The Genius Doctor Who Lives Twice - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 37
Edward, however, did not recognize Robinson.
“What brings you in? Tell me what troubles you.”
Allen, standing beside him, gently touched Edward’s shoulder.
“I summoned him, Doctor.”
“Hmm?”
Edward’s eyes darted between them, utterly bewildered.
“Is he a patient you called for?”
“No, sir. He came because he has something to say to you.”
Edward tilted his head, perplexed.
Allen studied Robinson for a moment, then continued.
“This is Robinson, a surgeon in the Greenhills district.”
Edward’s eyes widened at the name.
It was that same arrogant colleague who had never permitted him entry into the Surgeons’ Association.
“Ah, now I recall the face. But what in heaven’s name are you doing here?”
Allen said nothing, turning his gaze to Robinson instead.
“Take your time. Tell us what happened.”
Robinson had no choice.
He opened his mouth, resigned at last.
How he had envied and resented the Edward Clinic.
How the existence of Allen Light had constantly gnawed at him.
And how he had submitted a lawsuit to the court, scheming to destroy the Edward Clinic entirely.
As the full picture came to light, Edward’s face flushed crimson with rage.
“So it was you who spread all those vile rumors through the Marketplace and had that lawsuit filed against us!”
Edward clenched his fists, trembling with fury.
William, too, fixed Robinson with a cold, steely gaze.
Yet Robinson’s mind was elsewhere entirely.
The barrage of accusations didn’t wound his pride so much as it terrified him—the thought that patients waiting outside might overhear what was said in this room.
“Robinson, tell me—are you truly remorseful?” Allen asked.
Robinson bowed his head frantically.
“Yes, yes, I am. Deeply, truly remorseful….”
“But an apology alone will not suffice. You must fulfill the terms I set for you.”
Robinson shut his eyes tightly.
What harsh punishment awaited him? The very thought made his vision swim.
“…Command me.”
“Two things. First of all—”
Allen folded down one of his two raised fingers.
“Explain Cowpox Vaccination to your patients, step by step, and persuade them.”
Edward’s head snapped around at this.
William, too, blinked at the unexpected proposal.
Allen proceeded undeterred.
“Tell them it is far safer than Inoculation—that if they overcome their psychological resistance, they can prevent smallpox without risk of infection. See to it that as many people as possible receive the Cowpox Vaccination.”
…
Robinson couldn’t tell if this was an act of mercy or a deliberate scraping away of his pride.
But one thing was certain—it was far better than a public apology on his knees before the crowd.
He accepted without hesitation.
“Yes, I… I shall do my utmost.”
“Do not explain it half-heartedly, and do not deceive patients by substituting Inoculation matter for Cowpox Vaccination. This is your punishment: no matter how much they dismiss you, you must explain Cowpox Vaccination to them again and again—relentlessly, obsessively. I will visit periodically to verify your progress and how many successful inoculations you’ve achieved.”
In effect, Allen was conscripting Robinson as a herald of Cowpox Vaccination.
Robinson still had many patients in the Greenhills district, and if they began to change their minds one by one, the practice would take firm root throughout Danford.
“Yes, I understand.”
“And there is one more thing.”
At Allen’s words, Robinson swallowed hard.
“Learn from Doctor Edward.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
His eyes went wide.
“You refused to learn and resorted to scheming instead—that is why you face this punishment, is it not?”
…
“Invite Doctor Edward to your gatherings. Sit and listen as he explains how he treats his patients. Learn from him. Only then will you improve.”
At those words, Edward’s ears perked up.
At the same moment, Robinson’s head drooped.
He was losing even his current position as head of the Danford Surgeons’ Association.
“…Yes, that shall be done.”
“I mean you ought to study properly instead of sipping wine and making small talk and shirking your duties.”
“I understand.”
Robinson felt like a student being scolded by a teacher with a rod in hand.
In truth, when one’s opponent was the Royal Physician himself, there was little room for comeback.
“That concludes this matter. You may go.”
Robinson found himself oddly unsettled by the lighter punishment than he’d expected.
He’d braced himself for at least a public apology.
“Forgive me, but is that truly all?”
“Would you like me to make it two more conditions?”
“No, no, sir!”
Robinson jumped and waved his hands in panic.
“I shall faithfully observe the two conditions you have set forth. Robinson shall not forget your merciful leniency, sir.”
“Words mean nothing. Show it through action.”
“Yes, yes. I understand!”
Robinson bowed once more, then donned his hat and backed toward the door.
Through the tall window, his retreating figure could be seen scurrying down the street, his hat pulled low over his head.
Edward clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. The man already has so much, yet he resorts to such underhanded scheming.”
Then he turned to Allen.
“But isn’t that rather too lenient? The scoundrel tried to destroy the teacher in court!”
“The matter is settled cleanly, is it not? That suffices.”
“So you were serious about asking me to present at the Surgeons’ Association?”
“Of course. Go and teach the surgeons there.”
“Hmm, well…”
Edward’s lips twitched.
