Chapter 108: Infectious Disease [2]

People moved quickly with Dongpa’s order.

The chief of Bojewon is the highest-ranking officer in this area.

He was calling the mayor brother, so it was not exaggeration to call him the chief of the area.

Dongpa was the one whom the chief thought the best doctor.

So when Dongpa said something, that became the rule of Bojewon.

“Well, do not give the patients anything… Ups the man shits again!”

Dongpa pointed someone with his finger.

At the end of his finger, there was a man lying down helplessly.

His anus lost strength to hold diarrhea.

“What should we do?”

Two servants arrived at the man and asked Dongpa what they should do.

Dongpa looked at the servants.

People might think that he was pondering but Ganghyuk knew he did not know the answer.

‘He is a real quack.’

He did not have basic knowledge.

Of course, diarrhea is not clean.

Ganghyuk himself does not like to deal with somebody’s shit.

But in this case, the doctor should deal with discharge of the patient.

‘If the patient’s symptom is diarrhea, he should examine it first.’

If he could not see it, he should have asked the patient.

But he did not go to the patient at all.

He shouted being detached from the patients far away.

“Take him away!”

Dongpa pointed the yard in the Bojewon with his chin.

There were a lot of patients with the same disease.

They were mixed up with their families and people dispatched from Bojewon.

It looked like a battlefield.

“Yes. Yes.”

“Aigo, he does not have the strength to stand up.”

Two servants tried to make him stand but soon they gave it up.

They lifted him with their might and some of the shit in the pants dropped to the ground.

Dongpa retreated to avoid it.

“Hey, be careful.”

“Sorry, sir.”

The two servants took the man away from Dongpa without complaints.

“Scholar, it is not a small thing.”

“Yes, I think so. Have you worn your mask and gloves?”

“Yes, we know it as we have experience in the smallpox event.”

Heo Jun nodded his head with smile.

As he mentioned, the group had good knowledge in infectious disease.

They have fought nearly a month with smallpox successfully.

“Good. If you want, you can follow me. We need to know what disease it is.”

“Yes, but I think Dongpa will complain.”

At Heo Jun’s question, Ganghyuk laughed.

In his thought, Dongpa was nothing. He didn’t deserve respect.

“If he did it well, I did not have to come here.”

“Yes, you are right. It is the natural consequence of his deeds.”

“Yes, I think so.”

Ganghyuk went into the yard.

Dongpa did not notice the group at all.

He was busy with new patients coming from the slum near Bojewon.

“Bring them in. Do not give anything to them!”

Dongpa was yelling like a parrot.

For the time being, Ganghyuk could face the man delivered to the yard just now.

People in Bojewon were busy too so they did not notice the existence of Ganghyuk and his group.

“Heum”

Ganghyuk frowned and sighed.

‘The smell is really bad as they are gathering here altogether.’

It seems he was in the traditional type toilet.

All the people surrounding him made new shits.

“Are you conscious?”

“Sir, he…l..p m….e.”

The man opened his mouth.

He looked miserable, but his mind was good.

Ganghyuk was confident to get answers from him.

He wanted to ask many questions.

He opened his mouth.

“Do you remember from when you had diarrhea?”

“Eo… Eum…”

The man could not answer right away.

He might not think it was a serious problem at first.

Then the doctor should help him.

“I mean, from when you went to the toilet for poop more than four times a day?”

“Ah, it is from yesterday. Now…”

The man could not finish the conversation.

He moved his body several times and then was recovered.

Some liquid was created and flowed out.

Considering the steam from it, it must be made just now.

Ganghyuk asked covering his nose with his hands.

“Now, shit became liquid, right?”

“Yes, sir. I have not had anything from yesterday.”

“You did not eat but it still came out like this?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have not eaten much from the beginning.”

“How often do you discharge it?”

“From yesterday… it seems to be 20 times or 30 times….?”

“Quite often.”

Ganghyuk thought that he had told the truth.

He lived in the slum.

How could he eat well?

Maybe he did not have rice.

‘It is diarrhea without eating…’

He could think of several cases.

‘If it is not because of virus, it might be because of toxin… I need to see it.’

It was disgusting but he had to do it to make diagnosis.

