Chapter 101 - Eyes [1]

Chapter 101: Eyes [1]
With Ganghyuk’s remark, there was silence.
Making a hole in the eye?
It was nothing but making a person blind.
All had same question in mind.
The patient himself opened his mouth.

Do you make a hole in my eyes?

He was shuddering because of the terrible thought.
He must have felt the devil in Ganghyuk.
Then Ganghyuk realized that he made a mistake.
He did not make any explanation on it.
‘It is really inconvenient. When I was a professor in that world, resident doctors have already finished briefing so I did not have this awkward situation.’
He did not receive patient’s consent by himself.
You may know if you had experience in being admitted in a hospital.
You may have few chances to talk with the professor.
You have to tell everything to a young resident doctor or a fellow.
‘It is a good old time…’
There was no way for Ganghyuk to go back to those days.
He decided not to miss the good old days.
He had met a lot of people in Hanyang since he arrived in Joseon.
Nobody cared even though he brought his home-visit bag looking very strange in those days…
Ganghyuk opened his mouth after shaking his head.

Ah, Eum. I will not make a hole into your eyes.


But you have said so.


Eum, yes, I said so.

Ganghyuk rolled his eyeballs.
He could not think of a good explanation.
Anyway, it was true that he would make a hole.

It is not a big hole but I must make it.


No… but it is not…

It seemed that it would be difficult to make him understand.
Ganghyuk explained with sighs without hope that he would understand.

In the eyes, there is water. If the hole in the eye is blocked or narrow, the disease happened. I don’t know the cause, but the medicine has worsened the situation. If it becomes narrow, it would not be returned. Thus, we cannot leave it as it is. We need to widen the hole or make a new hole.


Eum

The patient blinked his eyes with his mouth shut.
What he could understand from Ganghyuk’s words was only one word, ‘hole’.
Instead, Dongpa opened his mouth.
He did not understand what Ganghyuk said, either but he understood one thing that his medicine worsened the situation.

Why are you slandering?


That is not slander. You are a quack.


How can you use such a word.


He is noisy. Makbong.

It was difficult to expect Dongpa to realize his fault. He was a real quack.
If it were Heo Jun, he would teach from A to Z, but Dongpa was not the one who would make him feel the passion to teach
Dongpa. He has never heard of that name before.

Yes, sir.

Dongpa shut his mouth.
Makbong closed Dongpa’s mouth with his hands.
Dongpa tried to tell something and it was related to his high-ranking patient.
But Ganghyuk ignored.
‘He has a high-ranking patient? Ha. My patient is a prince.’
He mentioned Bojewon something and it seems the high-ranking official must be the one working in the Bojewon.
‘Heo Jun can handle him, I believe.’
When he thought of Heo Jun, his passion to teach somebody becomes revived.
He intended to call him when he had a disc operation, but he thought it would be better to call him to see an eye operation. It must be an interesting operation.
‘The anesthetic process itself must be interesting to him.’
Eye operation can be done with a local anesthetic.
But Ganghyuk has not had any experience in eye operation.
He could not take the risk.
It is better both for him and his patient to make a systematic anesthetic.

Ah, yes. Dolseok, go and get Dr. Heo Jun. Ride a horse. Hurry up.


Yes, sir.


It is not a big operation, but I think he will feel an interest in the anesthetic. He will come anyway.


Yes, sir.

Dolseok went out flying.
Dolsek was not in the class who could ride a horse.
By class, it was better for Yeoju to ride a horse, but she must be hiding herself as much as possible.
Dolseok rode the horse quite well as he held the reigns for Ganghyuk for a long time and he learned the basic things for horse riding.

Ok. Now we need to prepare the operation.


Eu… will you make a hole, indeed?


Sleep for a while. You will not feel it at all.


Sleep?


Yes.

While Ganghyuk consoled the patient, Yeoni and Yeoju started to make the anesthetic.
They made an anesthetic by mixing Chooh and Seomsu.
Additionally, Ganghyuk used blowfish toxin as muscle relaxant.
The patient and Dongpa who did not know what they were seeing blinked their eyes only.
But when Makbong took out something, they moaned.

What is this?


Ah, that?

Ganghyuk pointed the bull scrotum which was changed into a useful artificial respiration device.
However, the balloon itself is the scrotum.
It was difficult to find a substitute.
‘Dr. Heo Jun had hard times to find this blacksmith.’
Ganghyuk touched the two hoses connected to the scrotum.
The narrow hose like a straw is for putting airflow into the airway and the wider hose is for the throat of the patient.
As it is made of metal, it might give the patient a sore throat, but it was quite effective.

They are things to be used while you are sleeping. You don’t need to know.


They will be used for me but I do not need to know?


Eum. They are the things to keep you alive.


