Chapter 90

After leaving the Bristow family, John's mood was slightly troubled. It was true that Miss Anna, whom he had long wanted to see again, was very beautiful, but with the Bristows accompanying him, John had no chance to be alone with her, and he could hardly even speak to her. How could this not be frustrating?

Returning home with regret, John picked up his pen again and began to write and draw on a blank sheet of paper. The deadline for submitting his report to Bergmann was approaching, and he had to finish the entire report no matter what. As for the data, he could only piece it together from his memories. He thought that 19th-century surgeons would not be able to spot any flaws...

...

Time flew by, and another week passed. On Tuesday afternoon, John returned to the surgical building of Charlotte Hospital, bringing a thick stack of papers, about twenty to thirty pages, and placed them on Bergmann's desk: "Professor, this is the detailed plan I have organized. Please review it!"

"Good!"

Professor Bergmann, who was quite eager, raised an eyebrow and immediately began to flip through the pages. Since last Tuesday, when he heard John's words, Bergmann had been very interested in what John had to say. He had set aside half a day this afternoon, so he was now carefully reading through each page. Across from him, John sat in a chair, sipping coffee brought by a nurse, calmly waiting for Bergmann's questions.

John had full confidence in this plan. To be precise, John had full confidence in the knowledge he had learned a hundred years later. This report included several methods to replace carbolic acid, as well as many suggestions for preventing infections. He was not afraid that Bergmann, an expert in the field, would not recognize its value...

This was evident from Bergmann's expression. From the initial calm and composed demeanor when he started reading, to the serious look after reading the general introduction, and then the surprise when he read the specific implementation methods, Bergmann's expression changed rapidly, like an actor. Especially when he reached about a quarter of the way through, John finally saw the surprise he had been waiting for!

Putting down the plan, Bergmann took a deep breath and looked at John, asking in surprise, "John, have you really tried the high-pressure steam sterilization mentioned in the text?"

"Yes, I have tried it."

John nodded quickly and said earnestly, "Professor, I even bought a microscope to verify my ideas and found that both steam sterilization and boiling sterilization can effectively kill bacteria. I am certain of this!"

John's plan contained many things, but the central point was the improvement of surgical sterilization techniques! He boldly proposed the high-pressure steam sterilization method. This was actually Bergmann's most important medical discovery in his lifetime. John, without hesitation, returned it to its rightful owner and placed it at the forefront of all the content. In addition to the steam sterilization method, John also proposed the boiling method, which involved boiling items for a long time to sterilize them, suitable for disinfecting rubber materials and other items. These two methods could basically handle most of the surgical instruments and dressings used in this era. As for dry heat, ionization, and chemical solutions, John...

Hearing that John had already verified it himself, Bergmann was thoroughly moved. The sterilization effect of carbolic acid was actually quite good, but it had a strong irritant effect and could damage the skin. Additionally, its strong odor had drawn a lot of criticism. Bergmann had long been looking for a new method.

"Hmm, we can try it."

After a moment of contemplation, Bergmann nodded. Although he did not say much, he had already decided to conduct the tests as soon as possible. Both steam sterilization and boiling sterilization were very simple to perform, and their effectiveness could be easily verified in a short time.

After a brief pause, Bergmann continued, "John, have you also verified the use of alcohol to replace carbolic acid for the sterilization of surgeons' hands, as mentioned in the plan?"

"Yes, sir."

John smiled slightly and respectfully replied, "However, after many repetitions and experiments, I found that not all high-concentration alcohols can achieve sterilization. Only 70-75% alcohol is effective!"

The principle of alcohol sterilization is to cause the proteins in bacteria to coagulate, but low-concentration alcohol cannot do this, and high-concentration alcohol can even form a protective layer on the surface of bacteria, protecting them. Only 70-75% alcohol is effective for medical use. However, John did not explain this...

"Phew..."

Perhaps to conceal his excitement, Bergmann exhaled heavily.

If what John said was true, and he could find two methods to replace carbolic acid, thereby solving the sterilization of surgical instruments and surgeons' hands, then the value of this plan would be immense!

