The Shadow of Great Britain

77: Chapter 38 The Journey to the Funeral 77: Chapter 38 The Journey to the Funeral In the interrogation room at Scotland Yard, Arthur leaned against a chair.

Opposite the interrogation room, a makeshift wooden medical bed was set up, and several doctors with beads of sweat on their foreheads were carefully assembling and stitching the tiny corpse before them.

The supervising police officers standing behind Arthur saw this scene and their Adam’s apples trembled from time to time.

Even the officers, accustomed to dirty environments and bloody scenes, struggled with this sight.

Some could not help but turn their heads away, while others furrowed their brows and closed their eyes.

After what felt like a long time, the doctors let out long breaths, raised their hands to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, then pursed their lips, glanced at Arthur sitting on the chair, and respectfully reported back,

“Mr.

Hastings, the body has been sewn up.”

Arthur did not look up at their faces, but calmly stared at the iron window of the interrogation room, the only source of light in the dark chamber.

“I’ve heard that every medical school in Britain, at the time of entry, requires the Hippocratic Oath to be recited.

Do you still remember what it says?”

The doctors looked at each other, their heads that had just lifted now drooping again.

“We remember…

of course, we remember.”

“Could you recite it for me?”

There was a long silence among the doctors, until finally someone spoke up.

“I swear by Apollo the healer, by Asclepius, by Akeso, by all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath.

To him who has taught me this art, I will esteem him as equal to my parents; and life-long partner in the craft, if he needs aid, I shall give him aid.

I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts and will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.

But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art.

In whatever house I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves.

Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret.

While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times!

But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot.”

Arthur nodded, “You should be grateful that you swore to Apollo, Asclepius, and Akeso.

If you had sworn to the Devil, you’d already be in Hell now!”

Upon hearing this, a doctor couldn’t help but stand up and explain,

“Mr.

Hastings, we merely purchased the bodies.

We certainly knew the sources were illegal, but the body count from legal channels simply isn’t enough for our daily educational needs, let alone scientific research.”

“Ever since the Burke case in Edinburgh in 1828, there’s been some unofficial agreements within the industry.

We usually only make contact with grave robbers we’re familiar with.

Most bodies that come in from their side are from church graveyards.

We didn’t know they switched to the murder business!”

“If we were truly involved in a murder, how could we cooperate with police investigations?

We’ve already provided the police with the facial features and personal details of the seller of the bodies as requested.

Who is right and who is wrong, you would know upon an investigation, wouldn’t you?”

“We anatomists haven’t done anything wrong, it’s just that the officials and the public of this country don’t understand the social reality.

The law is supposed to punish those who dare to counter public interest, but anatomical activities should contribute to the public good and not be restricted.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur said, “I know that what you are saying isn’t entirely without merit, which is why you are still alive and standing here.

If I had evidence that you were involved in a murder case, then I wouldn’t be speaking so politely to you.”

With that, Arthur pointed to his colleagues behind him.

“Do you know why Scotland Yard arranged for these officers to be here?

You think they’re here to protect me?

No, they are here to protect you.

If no one was present, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to resist killing you with my own hands!”

“As to whether your dissection of corpses is truly for the public good, or for personal gain, and whether these acts are in accordance with medical ethics, the House of Commons has organized a special Anatomy Ethics Investigation Committee.

Their findings will hold more professional authority than my personal opinion.”

At this point, Arthur turned to the police officers beside him and instructed, “The families of the victims in the body-snatching cases are now highly agitated.

Order each police district to arrange for doctors to sew up the bodies as soon as possible—the sooner we return the bodies to the families, the better.

This morning, several public protests have already taken place at the doors of the Supreme Court and the Houses of Parliament.

The Home Office requires us to quell the situation promptly.

Murderers with sufficient evidence against them should be tried and the cases closed as quickly as possible.

The trials and sentencing of all murderers shall be modeled after the Edinburgh Burke case.

After the criminal is hanged at Tyburn, his body will be displayed for three days before being handed over to Mr.

Thomas Wakley, Member of Parliament and medical expert, to perform a public dissection to appease public anger.”

Having said this, Arthur suddenly turned his head toward the doctors, “Speaking of Mr.

Wakley, you must have heard of his great name, haven’t you?”

The doctors were sweating profusely, “Of…

of course, the founder of ‘The Lancet’ magazine.

There are mixed opinions about him within our profession…”

Arthur nodded and said, “For those doctors who are truly guilt-free, I have good news to announce.

As for those doctors who claim to be advancing science, but in reality are motivated by self-interest, I have some bad news for you.

Because of Mr.

Wakley’s strong medical ethical views, and because his original intention in founding ‘The Lancet’ was precisely to publish medical knowledge and break the monopoly some medical groups held over such information, targeting their practice of profiting heavily from urban hospital lectures.

Therefore, Parliament has specially authorized him to oversee all organizational and review work of this Anatomy Ethics Investigation Committee.

If you truly have nothing to fear, I think you should not be afraid of a fair investigation by Mr.

Wakley.”

The expressions of the doctors instantly changed.

Some were composed, while others looked to one another uneasily.

Arthur glanced at them, and before he could speak, the door to the interrogation room suddenly opened.

Officer Field stormed in, his face beaming with joy as he began, “Boss!

We have pinpointed the exact location of the murderer in the St Giles’s Church parish case!”

Upon hearing this, Arthur quickly stood up and pressed, “Have you caught him?”

Officer Field replied, “We raided their residence based on the information we received this afternoon and apprehended two individuals on the spot.

A third one, they said, had gone back to his rural hometown near London to visit his family two days ago.

We have already dispatched officers to the area and believe it won’t be long before we catch him.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Detective Field handed over a file from under his arm to Arthur, which contained a very detailed analysis of the case, including social relationships, addresses, career backgrounds, and places of birth for all three culprits.

Arthur casually flipped through the dossier, then suddenly looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

He saw Agares swinging on the chandelier overhead.

The Red Devil grinned and scoffed, “Visiting relatives?

What a moron, he still dares to visit them!

Without visiting relatives, he would just be hanged and his body dissected.

Now that he has, he probably won’t even be able to keep his soul.

Arthur, pursue him, and devour him whole!”

Hearing this, Arthur, covering his aching neck, twisted it and then stood up and walked out of the interrogation room.

Officer Field, taken aback by Arthur’s actions, asked, “Boss, where are you going?”

Arthur loosened his collar and, pointing to the pale white little coffin set up in the corner of the interrogation room for Robin, began, “Let the little girl sleep in that.

Returning the bodies of the deceased is a very delicate task—if the tone or anything else goes wrong, it could easily trigger the already tense and agitated emotions of the public.

So, let me personally return her body to her parents.”