.”

Now it’s time for explanation.

“So, what’s wrong with me?”

“We’ve reached a conclusion: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. To explain…”

“Positional? But I didn’t do anything like that!”

“…”

Maybe she’s dumb.

“Posture… that’s what I’m talking about. You mentioned dizziness based on posture, right? Dizziness occurs according to body position.”

Sigh.

I turned my head slightly to suppress a laugh. Lizelrote blushed.

“Ah, sorry.”

“There’s an issue with the organ maintaining balance in your head. Your brain’s perception of your head’s position doesn’t match reality. There’s no medication, but we’ll help the stone return to its proper place by adjusting your head.”

“Okay.”

“Sit again.”

Lizelrote sat back on the bed.

“Starting the Epley maneuver. Turn your head 45 degrees to the right. Now, quickly lie down while I hold your head. We’ll wait for 30 seconds.”

Step one complete.

“Turn 90 degrees to the left. Look 45 degrees to the left. We’ll wait another 30 seconds.”

Step two.

“Now, fully roll onto your left side. Stay like this for another 30 seconds.”

That finishes step three.

Lizelrote stood up.

“Still dizzy?”

“Not really.”

Not sure if it’s resolved yet. It might recur soon since dizziness tends to repeat once it starts.

Still, it’s better than migraines without cause or constant dizziness. Finding a brain tumor would’ve been a disaster—we can’t perform brain surgery here.

“If it gets extreme, you can take medicine, but that’s not a fundamental solution. If it recurs, try what we did earlier, and if it persists, come back.”

“Thank you.”

Lizelrote bowed politely.

***

Back to the research lab.

Let’s review one last time.

How many times have I referenced Pasteur’s experiments in the past few days? But time, resources, and academic interest were lacking.

I’ve already published three papers, including Istina’s. The academic community is probably getting bored. I should wait before publishing another paper.

“Istina. Pasteur.”

You must have heard about Pasteur until your ears bled. I kept repeating it like reading scriptures to deaf ears. Haven’t you memorized it by now?

Istina cleared her throat.

“Pasteur’s experiment disproved the hypothesis that maggots and mold naturally occur in organic matter, establishing the principle that life arises only from life. It experimentally proved that sterilized organic matter does not decay until it comes into contact with particles in the air. The experimental process is…”

Too long, too detailed.

“Good job.”

You clearly understand. I pointed to the swan-neck flask placed in a corner of the lab. Istina shifted her gaze.

“Can we conduct that experiment now?”

“Istina, think about it.”

“Uh, what should I think about…?”

Our lab frequently uses culture medium.

Rarely do bacterial colonies grow in new culture mediums. It’s almost impossible, unless hygiene management fails or bacteria survive the boiling process.

Istina blinked.

“We often make culture mediums in the lab. We sterilize the culture liquid by boiling it, and nothing grows in the liquid until we intentionally expose it to air.”

Istina nodded.

“Ah, that’s true when you think about it.”

“Because of bacteria.”

“Bacteria die when boiled, right?”

Correct. Though some bacteria survive, the number matters most.

“When we boil the culture liquid, all the bacteria inside die, and no bacteria grow until we intentionally open the lid to culture them.”

After boiling, even touching the sealed culture liquid with a fingertip causes bacteria to grow. Before that, nothing grows. It’s essentially a miniature version of Pasteur’s experiment.

“Actually, this experiment is for others to see. We already know, right? We use this principle when handling culture liquids.”

Istina sighed.

“This is… difficult.”

“The experiment itself is simple.”

All preparations are done. All that remains is to carry out Pasteur’s experiment and publish the paper.

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