A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 319: When Divine Magic Fails, Try Penicillin?
Leon Carlos flipped through the record book with a bowed head.
This youth, having grown up in a brewery and later thrown back into one by Garrett for a period of technical transformation, managed to keep everything orderly despite the flood of patients, thanks to his business acumen.
When Garrett inquired, Leon could immediately provide an answer from his notebook:
"Up to now, 538 people have been admitted, 273 of whom are bedridden and immobile. 97 are in a coma or semi-comatose state. Medical mages and priests are doing their utmost to save them."
97 people.
Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. Elder Wood and his team had produced the first batch of 100 bottles of penicillin, plus the 10 bottles Garrett brought, enough for one bottle per person among the 97. The rest could be used for skin testing—yes, skin testing!
The thought of skin testing gave Garrett a headache. Not only the skin test, but the troubles of using drugs meant for intravenous drip as intramuscular injections also made him frown. After much consideration, he sincerely felt that before resorting to the powerful weapon of penicillin, magic or divine magic should be attempted first...
Previously in Hartland City, Elder Elwin Wilkinson’s miraculous divine magic of targeted dysentery bacillus eradication had left a deep impression on him. However, due to his level at the time, he hadn’t learned it. After arriving in Nevis City and attempting to self-study, he couldn’t grasp the concept. Garrett had to lament the unfathomable power of divine magic, which sometimes seemed utterly unreasonable.
Perhaps, he needed a higher-level healer to help develop it?
However, Elder Wood and all the priests of the God of Nature were occupied with producing penicillin. Garrett considered his options among the priests of the God of War, the Spring Goddess, and the medical branch of mages, and without hesitation, leaned towards the mages.
He inquired with Leon Carlos and found Master Tolga in the rest area on the first floor’s east side. This medical branch mage, having washed and changed, looked much relieved after a rest. Hearing Garrett mention a new treatment method, he was eager to give it a try:
"Precision elimination of a specific bacterium? Alright, let’s give it a go!"
Garrett took him to the laboratory. After confirming the presence of anthrax bacteria, Garrett lowered the protection level: no longer needing to wear the heavy leather epidemic medical suit, replacing it with long sleeves, trousers, gloves, masks, and a Bubble Spell over their heads.
This combination proved to be effective protection against bacteria. As long as one didn’t touch recklessly and remembered to wash hands before removing the Bubble Spell and mask, it was unlikely to cause infection. If necessary, add goggles...
It must be said, this equipment was much lighter, making operations in the laboratory more agile. Garrett showed Master Tolga various samples—environmental, water, and patient excrements—then, using a microscope, prepared slides for the mage to observe.
"Look, this is the bacterium—flat-ended, without flagella, and particularly large—this is what caused the disease. If we can precisely eliminate the bacteria within the patient’s body, it should be possible to treat the symptoms directly."
"Is that so? Let me give it a try..."
Master Tolga pondered. Half a minute later, he stretched out his hand towards the slide under the microscope. A flash of white light passed, and when Garrett looked again through the microscope:
"Uh, perhaps what we’re seeing now are corpses? Please wait, let me culture the bacteria to see..."
The results of the bacterial culture were very optimistic—no new anthrax bacilli appeared. Master Tolga then applied a sterilization spell on the environmental and water samples, with equally optimistic results. Garrett was overjoyed, grabbed the skin test solution prepared by the apprentices, and immediately took Master Tolga to the wards.
They first approached a patient with mild symptoms. A targeted sterilization spell was cast, but the patient showed no reaction.
They tried another. Another targeted sterilization spell, and still no improvement in the patient.
Perhaps the metabolism of anthrax toxins also needed time? Garrett guessed. Biting the bullet, he chose a patient with abdominal pain, bloating, and ascites as indicated by magical ultrasound, and had Master Tolga attempt a spell. After casting the sterilization spell and waiting for 5 minutes, Garrett personally performed an abdominal puncture on the patient to extract ascites for culture...
The extracted ascites were blood-red, resembling the wash water from meat. Staining and microscopic examination still revealed anthrax bacilli.
"...It seems this won’t work..."
Garrett was frustrated. Master Tolga’s targeted sterilization spells seemed ineffective on patients. What was going wrong?
He dared not let the mage recklessly alter spells.
Those microscopic points might seem small, but imagining the wrong spell could be disastrous. What if the anthrax bacilli were transformed into E. coli, instantly disrupting the intestinal flora balance? Or into white blood cells? Red blood cells?
Then the healing spell would become a killing spell!
After much thought, Garrett couldn’t pinpoint the problem. He had no choice but to start Plan B, conducting skin tests one by one. Penicillin allergy was dangerous, and without appropriate medication on hand, it was safer to conduct a skin test as long as the patient wasn’t immediately life-threatening.
