Chapter 75

Ernst Bergmann came to the University of Berlin from the University of Würzburg six years ago to take up the position of Professor of Surgery, which is a testament to his ability and status. After all, in Germany, there is usually only one professorship per discipline in universities, and a new appointment is only made when the incumbent leaves.

As he stood in front of Bergmann's office door, John felt a bit excited.

The benefits of his穿越 (time travel) included not only possessing knowledge far beyond his time but also the opportunity to meet historical figures who were previously only found in books. John really enjoyed the feeling of interacting with historical figures, whether it was Lister, Koch, or Bergmann.

He tidied his clothes at the door, took a deep breath, and gently knocked.

"Come in!"

A deep, resonant voice came from behind the door.

With a creak, John pushed open the heavy wooden door and greeted respectfully from the doorway: "Hello, I am John Hunter, Mr. Vogel asked me to come and see you..."

"Oh, please come in!"

Upon hearing John's name clearly, Bergmann immediately stood up and welcomed him warmly.

John, who had calmed down, walked into the room and bowed slightly: "Professor Bergmann, it is an honor to meet you!"

"Ha ha, young man, please sit down."

After sizing John up, Bergmann's eyes clearly showed a hint of satisfaction. He nodded and smiled.

It had to be said that John's excellent physique and appearance gave him a significant advantage, and his mature and steady demeanor, which was not typical for his age, added to his appeal. After all, scientists are human too, and everyone likes students who look pleasant. Moreover, John's financial situation was good, and with the meticulous care of his butler, he could ensure that his clothes were always clean and tidy, making his overall image quite likable.

After sitting down on the sofa opposite Bergmann, John paused for a moment and then smiled and asked: "Professor Bergmann, may I ask why you asked me to come here?"

"Hmm, I want to have a chat with you."

Bergmann didn't waste time and got straight to the point: "After class yesterday, Mr. Vogel passed by my office and specifically came in to talk about you... about what you said in class. I found it very interesting, could you tell me more about it?"

Indeed!

John's face lit up with a happy smile as he nodded: "Of course, Professor. In fact, my idea is quite simple..."

In front of a true surgical expert, John repeated what he had said yesterday, but he was much more cautious this time. He used words like "guess" and "inference" to describe many things, detailing his understanding of surgery in this era.

In simple terms, before the mid-19th century, surgery faced three fundamental challenges.

The first was infection. In an era without antibiotics, surgeons performed operations without any qualms, leading to extremely serious consequences. Post-operative infections claimed countless lives.

The second was pain. Without anesthetics, patients had to endure excruciating pain. The novelist Berli once described in detail her experience of a breast tumor removal without anesthesia: "Squish, the terrible scalpel pierced the breast, cutting through veins, arteries, muscles, and nerves one by one. I couldn't stop my tears and my screams continued throughout the entire operation... The pain was unbearable. When the wound was stitched and the instruments removed, the pain did not lessen. The sudden rush of air into the wound felt like a small, sharp, and forked dagger tearing at the edges of the wound..."

Therefore, 19th-century surgeons, and those before them, were like butchers, performing operations at a speed that could outpace any top surgeon of the future. One top surgeon, for example, could amputate a leg in 28 seconds, along with the patient's testicle and two of his assistant's fingers...

The last major obstacle was bleeding. Before the development of effective hemostatic techniques, the incisions made by the scalpel would cause thick blood to spurt from the tissues, blurring the surgeons' vision and foreshadowing the patient's death. After amputations, surgeons would use red-hot irons to cauterize the wounds, but by then, the patient would have already bled to death. Similarly, patients with extensive gunshot wounds would be doused with boiling hot oil to stop the bleeding, causing unbearable pain!

However, in the second half of the 19th century, solutions to these three major problems began to emerge.

Starting with that unfortunate Austrian doctor, Lister and many other surgeons began to develop disinfection and sterilization techniques, which alleviated post-operative infections to some extent, although the problem remained severe before the advent of antibiotics. The introduction of nitrous oxide and ether began to address the issue of surgical pain. As for bleeding, hemostatic forceps were invented ten years ago, and rudimentary indirect blood transfusion techniques had also appeared, although many patients died due to hemolysis...

In short, the factors that had been hindering the development of surgical techniques were slowly but surely being resolved.

"So I believe that the future of surgery will be bright, because disinfection and sterilization techniques can significantly reduce the risks of post-operative infections, anesthesia can allow surgeons to focus more on minimizing the harm to patients, and blood transfusion techniques will enable more complex and dangerous surgeries to be attempted..."

At this point, John paused because he saw Professor Bergmann's mouth hanging open, staring at him in a daze.

"Uh, maybe I said too much."

After a moment's hesitation, John cautiously said: "Professor, these ideas came to me after reading some books and journals. They might be a bit immature..."

"No, no, no, your ideas are great!"

Before John could finish, Bergmann, who had slowly closed his mouth, waved his hand and exclaimed: "Do you know why Mr. Vogel came to talk to me about this? Because your views are almost identical to mine!"

With Bergmann's words, what could John say? He could only smile and say: "It is my honor, sir!"

"Young man, you are only in your second year, right?"

After a moment of strange contemplation, Professor Bergmann suddenly asked.

"Yes, sir."

John nodded but quickly explained: "I was very interested in medicine when I was in the East and studied with a physician for two years. In New York and at the University of Berlin, I read many related articles and reports..."

Without blushing, John mentioned some things that were not entirely true.

However, no one could verify his experiences in China, so John wasn't worried about being exposed. At least, Professor Bergmann's face was filled with admiration and praise, and he nodded repeatedly: "Very good, very good. To think of so much based on some articles and reports, I must say, young man, you are really outstanding!"

"Thank you for your praise!"

John secretly breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again with a smile.

After a slight hesitation, Professor Bergmann smiled and asked: "Young man, I heard from Professor Vogel that you want to become a surgeon in the future?"

John nodded vigorously and said solemnly: "Yes, sir, becoming a surgeon is my dream, and I am working hard towards it."

"Very good!"

Bergmann's face showed obvious delight, and he patted his thigh, laughing: "I look forward to it. If you want to pursue surgery in the future, I would be very happy to take you on as a student!"

"Why not now?"

Blinking his eyes, John asked this question very directly!

"Now?"

Professor Bergmann laughed: "You are only in your second year, don't be in such a hurry!"

The professor smiled, but John's expression was serious. He said solemnly: "Professor Bergmann, the University of Berlin doesn't seem to have a strict requirement for following a set schedule, does it? I believe I am ready to enter clinical practice. Why can't I start learning surgical techniques with you now?"

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing John's words, Professor Bergmann was stunned.

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