"Look at it, it's pitch black outside!"

Standing in front of the window on the second floor, John was silent for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"It's a city like it's dying."

After a long silence, Ehrlich sighed faintly: "According to the figures provided by Professor Koch, more than 800 people have died in Hamburg in the past month!" John, if the spread of cholera is not controlled, I doubt the city will die completely! ”

This afternoon, in addition to dealing with Koch and others, the two of them also took time to walk around the streets of Hamburg, and found that the city was very sick - the streets were deserted, and occasionally a few pedestrians were also full of panic, but there were no more horse-drawn carriages heading out of the city. The peak of cholera is from July to October, and now it is so severe at the end of April, you can imagine how harmful the pandemic is!

But John knows that this is far from the peak!

The number recorded in history can be far more than 800, in fact, it should be more than 8,000, which is ten times more than now! If the mortality rate is taken into account, the actual number of people who fall ill is even higher, and the total population of the city of Hamburg today is only a few hundred thousand......

John shook his head and sighed softly, "After all, this city, this country is not ready for such a large-scale cholera epidemic!" Or rather...... Germany is growing so fast! ”

"Huh? Moving too fast? ”

After hearing John's words, Ehrlich couldn't help but be stunned.

As a medical scientist, Ehrlich devoted almost all of his energy and time to his own research, which was the foundation of his great success and the reason why he later abandoned the patent for antitoxin serum. So after listening to John's words, it was basically impossible for him to understand.

If he hadn't come to this day himself, John would have had a hard time understanding.

Victory in the Franco-Prussian War. Let the Germans completely get on the top stage of this era. Germany's strong political position gave Germany time to develop steadily, and the modern system injected a lot of vitality into the economy: the Germans established a modern education system, and the University of Berlin is known as the mother of modern universities; Germany's investment in science and technology is unmatched by other countries in this era, and Bayer can invest millions of marks to build an experimental center; While the British and French were reeling in the dividends of the colonies, the Germans were quietly developing their own industries. Every day, factories, businesses and banks are founded. A large number of people moved from the countryside to the cities, and in just a few decades, the ratio of urban to rural population in Germany has reversed, and the Germans have become an urbanized country.

One of the consequences of the rapid expansion of cities is the epidemic of infectious diseases.

In this era when modern medicine has just become a science, doctors have no good way to deal with the epidemic that is raging everywhere, except for economic development to improve people's lives and improve their own immunity, they can only rely on the progress of public health.

In this regard. The British are undoubtedly the best.

The cholera pandemic in London decades ago made the British people more or less aware of the importance of public health. Although it was not intended to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, they eventually built the world's most advanced sewer system. Since then, there has not been a single case of cholera in London until more than a hundred years later, when a miracle was performed. Germany, on the other hand, is far behind, with a shallow foundation for countries that have only risen in recent decades, and most cities have no such foundation. The influx of a large number of rural people into the cities has not only created many poor people's gathering areas full of garbage and sewage. It also overwhelms an already fragile infrastructure – creating an excellent breeding ground for infectious disease outbreaks!

That's why after seeing this city similar to New York, John let out that exclamation.

New York in this era is undoubtedly a star city, with an astonishing rate of development, but a large number of immigrants, especially those who lack skills, have poured into the city, causing countless headaches for social problems. Although John rarely came into contact with it because of his status, he only had to look at some of the "pigeon cages" he usually passed by, and an experience he had in the past, he knew that the environment in those places was probably not much better than the slums of India in later generations......

Thinking of this, John's face couldn't help but look worried. Turning around, he asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ehrlich, are you sure you want to stay in Hamburg and not go with me to Berlin?" ”

John would certainly not be in Hamburg for long, and after teaching Koch and others the main methods of prevention, control and treatment, he would immediately leave for Berlin and leave this high-risk place. But unlike him, Ehrlich decided to stay and help Koch and Kitasato Shibasaburo and others. Over the past few years, Ehrlich has learned a lot from John, such as more scientific and rigorous laboratory techniques, and more modern research concepts, which are most urgently needed right now.

"Yes, sir, I decided to stay in Hamburg!"

Without any hesitation, Ehrlich nodded firmly and said, "Compared with Professor Koch, I have a deeper understanding of your theory and are more familiar with intravenous infusion and other techniques, so I can definitely help a lot!" ”

“…… All right. ”

After a moment of silence, John nodded and said, "In that case, then you should go back and rest early, tomorrow will be a busy day." ”

Tomorrow is the second day of their arrival in Hamburg, and in addition to discussions with more Koch doctors in the morning, they will also go to a hospital in the afternoon to diagnose and treat patients with cholera on the spot......

……

"Hoo ......"

After exhaling softly, John put on his mask.

After communicating with Koch and others, he finally began to have direct contact with cholera patients. Although he explained that cholera was mainly transmitted through the digestive tract and that as long as he took care to protect himself, there was no big problem, but John was still a little uneasy. Fortunately, the masks, hats, gloves and other items produced by Heinz Medical Devices have been fully popularized in Germany, especially for surgeons, almost half of whom have accepted this new "armament", so Koch easily got several sets for them.

The trademark of Heinz Pharmaceutical Company made John feel very sure.

When he was ready, John walked out of the room that had been specially prepared for him and into the hallway of the hospital. Koch, Ehrlich, and Shibazaburo Hojo, who had been waiting for him for a long time, immediately stepped forward and took him to a hospital room. This is a general hospital in Hamburg, and because of the sudden outbreak of cholera, this small two-storey building has become one of the main places to isolate cholera patients - after thousands of years of fighting infectious diseases, people at least know that they should be isolated.

But as soon as he entered the ward, John's brow couldn't help frowning.

Before he came, he had already been mentally prepared, after all, most of the hospitals in Europe in this era were still "charitable", and it was natural that the conditions were poor. When he first came in, John knew about it when he saw this small two-story building. But after actually entering the ward, it was cramped and crowded, which was the visual experience of the ward for John, and six beds were visited in the ward of less than twenty square meters, almost to the extent of bed to bed; The strong smell that lingers in the nose also shows that the air circulation conditions in this ward are very poor, at most, the square window is facing a wall, and there is no light coming in during the day.

Compared to the conditions of Heinz General Hospital, the environment here can be described as harsh!

"What's the difference between staying here and going to the morgue?"

After seeing the situation in the hospital room, John's eyes flickered rapidly. But he also knew that now was not the time to complain, and that it was up to him to quickly teach Koch their technology.

But......

When John forced his mouth to shut up and turned his gaze to the patients in the hospital beds, the person lying on one of the beds happened to look at him as well, which made his heart tremble, and his brow couldn't help but furrow deeply again...... (To be continued.) )