Chapter 59

"Of course."

Lister turned around with a smile, his face initially showing no surprise. Ever since he began promoting sterilization techniques many years ago, Lister had been constantly faced with praise, inquiries, and doubts from his peers, as well as much more criticism and abuse. He was long accustomed to it. However, when he saw John's appearance clearly, a look of surprise involuntarily appeared in his eyes.

Such a young man was rarely seen by Lister.

Although his surgeries often had public audiences, most were driven by curiosity and few could last until the end. After all, for ordinary people, the images of a surgical operation seemed a bit too bloody, let alone for a teenager like John.

Subconsciously, Lister became a little interested in John.

Seeing Lister stop, John hurriedly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully, "Thank you, Professor. I am John Hunter, it's a great pleasure to meet you!"

"I am also very pleased to meet you, young man."

Lister's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he smiled in response, "I'm sorry, but I have a very important meeting shortly. If you don't mind, can we talk while we walk? You have at least five minutes to ask your questions."

"Of course, sir!"

John nodded quickly and walked out of the operating room with Lister. For John, who only wanted to meet his idol, even a shorter time would have been fine. He had no intention of engaging in much conversation, as the 130-year gap was an unbridgeable chasm. He had come purely to fulfill a fan's wish.

Five minutes was more than enough.

As a man in his fifties, Lister walked quite fast, and John, who was of average height, had to quicken his pace to keep up. After walking about ten meters from the operating room, Lister tilted his head slightly and asked with a smile, "Young man, did you watch my surgery just now? Do you have any questions for me?"

"Uh..."

Seeing Lister's expectant expression, John felt a bit awkward. He certainly had no questions about the surgery, and if he did, they would only be doubts and suggestions, which would clearly get him into trouble if he said them now. But if he said he was just a fan...

"Professor, I do have a question to ask you!"

Seeing Lister's expression become puzzled, John, in a flash of inspiration, nodded and smiled, "I am an American preparing to study in Europe. I've been in London for less than a week and haven't decided on a school or major yet. But after watching your surgery today, I suddenly became interested in becoming a surgeon, so..."

Before John could finish, Lister's face already showed a look of understanding.

Telephones were just beginning to appear, and people's access to information was extremely limited. Many young people were very confused about their futures. In fact, many scientists of this period decided to pursue a particular field of study by chance. Lister subconsciously assumed John was one of these young people.

Thinking of this, Lister's attitude became much more serious. After a moment's thought, he said, "I am very pleased that you are interested in surgery, and this field does indeed need talented young people! However, I must warn you that being a surgeon is not a profession that brings both wealth and status. You must seriously consider this point."

As a highly respected surgeon, Lister's advice was quite sincere.

John naturally understood this, but he wouldn't seriously consider the old man's advice. He just nodded and smiled, "Thank you, I will seriously consider it before making a decision... Professor, I am very interested in the sterilization you performed just now. Could you take two minutes to explain it to me briefly?"

...

It was almost noon when a light rain started to fall.

John had been in London for about a week, and it had rained for five of the seven days, which was quite annoying. When John arrived at the hospital as agreed, Hans, who had been waiting there, immediately came over and asked respectfully, "Sir, can we return to the hotel now?"

"Of course!"

John nodded, his face beaming with satisfaction.

Meeting Lister had already fulfilled John's wish, and seeing a 130-year-old abdominal surgery was even more exciting. He felt extremely satisfied. Today's visit to Lister had served two purposes: fulfilling his long-held desire to meet a legendary figure and preparing for his future in Germany, at least giving him a good reason to explain to the butler...

"Phew!"

Seeing John's normal reaction, Hans breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving the hospital in the morning, the butler had been somewhat uneasy. He knew what a surgical operation entailed and was afraid that John might have some negative reaction to the bloody scene. But now, seeing the young master seemed quite happy, he was both surprised and relieved.

Hailing a horse-drawn carriage, John and Hans hurried back to their hotel.

After lunch, the two returned to John's room. Before leaving, the butler said seriously, "Sir, I have already booked tickets for the ship to Hamburg the day after tomorrow... Do you have any other places you want to go today or tomorrow?"

"Hmm, I won't go out today."

After a moment's thought, John chuckled, "I'll rest in the room this afternoon. Tomorrow, I want to visit Cambridge and Oxford. Can you arrange it?"

"Of course!"

Hans nodded immediately.

After the butler left, John washed up and lay down on the bed. He had planned to take a nap, but lying there and listening to the rain, he felt no sleepiness at all. Meeting Lister had excited him too much.

Moreover, thinking about the upcoming trip to Germany, John's mind couldn't calm down.

"Germany..."

Muttering the name of his "ancestral home" in this world, John smiled.

At this time, Germany had only been unified for about ten years after winning the Franco-Prussian War, and it still had a long way to go to reach its peak in national strength. However, in the fields of science and culture, the country was already at the center of the world.

In medicine alone, the Germans of this era were undoubtedly proud. The continental medical system, represented by the Germans, was undoubtedly the most powerful medical system of the time and would maintain its leading position in the world for the next few decades. It's worth noting that it wasn't until after World War II that the language of medicine shifted from German to English, and the Soviet Union only stopped publishing the "All-Union Medical Abstracts" in German in 1968. The Japanese also began changing their journals to English in the 1960s, highlighting the influence of German medicine.

This was one of the main reasons John chose Germany.

Moreover...

The Germans' foundation in physics and chemistry, especially their strength in the chemical industry, was a key factor attracting John!

At the end of the 19th century, Germany's chemical industry led the world, and the medical advancements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were clearly inseparable from the development of chemistry. If John was not content to develop only in the field of surgery, relearning physics and chemistry was a necessary choice.

This was no joke.

The invention and improvement of various new diagnostic techniques in medicine, such as X-rays, required the power of physics; developing the most important chemical drugs of the future required understanding how chemists of this era worked. Therefore, upon arriving in Germany, John would not go directly to medical school but would first review the physics and chemistry knowledge in his mind, at least learning how to conduct relevant experiments with the rudimentary equipment of this era.

"A year should be enough."

After a rough estimate, John gradually felt more at ease.

He didn't know how long it took to study medicine in Germany, but he could use a year to understand the physics and chemistry of this era and verify it with the knowledge in his mind. Then, he could use another year to verify the knowledge of the basic medical system and understand how medical researchers of this era conducted their research.

What he did after that didn't matter much.

He could come up with some "new theories" in the field of basic medicine or make some "new discoveries" in clinical practice, which would be simple for John.

Thinking of this, John couldn't help but search his mind.

Although John's mind contained medical knowledge far beyond the current era, actually putting it into practice required a lot of work. First, he had to understand the technological level of this era, knowing which theories and technologies had already appeared and which he could "discover." Second, he had to carefully filter out overly advanced ideas, considering what could be achieved with the equipment and technology of this era. Finally, he had to consider the acceptance of the physicians of this era; otherwise, even something as simple as sterilization would take decades to be accepted, which would be too much trouble.

"Ha ha, take it slow."

In no time, John found several excellent targets and couldn't help but chuckle, "There's plenty of time, and there are plenty of good things. Take it slow..."

...

Uh, I'm embarrassed to say sorry.

I underestimated the power of the Spring Festival. I've been busy all day and could only squeeze out a chapter in bits and pieces, and the quality is hard to guarantee. Tomorrow is the first day of the New Year, and the situation will likely be similar, so I apologize in advance.

I will ensure one update per day, but whether I can do two will depend on the day. Sorry!

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