Seeing Bergmann's pleased expression, John became a bit anxious and quickly smiled, "Professor, you haven't read the rest of the plan yet..."

"Oh? Good, ha ha, sorry!"

Bergmann was momentarily stunned but then laughed, nodding and continuing to read.

If the plan only proposed two sterilization methods, then John's twenty to thirty-page report would be too exaggerated, and it would not be worth the time he spent. Since he had the opportunity to become Bergmann's student, and this teacher was one of the important figures in the history of surgical sterilization, John decided to include many things that could be implemented in this era—mostly theoretical explanations, so there was no need to be too cautious.

However, to his surprise, as Bergmann read further, the professor's brow gradually furrowed, seemingly not fully endorsing what he saw!

"What's wrong?"

John was a bit worried because Bergmann did not seem as surprised by the later content as he was by the earlier parts, and he was flipping through the pages faster, finishing the thick stack in about the same time as before!

"Professor, how is it?"

Seeing Bergmann finish the later content so quickly, John's heart raced, suddenly having a very bad feeling.

"Well, well..."

Tapping his fingers lightly on the plan, Bergmann frowned and thought for a moment before suddenly asking, "John, improving the sterilization of surgical instruments and hands is very valuable and definitely worth trying, but the other things mentioned later... are they really necessary?"

"Ah?"

Hearing this question, John was stunned.

Noticing John's apparent surprise, Bergmann frowned and continued, "John, the things you mentioned later, such as the need to sterilize the surgeons' clothes, the operating room after each use, and even the wards... are they really meaningful?"

"This..."

Hearing this, John was completely speechless.

In this plan, which John had put a lot of thought into, there were many things from modern surgical textbooks, as well as his own experience as a surgeon. For example, in addition to the sterilization of surgical instruments and hands, John provided detailed descriptions of the overall cleanliness of the hospital, the sterilization of the operating room environment, and hygiene measures for doctors and nurses. With this information, the level of surgical sterilization could advance by decades!

But...

John never expected that Bergmann would question the necessity and significance of these things!

Sir, you are Bergmann!

"Professor..."

Opening his mouth, John wanted to say something, but he suddenly realized that if the other party did not accept his views, what was the point of saying more?

Bergmann noticed John's disappointment and felt a bit helpless, shaking his head and saying, "John, although the reasons you presented suggest that these measures might have some effect, are they really necessary? How significant is their impact on preventing infections? And do you know how much money we would need to implement all your suggestions?"

The limitations of the era were evident in Bergmann. Even as the inventor of steam sterilization, the more radical changes John proposed in the report still made him resistant. After all, many of these things were not directly related to surgery, and if all of John's improvement measures were implemented, a large amount of sterilization materials would need to be purchased every month, many sets of surgical gowns would need to be provided for each doctor and nurse, and even patients would need to wear hospital gowns and be sterilized after each use...

This would increase the expenses of the surgical department at Charlotte Hospital by at least twice!

Even as a professor of surgery and the head of the surgical department at Charlotte Hospital, Bergmann did not have the ability or authority to implement this. Especially since most of the patients were poor, the fees collected would hardly cover the costs!

So, even though he was somewhat moved by the report, Bergmann subconsciously chose to reject it.

As a surgeon, he was certainly willing to try the measures John suggested. After all, a cleaner hospital and neater doctors and nurses would be more comfortable to look at. But as the head of the surgical department, Bergmann had to consider all aspects, especially the economic factors, which needed to be carefully considered!

So, seeing John's disappointed expression, Bergmann could only smile and comfort him, "John, it's good that you have these ideas, but I think we should focus our efforts on the operating room! I will conduct the three sterilization methods as soon as possible... um, I will also adopt your suggestion to frequently sterilize the operating room, and you can be in charge of this, okay?"

As he spoke, Bergmann gave John a sweet deal.

This was not just to give John something to do; for a new student in the surgical department, such trust was extremely rare.

"…Okay, Professor."

After a brief moment of thought, John nodded, his expression returning to its usual calm, and no one could tell what he was thinking... (To be continued)

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