Chapter 40

Episode 40. Pounding Hearts (6)

****

It was technically labeled as a lecture, but this might as well have been a gladiator arena. Can’t help it though—academic discourse is always good, right?

And honestly, it’s the only way.

Once again, another professor stood up. Professor Brown. In the Department of Healing at the Academy, he’s known as part of the traditionalist camp—or more bluntly, the old-school stick-in-the-mud types.

He had been extremely skeptical about the germ theory, and while he may be somewhat persuaded now… who knows?

I haven’t spoken to him directly, but from what I’ve heard, he does come across as rather intimidating.

Still, no reason to judge prematurely.

Maybe that just means he’s a stellar researcher who sticks strictly to scientific methodology!

“Isn’t your claim outside the realm of falsifiable science? It seems like you’re assuming invisible blood vessels exist for your argument to hold water.”

“Hmm… Think about it fundamentally. If we assume these invisible blood vessels exist, doesn’t everything fit together neatly?”

There went another mutter under his breath.

The lecture hall buzzed with whispers. Some were quietly discussing among themselves, others raising their hands as if preparing a rebuttal.

“The blood flows out of the heart through arteries, circulates throughout the body, passes through these invisible vessels, and returns via veins. That explains cardiac output, fluid volume issues, and blood pressure—all in one package.”

Ultimately, it comes down to scale.

“So where are these so-called ‘invisible’ blood vessels that can handle 15 liters per minute?”

I gestured toward the microscope sitting in the corner of the lecture hall. The capillary tissue has already been located, so you should still be able to see it now.

“To cut to the chase: Most tissues are laced with fine blood vessels. These connect arteries to veins.”

“Do you have proof?”

“It can be observed under the microscope.”

Boos, whistles, more murmurs. What kind of academic presentation elicits such dramatic reactions? Honestly, they really do exist!

“Come take a look. A few days ago, while observing human liver tissue under the microscope, I discovered the very capillaries in question.”

The reaction was explosive. Violet stood up. Not her again! At this point, I’m starting to suspect she’s being dispatched on someone else’s orders.

Then again, if all she wants to do is play cards all day, maybe she decided to stretch her legs and make an appearance.

“Professor, why didn’t you say that first?”

“No, there’s a process involved. You need to explain the reasoning behind why certain evidence matters, right?”

“Dramatic staging for effect.”

Violet smiled, clearly pleased with her own joke. Alright, let’s move on.

“I think I’ve covered most things. Any further questions?”

Once again, Professor Brown.

“You’re simply claiming that blood circulates, but you haven’t explained where new blood is generated.”

Where *is* blood produced again?

Plasma proteins are made in the liver, red blood cells in the bone marrow.

But I haven’t figured out how to prove this experimentally yet—not with the equipment we currently have, anyway.

“Well, I believe new blood is gradually produced in the liver and bone marrow. However, there isn’t experimental evidence supporting this yet.”

Professor Brown sat back down, satisfied he’d asked at least one decent question. True enough, he’d been on the defensive throughout this entire presentation.

“Alright then, everyone come up and observe the capillaries I found in the liver and skeletal muscle.”

As usual, it was packed. Graduate students and professors lined up in front of the microscopes while I waited nearby. This is going to take a while.

“Can everyone see the blood vessels?”

“Oh, is that red thing a blood vessel?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it look like stacked plates? There should be red blood cells inside the capillaries.”

Professor Croftler’s graduate student, Anne, looked at me curiously.

“Professor Asterix, what exactly are red blood cells?”

“They’re tiny cells floating in the blood.”

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Why haven’t you mentioned something so important before? Is blood made of cells?”

Blood is indeed composed of cells.

Specifically, red blood cells account for about 40% of blood volume.

Should I have started with that? I did ponder it briefly—I intended to explain things step-by-step.

First, prove that blood flows. Then, prove that blood is made of cells.

Well, you can’t stuff everything into one speech.

“Yes. The main component of blood, which makes up a significant portion of its properties and volume, is red blood cells, which can easily be observed under a microscope—”

More commotion broke out. Apparently, people were upset I hadn’t brought this up earlier.

