NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
15. The Discovery of Bacteria (5)
****
We’ve gathered enough evidence.
We’ve cultivated bacteria and stained them, placing them under the microscope. Now, all that’s left is showing the results to others.
Professor Klaus peered into the microscope.
“Did you make the microscope yourself as well?”
“Yes.”
“And these purple granules are the bacteria?”
I nodded.
“So, Professor Asterix, what you’re saying is that these microscopic particles are tiny organisms that cause diseases. Could they just be dust?”
I pointed at the culture dish.
“These are the ones we fed and grew. They might look simple, but they’re the most basic form of life.”
Istina and Professor Klaus were constantly amazed. While it was interesting, I wished we could get back to discussing the research soon.
“So, we’ve proven that these are living organisms. And your claim is that they cause diseases?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any evidence supporting that claim yet?”
There’s no experimental evidence yet.
It’s unlikely that disease-causing microbes would grow in bean flour nutrient solution. Maybe using animal blood would yield some results?
“Let’s try that.”
“The main topic of this paper will be the discovery of microorganisms using the microscope. It’s groundbreaking, but without immediate clinical applications, the impact of the paper might be limited.”
Professor Klaus pondered further.
“What’s more concerning is that revealing the experiment details in a lecture might cause problems. Once it’s out there, someone else might beat us to publishing similar research.”
I had thought about that.
Even if it’s just for undergraduates, once any part of the research is revealed, there’s always the risk of losing credit for the paper. Ideally, we should block that possibility.
But…
Since it’s plagiarism from the original historical figures anyway, I didn’t really care. If it works, great; if not, oh well.
“Isn’t knowledge meant for everyone? I don’t intend to monopolize it. If someone can advance and publish the research faster than us, that’d be great.”
Anyway, it’s impossible. Most of the attendees of yesterday’s lecture were undergrads. They aren’t at the level where they’d steal or surpass our research.
If anyone in this world has the ability to plagiarize and overtake our findings from the original papers I borrowed, that wouldn’t be bad.
Anyway, let’s get back to the research.
“Istina is right. This is a study that completely overturns academic norms and opens up an entirely new horizon.”
Bacterial cultivation and the microscope. Gram staining involves two steps, but I couldn’t figure out how to obtain the materials yet. Let’s put that on hold.
“There’s no need for a long paper. Let’s keep it simple. Just summarize the discovery of the microscope and the significance of these particles.”
“Agreed.”
“Professor Asterix, you’re claiming that these particles not only exist but also cause most diseases?”
“Infectious diseases, specifically plagues. These particles are the causes of decay and plagues. And they can be destroyed with alcohol.”
At least the ones on surfaces.
“Do we have evidence for that yet?”
“Well, if an appropriate patient comes along, we can confirm the presence of bacteria from them. Right now, I don’t have such a patient.”
The microscope comes from Hooke’s paper, and bacterial staining from Gram’s paper. These are the experiments we’ve conducted so far.
To definitively prove that they cause diseases, the best option would be cultivating bacteria from a patient’s wound or diseased tissue.
Pasteur proved that bacteria cause decay and disease, and Lister emphasized the necessity of hygiene to reduce bacterial infections.
We still have a long way to go.
“Let’s write and organize the paper. No need to drag it out—let’s finish by next Monday.”
As soon as we mentioned Monday, Istina looked startled.
“Eh, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Istina, I’ll give you the main draft soon, but by Monday, you need to prepare it for printing. Also, draw the experiment diagrams.”
She looked flustered.
“But I don’t know how to draw…”
“Just try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll deal with it.”
After all, there’s nothing a graduate student can’t do. There’s no reason not to assign tasks to them. Istina reluctantly nodded with a downcast expression.
Hang in there, Istina. When the new grad students arrive, maybe your workload will lighten a bit.
****
And then, the following Monday. In front of the professors of the Department of Healing, we submitted two papers to the journal of the Academy’s Department of Healing symposium.
“Observation of the Microscopic World” and “Cultivation and Observation of Biological Particles,” these were the two titles.
The spring symposium of the Department of Healing at the Academy was rather modest. For being the center of imperial scholarship, it seemed smaller than expected.
Maybe because it stretched over several days.
Around a hundred people attended, including professors and apprentices, and only dozens were seated to listen to the presentations.
Professor Klaus didn’t attend, questioning whether corresponding or co-authors even needed to show up for the journal meeting. He probably had other important things to do.
“Istina, you’ll present with me.”
“Ah, yes!”
“You need to focus on delivering the presentation properly. Even if we’re right, it won’t be applied clinically unless we convince the academic community.”
There are plenty of examples of groundbreaking research that were overlooked due to poor timing.
“Let’s go, Istina.”
****
People often overlook something.
Medieval doctors didn’t wash their hands and deliberately used tools stained with previous patients’ blood for aesthetic reasons.
Sure, it seems ignorant now, but it reflects the understanding that surgeries were risky and rarely performed. They avoided operating on heads and torsos out of conscience.
Anyway, my point is this: changing someone’s common sense isn’t easy. Shifting the academic paradigm wasn’t going to be simple either.
“Will people understand our research?”
“No, we haven’t even finished half a semester of research. If they don’t get it this time, we’ll keep working until they do.”
Istina nodded.
We slowly approached the podium. Dozens of eyes were fixed on me and Istina. I don’t know if they read the papers.
Let’s start the presentation.
“Good day, everyone. I am Asterix, the Chief Healer of the Imperial Palace and Professor at the Empire Academy’s Department of Healing. This is my graduate student, Istina. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.”
Istina bowed deeply.
“You may or may not have read the summary of the paper. But I firmly believe today’s presentation will rewrite the history of medicine in our empire. Because there’s so much we haven’t seen.”
The audience remained unresponsive.
Well, without PowerPoint slides, most people might just fall asleep regardless of what I say. Let’s explain.
“There are many things in the world too small for us to see. The first paper is about magnifying glasses.”
“Everyone knows that magnifying glasses or reading glasses make objects appear larger. So, wouldn’t stacking multiple lenses multiply the enlargement?”
Some confused expressions.
I paused to think.
“Uh… Lenses have focal points, right? By adjusting the focus, you can enlarge objects tens or hundreds of times their original size.”
The expressions were still ambiguous.
“We observed the microscopic world using the method I just described. We found grid-like structures in plants, water bears, insects, etc.”
But the real highlight wasn’t that.
“We isolated tiny particles from patients’ wounds. These particles replicate like living organisms and cause diseases.”
Of course, I’m talking about bacteria.
These colonies were grown in a culture medium made with animal blood. Though the bacteria themselves were ordinary Staphylococcus aureus, the key was isolating them from the patient’s wound.
“Our opinion and research result suggest that these particles exist everywhere, causing diseases and food spoilage.”
Now, people started paying attention. Listening casually would only harm them anyway.
****
“Any questions?”
This time, the reaction was explosive.
People raised their hands and stared at me. Some looked ready to refute, others seemed baffled, and a few appeared genuinely intrigued.
“If these particles are everywhere, especially on hands, does Professor Asterix oppose the academic norm of not needing to wash hands before surgery?”
“What evidence do you have that these particles are alive? Is the research reproducible?”
“Was the microscope created through magical means? Is research using the microscope reproducible? Can related information be disclosed?”
In the barrage of questions, I glanced briefly at Istina. See, Istina, this is what I told you.