The Shadow of Great Britain

558: Chapter 287: Liverpool’s Chip Problem_2 558: Chapter 287: Liverpool’s Chip Problem_2 Under the call of this gentleman, Exeter managed to raise over 300 pounds within just a few days.

While this might not seem much, it was indeed a proud achievement for Exeter, a town with only thousands of residents.

Although Arthur did not know whether it was wise for this gentleman to abstain from alcohol during the cholera epidemic, if he could survive this cholera outbreak, Arthur believed he would certainly make a fortune in the future, as his good deeds had already spread to every corner of Britain through newspapers in just a few days.

Arthur flipped through various newspapers he had bought from the newsstand this morning.

The heartwarming deeds from Exeter were moving, but more messages made him unable to feel happy.

The various specific treatments for cholera discussed in medical journals seemed like a fantastical battle between deities.

Even though Arthur had not systematically studied medical knowledge and could not offer a professional opinion, he viewed all these varied methods with skepticism about their reliability.

Whether it was using saline, rosin, and aromatic compounds in an enema for patients or having patients ingest a mixture of magnesium oxide, rhubarb, and castor oil as an emetic, none seemed promising.

However, these methods were not what puzzled Arthur the most.

He found most perplexing the use of boiling water, nitric acid, or applying blistering agents on special body locations like acupoints, the heart pit, and the abdomen for those patients on the verge of death.

Doctors insisted that creating blisters through skin stimulation could achieve the effects of clearing meridians, circulating qi and blood, regulating organs, and expelling toxins, thereby curing internal diseases with external treatments.

Though outrageous as it might seem, compared to the priests reciting the “Bible,” Britain’s old British doctors had at least become acceptable to Arthur on a basic level.

However, among the various papers, what Arthur paid most attention to was a new treatment proposed by “The Lancet.” A group of authority doctors from the Internal College of London emphasized that hot air baths and sealed or bottled hot water were always viable treatments.

They recommended that hospitals equipped with the facilities should provide a steam bath for patients, and it was best if followed by some muscle-relaxing and frictions to generate heat through massages.

They also cited a case where a new treatment method had helped in recovery, with Dr.

Darton from Birmingham claiming that an eight-year-old child named Barret who was severely dehydrated and groaning continuously, in a state of possible imminent death.

In response, Darton had immediately administered soda water added with brandy and laudanum, while also having his assistant place about six gallons of water and three ounces of nitric acid in the bathtub.

Darton stated, “I had people lift him into the tub, letting his body completely immerse beneath the water, the surface level with his chin.

During the bath, I had my assistant perform a full-body rub on him, lasting 20 minutes.”

By the time Barret had been soaking in the bathtub for about ten minutes, before being lifted out, his pulse had become very strong.

His tongue, though not yet normal in temperature, had become moist and warm.

Barret himself said he felt much better and wanted to go to bed to rest.

The delighted Dr.

Darton could not help but express joy in his paper, “My young patient now seems to have recuperated from that critical collapsing condition.”

Closing the medical journal in front of him, Arthur sipped his wine gloomily, with one hand supporting his head.

Although he felt his capabilities were insufficient to critique medical practices, perhaps the Lord Chancellor’s office thought it reasonable, since if a lawyer could work in forensic medicine in courtrooms, then sending a police officer who studied history to oversee health care might be reasonable as well.

At least a gold medalist from the University of London’s history department would certainly know a lot about how the Black Death was prevented and treated in the medieval era.

Therefore, Arthur’s trip to Liverpool was not only about his smuggling investigation duties, but also about overseeing the local health committee’s work.

To provide relatively sound advice at the health meeting, he had to choose the most reliable treatments from among a plethora of methods.

To Arthur, this job seemed much more important than his duties at Scotland Yard.

The Criminal Investigation Department might spend weeks solving a homicide, but if cholera was not dealt with promptly, it could disastrously impact Scotland Yard’s KPIs for decades.

As he was contemplating how to approach his tasks, suddenly someone pushed open the pub’s door.

Louis Bonaparte, holding a thin file, looked around and quickly located Arthur, making his way over to sit opposite him.

“Arthur, Mr.

Mil has already roughly sorted out the information on the customs declaration form.

There are quite a few errors and omissions initially estimated to involve at least six thousand pounds in taxes,” Louis said.

“Hmm?” Arthur did not reach for the file, but instead looked up at Louis, “You found the discrepancies so quickly?”

Louis nodded with a smile, “Yes, it’s much better than we had expected.

Even Mr.

Mil did not anticipate such a smooth investigation.”

Arthur, leaning his arm on the table, pondered for a moment, “Six thousand pounds…

Liverpool’s annual customs revenue is about four hundred thousand, a 1.5 percent error is not unacceptable.”

“No, no, no,” Louis waved his hand, “Arthur, Mr.

Mil said that the six thousand pounds is just a preliminary estimate.

If everything is sorted out, it’s estimated that the figure could well double or more.”