Look, this could fill several papers! There’s no way I could cover everything in one go.

I waited patiently for the chatter to die down. After a few dozen seconds, I glanced back at Anne.

“In any case, after death, red blood cells often remain trapped in capillaries, making them relatively easy to observe under a microscope.”

If someone managed to create a working microscope, they should also be able to observe red blood cells. Though, even the current microscope at the front of the auditorium should suffice.

****

That concluded the lecture in a bit of a messy fashion.

Those who had observed the capillaries under the microscope slowly filed out of the lecture hall.

“Shall we wrap it up?”

Lecture over.

I waited until everyone had left the room. While some arrived midway through, others left early—but overall, attendance was impressive.

Professors, graduate students, undergraduates—there must’ve been dozens of people. Today’s lecture was definitely a success, though I’ll need to monitor the feedback.

I watched alongside Istina as the last stragglers exited the room. Once empty, we could leave too.

“Did anyone get convinced this time?”

“I hope so.”

Surely someone did?

If my paper were completely baseless, none of these people would’ve shown up. If it were utterly wrong, they wouldn’t bother refuting it either.

The old paradigm survives only because no one can find proper counterarguments—which is why they keep showing up, anxious and unsettled.

Of course, the real reason other researchers can’t refute my claims is that they’re largely correct.

The fact that the heart can pump up to 15 liters of blood per minute simply cannot be explained by any competing hypothesis. No matter how hard you try.

“Because it’s such a conservative field—and the academic community is equally conservative. Dealing with life-and-death matters tends to make people resistant to changes in protocol.”

True enough.

Though I wasn’t formally trained here at the Academy, my experience from my previous life wasn’t much different.

I paused for a moment, thinking about how best to respond to Istina.

“Medicine is different from other disciplines.”

“How so?”

“All other fields focus on process—how thorough the research is, how well experiments are conducted, how robust the logic is.”

“Isn’t medicine similar?”

“Not quite. Medicine isn’t primarily based on evidence. It deals with something far more critical.”

“What’s that?”

“Patients.”

Here’s the gist: Medical discoveries that impact patient outcomes cannot be ignored, no matter how much other doctors might wish otherwise.

Clinical results speak louder than anything else.

Everything else is secondary.

This is why lithium is used in psychiatric treatment without fully understanding its mechanism, or why certain anesthetics are applied systemically despite incomplete knowledge.

What ultimately matters is the result.

Not that this is something to brag about. On the flip side, medical papers tend to emphasize results over process, meaning they can sometimes be written more loosely. But anyway…

“Therefore, in the end, all you need to do is explain how considering blood pressure benefits patients. If you can do that, any counterarguments from opponents become irrelevant.”

“Ah.”

Istina fell silent.

Blood pressure is one of the most crucial metrics when examining patients. It immediately reveals whether they’re stressed, bleeding, dehydrated, or suffering from underlying conditions.

Needless to say, high blood pressure is a given concern. Bleeding, dehydration, aortic dissection—all these conditions can be suspected based on blood pressure readings.

“That’s how I see it, anyway.”

****

With that, the lecture hall emptied, leaving only the microscope, Istina, and myself.

Oh right, I forgot to tell Istina about this.

“Istina, a letter came from the Imperial Palace.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, your paper on epidemic dysentery caught the attention of some high-ranking officials.”

“Huh?”

She looked startled.

“My paper? Why?”

Even I don’t know the specifics, but judging from what the prince said, it goes something like this:

“The core argument of your paper is this: Effective management of epidemics requires strong involvement from authority.”

“Oh, I suppose that could be interpreted that way.”

“Some argue it highlights government responsibility, others see it as expanding government authority… Regardless of perspective, it seems everyone finds your work intriguing.”

“Oh, ah…”

My grad student has broken down.

Not literally, though she has been around for a long time.

Istina clutched her head. Suddenly having more responsibilities thrust upon her must be overwhelming, but isn’t this a prestigious opportunity for any researcher? Time for a celebratory drink!

---