He wore another pair of gloves over his gloved hands and touched the body.

It was terrible to see.

Yeoju turned her head away and did not paint it at all.

“Let’s see.”

Ganghyuk rolled the pants of the patient down and looked inside.

The man tried to stop him, but he did not have any strength.

He was totally helpless.

Ganghyuk could not see it anyway, because it was too dark.

‘I cannot help it.’

If he were alone, at least if there were Heo Jun and Heo Im, he would run away.

Anybody would think of running away.

It was a dirty job to handle somebody’s diarrhea.

‘Goodness.’

But the two doctors looked at him enthusiastically, so he could not ignore the patient.

Ganghyuk put his hand into his pants.

He got some of the lump inside.

Even though he wore gloves, he did not feel good as he had to touch somebody’s dung.

Ganghyuk’s face looked like a devil because of anger.

There was only one man who could be a victim.

“What are you doing there? I need gauze.”

Dolseok became victimized.

He felt that it was unjust but it was just a moment.

“Do you see what I hold?”

Ganghyuk gestured to throw to him what he held in his hand.

Dolseok would not like to be hit by somebody’s dung at all.

“I am getting it done, sir.”

“Quickly… It is dropping.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok quickly opened the bag and found gauze.

“Good.”

“Eo, I am not…”

“What?”

“No, no sir.”

As Ganghyuk hurried to place the thing in his hand on the gauze, some of it went to the Dolseok’s hands.

Dolseok removed dung from his hands and retreated.

“We can see it very well here.”

“Yes, it is best to see on the white background.”

Ganghyuk took off one pair of gloves and answered.

He quickly observed it.

‘There is not mucus or blood.’

There was some reddish secretion, but it was too red.

It could not be enterohemorrhage but blood from anus.

As he made shits more than 20 times a day, it could happen.

‘It is almost liquid.’

What the man had said was confirmed.

His shit looked like a pee, although it came from his anus.

‘Heum’

Ganghyuk could think of some diseases that could make diarrhea.

But he had not experienced it before when he was in the hospital.

Korea in the 21st century is an advanced country and it was not probable for diarrhea to be pandemic.

Thus, Ganghyuk had to think hard.

‘Considering that there are so many patients, it is not from toxin.’

It must not be by staphylococcus.

It usually happens when they have young radish Kimch together.

It was impossible for food to make such a pandemic infection.

‘It must be someone washed himself/herself in the stream after he/she vomited or shitted. Others must be infected by the discharge.’

Then it should be by virus or germs.

He did not know exactly what caused the disease.

“Do you know what it is?”

Heo Jun and Heo Im examined the shit, too.

Heo Jun tried to find something inside.

But the information was very limited.

In Joseon, they could classify it as hard, soft or liquid.

They did not know that diarrhea itself has a lot of varieties.

“Em. I could guess roughly but it is not 100% clear.”

“Oh”

“I need more time.”

“Yes, of course.”

Ganghyuk thought again.

He tried to remember what he had learned and memorized for the exam.

‘The most famous diseases in this group are… Dysentery, typhoid and cholera.’

It must not be dysentery.

If it were dysentery, there should be blood and mucus in the shit.

It should not be watery like this.

‘Typhoid? No, it is not.”

Ganghyuk touched the patient’s stomach and forehead.

If it were typhoid, there should be spleen enlarges and rashes.

He did not have high fever, either.

‘This fever can come from dehydration.’

Then, there is only one left.

It is Cholera.

‘Yes, it is. I am sure.’

Watery diarrhea, exhaust, vomiting, nausea, and stomachache…

Most of the patients showed the same symptoms.

When Ganghyuk arrived at the conclusion, Dongpa shouted again.

“Don’t give them anything.”

“Patients say that they are too thirsty.”

“If they eat or drink, they will pee and shit. Don’t give them anything.

“Yes, sir.”

Ganghyuk was angry.

He ordered not to give anything to the patients stricken by cholera.

The internationally standardized remedy of cholera is oral fluid therapy.

“I need to remove him first.”

“Why is that?”

“These patients will die if they don’t drink. It is not the disease that he might think.”

“Do you know what it is now?”

“Makbong, Dolseok and Yeoni. Let’s go.”