Chapter 71

In September in Berlin, the weather had already started to turn cool. After a long holiday, the campus of Berlin University was bustling with activity once again. Not only did German college students return to campus, but international students from other countries also hurried back. Of course, students like John, who came from across the ocean, had never left.

Classrooms were once again filled with vibrant energy. "Based on the aforementioned research, Mr. Pasteur conducted a great experiment twenty years ago, under certain assumptions. Many of you may have heard of it—the swan-neck flask experiment..." On the podium of an amphitheater, Associate Professor Vogel was enthusiastically explaining the famous experiment to dozens of curious second-year students. With a few strokes of his hand, a rough experimental setup appeared on the blackboard. At this time, medical school teachers often had excellent sketching skills, especially anatomists who were particularly proficient. John was secretly glad he had put in a lot of effort in this area; otherwise, he would be completely at a loss if he wanted to become a teacher or write books in the future!

Most of the students in the audience were listening attentively. For people in this era with limited communication, even though Pasteur's experiment had been completed nearly twenty years ago, it still seemed novel to them. In Associate Professor Vogel's eloquent narration, everyone seemed to see the magical scene of the swan-neck flask experiment—broth left for years remained clear and transparent, completely overturning common knowledge!

Only John, sitting in the last row, was uninterested and daydreaming, his mind wandering far away. These things from over a hundred years ago were interesting at first, as they mostly heard the final theories in the future and rarely paid attention to the discovery process. Listening to them as stories was quite enjoyable. However, as he heard more and saw more, he gradually lost interest. Simple theories were repeatedly explained, making John feel like he was back in elementary school after graduating from university. This was because German medical schools were teaching these things now; if he had stayed in the United States for college, he probably wouldn't have heard about them at all.

"Mr. Huntelaar!"

Just as John was daydreaming, Associate Professor Vogel suddenly frowned and called his name: "Can you talk about your understanding of the swan-neck flask experiment... Mr. Huntelaar!"

He raised his voice and emphasized the last sentence.

"Uh..."

Under the collective gaze of his classmates, John was slightly stunned and then stood up, somewhat at a loss. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard Professor Vogel's question, feeling quite embarrassed for a moment.

"Mr. Huntelaar, please talk about your understanding of the swan-neck flask experiment!"

Shaking his head with a hint of disappointment, Associate Professor Vogel repeated the question.

"Understood."

This time, John clearly heard the question and immediately felt more at ease. However, he first bowed slightly with a hint of apology: "I'm very sorry, sir, I was a bit distracted... It won't happen again."

"Oh?"

After hearing John's apology, Associate Professor Vogel remained expressionless, merely gesturing for him to proceed.

Associate Professor Vogel was not familiar with John, the American student, as this was his first time teaching these second-year medical students. Of course, he had put a lot of thought into the first lecture, choosing the swan-neck flask experiment because it was interesting and could spark students' interest. But he hadn't expected a student to be so inattentive in the first class, and he couldn't help but feel angry.

He definitely needed to give him a warning!

Feeling the sharp gaze of Associate Professor Vogel, John inwardly sighed and dared not delay, speaking loudly: "Sir, Mr. Pasteur's swan-neck flask experiment seemingly proved that bacteria reproduce on their own and are not spontaneously generated, refuting the theory of spontaneous generation and leading to the theory of biogenesis. However, from the perspective of a medical student, I believe the most important aspect of this experiment for us is its significance in the medical field, such as infectious diseases, preservation, and surgical sterilization techniques..."

"Hmm..."

As soon as John finished speaking, a slight commotion rippled through the classroom.

The students in the classroom were mostly second-year medical students at Berlin University, and most had only heard of the experiment. Few had delved into it, especially since it was the 19th century, and what people in the future took for granted was still considered "advanced" knowledge at this time. Even now, many renowned physicians in Europe were still opposing Pasteur and Lister.

So when they heard John spout a series of "professional terms," many were impressed despite not fully understanding.

Professor Vogel's pupils also narrowed slightly, and his gaze toward John changed. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Huntelaar, can you elaborate on your insights?"

"Of course, sir!"

John, of course, did not back down. He smiled and continued, "First, regarding infectious diseases, everyone must know that besides Mr. Pasteur, Mr. Robert Koch of the Royal Health Board is also an authority in bacteriology. He discovered the anthrax bacillus a few years ago and completed its in vitro culture, then invented bacterial staining and agar plate culture methods, subsequently discovering the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and cholera, and proposed the Koch postulates..."

As John spoke, Professor Vogel nodded continuously.

As a loyal follower of Koch, Professor Vogel was naturally very familiar with this great figure in German medicine, and what John said were some of his most important achievements.

Gradually, Professor Vogel's gaze toward John softened.

Although John's content had exceeded the scope of the swan-neck flask experiment and was different from his initial intention in discussing it, hearing a student so diligent and having learned so much in advance was certainly gratifying for a teacher.

"... From this, I infer that many diseases in the world may be caused by bacteria or other microorganisms, and the development of bacteriology is likely to provide methods for physicians to solve these diseases!"

John slowly realized that his answer was somewhat off-topic and dared not say too much, only giving a general overview of the current discoveries.

"Very good!"

After listening to John's explanation, Professor Vogel couldn't help but clap lightly and nodded with a smile, "Very well done. It seems you have a good understanding of bacteriology... Mr. Huntelaar, you also mentioned surgical sterilization techniques. Are you very interested in surgery?"

"Of course!"

John nodded heavily and smiled, "Sir, I visited Mr. Lister last year and became very interested in surgery. And I chose to study at Berlin University's Medical School to become an excellent surgeon!"

"Oh? Why do you want to become a surgeon?"

Raising an eyebrow, Associate Professor Vogel asked with some confusion. Although the status of surgeons in Europe had improved significantly compared to the past, they were still not as prestigious as traditional internal medicine physicians. Therefore, Vogel was slightly puzzled by John's straightforward answer.

"Because I think surgery has a promising future!"

After a brief hesitation, John decided to say a bit more. Originally, after completing his understanding of the "modern" knowledge system, he had planned to start making a name for himself. He certainly wouldn't back down now.

However, even so, John had to carefully consider his words before continuing, "Sir, I believe that with the current technological development, the three major challenges limiting the development of surgery will soon be resolved, so the future of surgical science has great potential..."