Chapter 96

In the midst of laughter and conversation, John made old Hunter understand two things.

The first thing was that during the year and a bit he had spent in Berlin, John had not been idle. He had designed a new and better light bulb, and old Hunter suspected that this was not his only achievement. The second thing was that old Hunter once again confirmed that if his grandson really became a doctor, it would be something he could not accept!

However, old Hunter did not bring it up directly.

Haste makes waste; at over sixty years old, old Hunter understood this principle. Moreover, he knew that a young and talented person like John would find it hard to truly listen to others' advice, especially when rushed.

Fortunately, he still had plenty of time...

...

London, England.

In the small office of The Lancet, Fass finally gave his editor the instruction: "My final decision for this article is to review it. If it passes, publish it as soon as possible! Mr. Graham, if you don't mind, you can visit a few doctors and professors today and tomorrow... I will reserve space for you in this issue, so you need to get their responses as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir!"

Graham's heart leaped with joy, and he immediately agreed. He had been worried about Mr. Fass's attitude and final decision regarding the paper since yesterday, and now he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Graham was not deliberately quarreling with his colleague David. After reading the paper, his mind had been in turmoil. The four blood types, like four long knives, had completely overturned his traditional knowledge, and the various speculations about clinical blood transfusions had left him emotionally stirred and unable to let go!

Suppressing his excitement, Graham asked solemnly, "Mr. Fass, which three gentlemen do you think are suitable to review this paper?"

A basic principle of the review process is that the number of reviewers must be odd, so that if opinions differ, the majority can rule. The Lancet usually selects three people for judgment.

"Felton from Cambridge University, Hamplyn from the Royal Society, and Henry from St. Mary's Hospital!"

After a brief hesitation, Mr. Fass gave the names of three people. These were all gentlemen who were closely associated with the magazine, and Graham was very familiar with them, so he knew exactly who they were without needing their full names.

However, upon hearing these three names, Graham was slightly surprised and cautiously asked, "Mr. Fass, why not invite Mr. Lister? He is one of the most famous surgeons in Britain and should be very interested in such an innovative thesis, right?"

"Mr. Lister?"

Mr. Fass frowned, then quickly shook his head and said, "His achievements are mainly in the application and promotion of antiseptic techniques. He probably won't have much to say about this new theory, and do you think someone who only performs fracture surgeries understands blood transfusions..."

Although his tone seemed objective, there was a hint of disdain in Fass's eyes.

"...Alright."

As if understanding something, Graham immediately nodded and left.

Graham had once heard a rumor that Mr. Fass, a graduate of Edinburgh, had a particularly poor relationship with Lister. After taking over the editorial department, Fass had often expressed that Lister was just lucky, benefiting from Pasteur's work. As a well-known surgeon, Lister's work was mainly focused on fractures, and he had only recently started venturing into abdominal surgery with few successful cases, making it hard for traditional doctors like Fass to be convinced.

However, it was best not to get involved in the disputes of the bigwigs...

...

Holding Mr. John Hunter's paper, Graham left the editorial office and began his journey through the vast city of London. Meanwhile, in Berlin, which was thousands of miles away, the editor of a local medical journal, The German Medical Journal, named Heinz, was much happier. This was because, in addition to John Hunter's name, there was another name he was extremely familiar with: Ernst Bergmann, the current professor of surgery at the University of Berlin!

Therefore, after reading the entire paper, Mr. Heinz was overjoyed and ran to Mr. Bergmann's office, excitedly saying, "Mr. Bergmann, you must read this paper! It was just sent by Mr. Bergmann from the University of Berlin!"

"Oh? Mr. Bergmann has a new paper?"

Mr. Bergmann was also very pleased and quickly took the paper to read it.

In the German medical community, Bergmann had a significant reputation, especially after taking over the position of professor of surgery at the University of Berlin. Therefore, after reading Bergmann's paper, Mr. Bergmann slammed the table in excitement and said, "Excellent! This is definitely the best paper of the year for our journal... no doubt about it!"

It was already close to the end of 1884, so Mr. Bergmann's statement was very definitive.

Heinz nodded repeatedly, clearly in agreement with his superior's view. These were the years when antiseptic techniques in surgery were at their peak, and more and more surgeons were accepting this new concept that could significantly reduce patient mortality. They were also increasingly focusing on research in this area, and Bergmann's paper came at just the right time!

High-pressure steam sterilization?

Just hearing the name was so surprising and exciting!

"However, Mr. Bergmann..."

After a brief moment of excitement, Heinz suddenly remembered something and said anxiously, "Our next issue has already been finalized and approved... if we want to publish it quickly, it might be too late!"

"Oh, right!"

Mr. Bergmann also remembered this and, after slamming his fist, called out in frustration.

The New Year was approaching, and everyone had been working overtime to get the next issue out early. It was about to go to print. This was a tradition of The German Medical Journal, to publish an early issue before the New Year so that the editors could take a longer break.

But today, this tradition was causing both Bergmann and Heinz great frustration.

With the layout already set and printing about to start, it was unrealistic to squeeze in such a long paper. This would not only mean that the editors would have to work overtime again but also that all the previous work would be wasted, resulting in significant losses of time and money!

The two did not discuss the content of the paper.

Unlike the editors of The Lancet, who needed to debate whether the novel theories and views in John's paper were correct, the two editors in Berlin did not need to doubt. The first name on the paper was Ernst Bergmann! Although the second name, John Hunter, was unfamiliar, they did not care, as everyone assumed he was just Bergmann's student or assistant.

What troubled them was the layout issue.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Bergmann made the decision: "Let's put it in the first issue of 1885. Starting the new year with a heavyweight article is just perfect..."

Even though the first issue of the new year had already been finalized, it had not yet gone to print. In this case, simply replacing one or two articles could solve the layout problem, so the two did not need to discuss it further.

"I guess that's the only way."

Although it was a bit disappointing not to publish the paper immediately, Heinz could not think of a better solution and could only nod in agreement with Mr. Bergmann's arrangement.

Neither of the two editors could have imagined that, across the channel in London, a competitor was already weaving through the vast city, seeking support for John's paper. They could not have foreseen that many years later, when people began to scrutinize every trace of John Hunter in history, tracing his path, how they would evaluate these two editors who inadvertently missed John's first research paper...

...