Chapter 74

Someone once said that being fickle is a woman's privilege, but sometimes men can be like this too.

The next morning, as soon as John got up, he changed his mind. He decided to produce and promote the new sphygmomanometer himself. This was because he suddenly remembered what he had said in class yesterday—about the three major challenges in surgery. A sudden idea struck him: why not take this opportunity to develop some theories about blood?

Now, he had already accumulated some knowledge in anatomy and physiology, and it was almost time to tackle these subjects. Although he still had many fields to explore in the future, this era was full of geniuses who excelled in multiple areas, spanning seven or eight fields. There was even a great figure like Helmholtz at the University of Berlin. One more or one less wouldn't make much difference.

So, while brushing his teeth in the early morning, John had an idea: perhaps he could use this sphygmomanometer and a set of theories about blood as his stepping stone to enter the mainstream of European physicians!

Strictly speaking, this was an era that valued reputation.

People of this era lacked sufficient theoretical foundations and technical means, so it was often impossible to obtain concrete evidence for new theories. To get others to accept one's theories, one needed enough prestige. For example, if Lister proposed any new surgical concept now or ten years from now, even if it were incorrect, it would likely be taken seriously by surgeons worldwide. However, when he first started experimenting with antiseptic techniques over a decade ago, he faced more ridicule and mockery than anything else.

"I can apply for the patent for the sphygmomanometer first."

As he rode his bike out, John pondered: "Then I'll spend some time doing physiological experiments, summarize and refine some theories about blood, and launch the sphygmomanometer when the time is right..."

This was no challenge for John.

In fact, people already knew a lot about blood, but due to the limitations of experimental conditions, many microscopic aspects had not yet formed theories. So, John only needed to conduct some physiological experiments and appropriately use some "guesses" and "inferences." Not only could he write an excellent paper, but he could even write a specialized book without any problem!

"Let's do it!"

After making up his mind, John felt elated and pedaled quickly, speeding down the road to the University of Berlin...

...

The morning class ended while John was in a distracted state of mind.

Just as the teaching assistant announced the end of the class and John let out a sigh of relief, he suddenly realized that he might really not be able to continue attending these classes. Even if he could sit in the back row and daydream, the feeling of doing nothing was too annoying!

It was even more boring than during the holidays!

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

As John frowned in thought, a classmate patted his shoulder and asked with a smile.

"Huh?"

Startled out of his reverie, John was momentarily stunned, then quickly smiled and shook his head. "Nothing, just finding the class a bit boring."

"Boring?"

The classmate's eyes widened in surprise, as if John's words were incomprehensible.

In this era, attending university was a privilege for a select few, and the University of Berlin, being one of the world's top universities, was even harder to get into. Everyone cherished this opportunity. While not everyone was so dedicated as to neglect sleep and meals, sufficient effort was a common trait. Saying that a class was boring during a lecture left the classmate, who had always had a good impression of John, somewhat bewildered.

John chuckled inwardly but couldn't explain to the other person. He simply stood up and smiled. "Sorry, I want to take a walk after lunch. See you this afternoon!"

Under the astonished gaze of the short classmate, John quickly left the classroom.

Stepping out of the cramped space, feeling the bright sunlight and gentle breeze, John's mood instantly lifted. He suddenly found his earlier gloom amusing. His original plan was to spend two years building a foundation, but now he realized he had underestimated himself and overestimated the knowledge level of this era. While it was true that in terms of the total amount of knowledge, John would still need two years to complete his studies, if he focused only on what he would need in the future, one year would be sufficient.

"Hey, John!"

Just as John was about to go for a walk, Luther suddenly ran over, shouting, "I just met Mr. Vogel, and he told me to inform you to go to Professor Bergmann's office!"

"Professor Bergmann? Which Professor Bergmann?"

John was taken aback and asked, somewhat puzzled.

Rolling his eyes, Luther said irritably, "You claim to want to be a surgeon, and you haven't even heard of Professor Bergmann, the professor of surgery?"

"Ernst Bergmann?"

At this, John's eyes widened in realization. He finally remembered the professor of surgery he had wanted to visit when he first enrolled.

In fact, this was the strength of Germany and the University of Berlin in this era—too many people who had left their mark in history. Like Professor Bergmann, while he might not be as well-known as Koch and Helmholtz, and even many surgeons might not remember him, mentioning an innovative sterilization method would certainly ring a bell.

High-pressure steam sterilization!

Although it hadn't been invented yet, John remembered the name Ernst Bergmann from his memory, knowing that he would invent this effective sterilization method in the future.

"What does Professor Bergmann want with me?"

Excitement surged within John, and he subconsciously asked this question, his fanboy instincts kicking in.

Shaking his head, Luther's eyes showed envy as he smiled. "I'm not sure, but from what Mr. Vogel said, it might have something to do with what you said in class yesterday."

"Those words..."

John suddenly understood.

Yesterday in class, he had casually mentioned the three major challenges in 19th-century surgery—infection, bleeding, and pain. He had listed the progress made in these areas and looked forward to the bright future of surgery...

John hadn't even dared to mention shock, but Professor Vogel had apparently passed his words on to Professor Bergmann.

"Hurry up!"

Seeing John still lost in thought, Luther frowned, pushed him, and said urgently, "I heard that Professor Bergmann is very busy, and it's not easy for him to spare time to see you. Hurry up!"

"Oh, okay."

John quickly nodded, asked for the location of Professor Bergmann's office, and ran off...

...