He harbored ill will toward the other surgeons of this city, who had habitually looked down on him.
But if he boldly joined their association now, he could flatten the noses of those arrogant fellows.
“But what am I to teach them?”
“Teach them the Sterilization Method.”
“…That’s our secret art.”
“It was our secret until now. But there’s no reason to monopolize it, is there?”
Allen spoke with quiet composure.
Edward cleared his throat.
“Well, we’re hardly in a position to be shaken by teaching that technique to a few others, it’s true.”
Allen smiled quietly.
Robinson was certainly no brilliant physician.
But his patients bore no guilt.
If he were to practice the Sterilization Method even once, and recognize its effects, his conscience as a physician could not reject it.
And thus, fewer innocent victims like his own father might be spared in the years ahead.
* * *
Ten days later.
Allen returned to the Orphanage once more.
Michael greeted him at the entrance with a serene smile.
“How fortunate, Mr. Allen. All matters have been resolved favorably.”
“It is thanks to the First Priest’s efforts in clearing up the misunderstanding. I am truly grateful.”
At those words, Michael smiled faintly.
“He is stubborn, to be sure, but he is not one to close his eyes to the truth in the end.”
Michael led him inside.
As they walked down the corridor, Rimon and Sarah spotted Allen from ahead and rushed toward him at once.
The children’s faces gleamed with unmistakable brightness.
“Sir!”
“How have you been?”
Allen lowered himself to meet the children’s eyes.
“I heard you endured hardship because of me. I’m sorry.”
“No, sir! We were able to be safe thanks to you!”
Sarah proudly rolled up her sleeve.
Rimon eagerly extended his arm as well.
The pustule that had bloomed at the site of the bovine matter injection had now dried clean, topped with a firm scab.
As the children dashed back out to the yard to play with the other orphans, Michael approached Allen’s side and spoke in a hushed whisper.
“There’s been a curious rumor circulating through the marketplace lately. They say Robinson of Greenhills has been gathering people and passionately proclaiming that ‘Cowpox Vaccination is the true preventive measure sent down by God himself.'”
“Is that so? That’s quite an unexpected turn of events.”
“That’s not all. A few days ago, he even went to visit the Chief Priest and begged him, saying he had been mistaken about Cowpox Vaccination and asking that the diocese reconsider this procedure.”
“Surprising, truly.”
Allen smiled faintly.
True, there had been a measure of “persuasion” involved, but it hardly mattered.
Humans are creatures who rationalize, deceiving even themselves to justify words once spoken.
Regardless of the reason, it was undoubtedly good that a respected surgeon had taken up the cause of advocating for Cowpox Vaccination.
“Perhaps because of this, the Chief Priest seems to be reconsidering the matter seriously now. He may even consent to permit Cowpox Vaccination inoculation.”
Allen nodded.
And he looked at Michael.
“What do you think, Father? Do you believe Cowpox Vaccination is the right path? Surely you were hesitant at first.”
“What does my opinion matter? What is important is the fact that those children walked into the very hell of smallpox, tended to the sick, and not a single hair on their heads was harmed.”
Michael spoke while watching Sarah and Rimon playing in the yard.
“It is true that doubt still lingers in my heart. If I were asked to recommend it to others, I would be honest—I’m uncertain. But perhaps that is merely my own prejudice clouding my vision. Those without prejudice, like these children, can accept truth as it is.”
The two men fell silent for a time.
Warm sunlight poured over the orphanage yard, and the laughter of the children carried on the wind.
* * *
Cowpox Vaccination did not spread widely all at once.
People remained skeptical, conservative, and doubtful.
Yet as the reputation of the Edward Clinic gradually rose, Cowpox Vaccination began to take firm root throughout Danford.
In time, a considerable number of Danford’s residents came to receive Cowpox Vaccination inoculation.
Several years later.
When a virulent smallpox epidemic swept through the neighboring villages, Danford alone remained unscathed.
As Chief Priest Gabriel submitted a report on Danford’s miraculous situation to the upper diocese, other dioceses began to consider Cowpox Vaccination as one possible course of action.
An academic paper was published thereafter.
The paper, published under the name of the rural physician Edward Gordon, initially made no impact whatsoever.
The learned circles of Calden ignored it entirely, let alone prestigious academic journals.
Yet as time passed, the paper gradually began to be read more widely.
Ten years later, Cowpox Vaccination had become the new standard, competing equally with Inoculation, and fierce debate raged through Calden’s academic circles.
And twenty years later.
The Medical Association of Calden, recognizing the merit of Edward’s contributions in promoting and implementing Cowpox Vaccination, proclaimed all of Danford a “City of Medicine.”
Edward, now a middle-aged physician with greying hair, received a substantial reward along with an honorable plaque.
But that lay far in the future.
In the time that Allen now inhabited, Cowpox Vaccination was merely a tender sprout, weakly breaking through the soil.
Yet in the days to come, the seed they would plant in Danford’s soil would grow into a great tree that would save millions—nay, tens of millions—of lives.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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