"Make sure you see clearly, the skin test location is on this side of the forearm, towards the palm, two fingers up from the wrist crease, right in the middle..." Garrett stood in front of a line of apprentices, packed closely together, listening to his explanation:
"The skin test is an intradermal injection, with the needle and skin at a 5-degree angle, just slightly slanted. After insertion, slowly push the medicine... Alright, now everyone take 20 skin test needles and go do it! Start with the critically ill patients!"
Fortunately, he had previously had the little demon prepare three hundred 1ml skin test needles!
The apprentices scattered. Garrett also took 20 skin test needles, filled them with medicine, and began the procedure, praying all the while:
Please don’t have an allergy please don’t have an allergy please don’t have an allergy...
Let Mr. Norwood’s magic circle be a bit more reliable, please don’t have too many impurities...
But honestly, dying from a penicillin allergy or from anthrax, dying from an allergy is a bit quicker...
He waited anxiously, like a rabbit watching over its carrots, checking every five minutes to see if the carrots had taken root—Garrett indeed made rounds in the wards every five minutes, checking for any patients with a penicillin allergy. After completing the second round, the ward corridor suddenly became noisy, as a group of people approached.
"Garrett, we’re heading back now." Bishop Sullivan called out to Garrett from a distance. Garrett straightened up from the bedside, surprised:
"Bishop, you’re leaving now?"
"Yes." Bishop Sullivan wanted to wipe away sweat, then remembered Garrett’s numerous safety warnings, and stopped midway:
"We’ve nearly used up all our divine magic, staying here won’t be of much use. You... hang in there a bit longer, we’ll see if we can get the Archbishop to bring more people over after we return."
As he spoke, he glanced towards the ward, then back at Garrett, his brow furrowed with worry. Behind him, several priests of the God of War and a few priests from the Spring Goddess Temple nodded in agreement, clearly indicating their divine magic was almost depleted.
Garrett knew that "nearly used up" meant about 20% remaining. For most healers, unless in an emergency, it’s wise to reserve some energy. Using up all one’s spiritual power in one go could harm one’s foundation.
But asking for the Archbishop?
That wouldn’t be easy!
Requesting the Archbishop or high priests would require intervention from the review committee!
Although Garrett had already sent Aurora to make arrangements, by the time Archmage Carlisle contacts the review committee and they manage to request high-level healers, Garrett had no idea how much time it would take.
Now, letting them leave meant if a patient had an allergic reaction, there would be no one to perform a divine magic rescue...
How to keep them here? Garrett’s mind raced, but his face remained sincerely smiling:
"Bishop, everyone, thank you for your hard work. Oh, by the way, I brought a new medicine from the Mage Tower, which might be effective against this epidemic. Would you like to take a look?"
Bishop Sullivan was immediately intrigued. Seeing Garrett pull out a small bottle and shake the white powder inside, he grew even more curious. Looking around at the young priests who seemed barely able to walk, he said:
"Then we might as well stay and see?"
"Of course, of course!" Garrett led them inside:
"This medicine is effective for many people, but there’s a drawback: it might be dangerous for those with certain constitutions. So we need to inject a little bit first, to see if the patient will have any particular reaction..."
"You little trickster, waiting here for us!" Bishop Sullivan teased with a laugh.
Laughing aside, he still stayed with Garrett to wait. After 20 minutes, whether it was due to the physique of people in this world or the magic circle’s effect on purifying impurities, surprisingly, no one had an allergic reaction. Garrett was grateful and quickly took out all the penicillin:
"Hurry, speed up! Inject each severely ill patient with one dose, and use the rest for other patients!"
Measuring the medicine powder, diluting it with saline, drawing the medicine, and injecting. The dozen students were so busy they wished they
could use their toes to help. Master Tolga was also drawn out, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bishop Sullivan, both with eyes half-closed, in front of the first patient Garrett injected.
Garrett knew they were sensing the patient’s life force—a skill he genuinely lacked. If it weren’t so busy, he’d definitely be running around them, trying to learn some tricks. But for now, he could only tearfully leave them behind and continue to inject penicillin into the critically ill patients according to the list.
One needle, two needles, one bottle, two bottles... When half of the penicillin bottles were empty, the corridor outside the ward suddenly erupted in commotion. Garrett stepped out of the ward, just in time to bump into the Archbishop of the God of War Temple. The Archbishop nodded briefly at him, then asked his subordinate directly:
"Sullivan, what are you doing staying here? Isn’t your divine magic used up? Why aren’t you resting? What are you waiting for in the epidemic area?"
After several rapid questions, Bishop Sullivan turned back. His gaze passed over his immediate superior, directly seeking Garrett:
"Little Garrett, this special medicine... it’s working! It really is working!"
"What?" fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Garrett hurried forward to see. It hadn’t been half an hour since the injection, and according to the customs of his previous life, it was too early to detect changes in the patient’s condition. But the bishop already sensed it:
"The patient’s life force has strengthened! The plague enveloping him has weakened!"