Keeping me alive? Then is it dangerous?

A few minutes ago, he was dying of eye pain, but he was afraid of something else when he was relieved from the pain.
Ganghyuk could understand him so he tapped his back for consolation.
It was the role of the doctor to make a patient feel comfortable.

I will keep you safe. Don’t worry. Your eyes are painful again, right?


Yes…


If you do not have an operation, you will lose your eyesight. Take this medicine while my fellows make the anesthetic ready.


Yes, sir.

Ganghyuk gave him Oryeongsan again.
If he was charged up, his eye pressure would go up.
It was necessary to lower the eye pressure as much as possible.
Ganghyuk summarized his though watching the patient swallowing Oryeongsan.
‘We need to wait till the eye pressure goes down… It seems it would take an hour for Oryeongsan to make its full effect. I wish Heo Jun would arrive before then. If not, I have to start without him.’
Ganghyuk thought he could not leave him without operation any longer for the educational purpose.
Unfortunately, Heo Jun lived far away from Bojewon and Heo Jun could not arrive before the operation.
Ganghyuk told the patient who had just come back from the toilet.

Ok. It is time to begin.


Yes, ah…


You don’t need to be afraid. It will end when you are awake.

The word ‘End’ makes the patient feel more afraid.
But he could not say he would not have the operation.

Yes, sir.

The patient laid down on the futon with a deep sigh.
Ganghyuk’s prescription worked very well on his eyes and the threat that he would lose his eyesight completely was frightening.

Take this first.

Ganghyuk gave him the right dose of blowfish toxin.
It would take a minute for him to be paralyzed.
It was enough time for him to give the next medicine.

Next, this.

As the anesthetic makes him unconscious in 7 seconds, it must be taken after the blowfish toxin.
The patient tilted his head out of curiosity because he did not lose consciousness at all.

Eum? Eo…?

It took 7 seconds only.
The patient fell and Ganghyuk made him lie down on the futon.
Makbong who was waiting there ran to the scene with the upgraded bull scrotum.

Please insert it, sir


Yes. It is not so difficult.

Ganghyuk placed the hose into the throat of the patient.
If he could put it into the airway, it would be better but it would break his teeth.
The tube was not made of rubber but metal.
‘It is enough. Anyway, it will supply air.’
It cannot be used for the old or children, but it can be conveniently used for young healthy adults.
Ganghyuk placed the hoses at the right place and gave the balloon part to Makbong.

If it goes away from that place, it will make a disaster. Please be careful.


Yes, sir.


You know. Count ten and then blow it. It is a lot more convenient.


Yes, I can do it.

It is better than before. It could keep his blow very well, so Makbong could blow it less frequently than before.
It was a real good news for Makbong.
-Huk Huk
Makbong blew air to the airway of the patient skillfully.
Ganghyuk observed him if he would do it well and then he turned his head to the patient.
‘He is really good at this.’
As he gave the patient anesthetic and muscle relaxant altogether, it could make the patient die with one mistake.
He came here to have an autopsy, but he did not want to make a corpse by himself.
He was called a divine doctor here.
Ganghyuk would not accept a table death for an eye operation.
Drrreuk
When Ganghyuk searched for something in his home visit bag, Heo Jun came in.
Dolseok did not come together but there was Ganghyuk’s horse. It seems Heo Jun came riding Ganghyuk’s horse because of urgency.
‘Poor Dolseok.’
Ganghyuk felt pity for Dolseok who had to walk from the palace.
Only a little.

Did I miss something?


No. no, I just gave the anesthetic to make him sleep.


Good. What is the disease? What is the cause?


It is glaucoma.

Ganghyuk gave two small hooks to Yeoni so that she could open the eyelids with them.
Ganghyuk gave brief explanation to Yeoni.
It could be summarized as follows.
In the eyeball, there is water called hydatoid. If the water cannot come out of the eyeball, the eye pressure would go up.
If the eye pressure is high, it would press the eyeball and cause pain. It will damage the optic nerve and cornea, which would cause loss of eyesight.
Therefore, he would make a hole so that hydatoid can go out.

Eum. Yes.


Oh, you have understood.


Roughly.


I knew you would understand it, Dr. Heo.


What is the remedy, then?


Eum.

That was the problem.
If he had been an experienced ophthalmologist and had laser, he would not have needed to make him sleep.
But he was not an experienced ophthalmologist and he did not have laser.
‘But I heard angle-closure glaucoma operation at the days without laser.’
It was rarely done in the modern times and it has been almost forgotten.
But sometimes they do it when the laser operation failed or the pain was too severe.
‘Or this time that we do not have anything else.’
Ganghyuk took the scalpel after deep breath.

I will make a hole to drain the water.


Will you cut the eyes?


Yes, more specifically right beside of the eyeball.