Doctor Goes Back to Joseon

Chapter 156: Chapter 29

‘Oh my god.’

Kanghyok looked at the bag with resentment.

There was even a plate in it, but no malaria medicine there.

The bag contained a hammer and chisel, as well as other medical tools.

‘I can’t find any malaria medicine here.’

Sungmun was still shivering inside the blanket.

“Son, I think I need that medicine you gave me the other day.”

He seemed to believe that medicine worked.

“Please take this medicine for today.”

Kanghyok gave him anti-inflammatory drugs and antacids.

“Dad, I can’t cure your sickness with this medication alone. I think I have to find some other medicine. Can you excuse my absence?”

Holding a horse by the reins, Dolsok appeared.

“Mastere, does he look bad?”

“Not that bad, but there is no right medicine.”

“Alas...”

“Shall we go to the mayor’s office to get the medicine?”

“Well..” Kanghyok groaned a bit.

The heart of the matter was not to visit the mayor’s office.

‘What could be the right medicine?’

Antibiotics were good medicine, but it was only effective when it came to treating infection.

‘Malaria... How come malaria-carrying mosquitoes are flying in Joseon?’

Kanghyok desperately tried to recall what he had learned in high school textbooks.

‘Is this the common sickness found in Kanghwa Island and northern areas?’

He never forgot about anything he once memorized it.

What should he do now?

His father was already afflicted with malaria.

If malaria had existed in Joseon, there must have been some kind of herbal medicine at that time.

Dolsok asked in a wet voice, “Master, shall we go?”

“Sure, let’s go out.”

“Yes, master.”

After he got on a horse, he again tried to recall what he had learned at the medical college he attended.

‘Surely I learned about it back then. I think I learned it in the medical history class.’

But he couldn’t recall at all.

“Oh, that might be the one.”

“What’s up, master?”

“Quinine.”

“What are you talking about?” Dolsok asked with a worried look.

He knew his master liked to murmur things when he was bored.

As expected, his master kept murmuring something all along.

“No, quinine is not found here. Its origin is South America. There was something else I learned...”

Actually, he remembered he saw it somewhere very recently.

It was neither a medical textbook nor an academic paper.

“Ah, I got it now. Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine!”

He felt as if he got a heavy load off his chest.

He even shook in excitement.

“Are you okay, master?”

“Sure, I am. I remembered it!”

Doslok quickly covered his mouth with hand when he was about to murmur, ‘He must be crazy.’

Of course, Kanghyok didn’t care at all.

‘In 2015 Professor Tuyuyu received the Nobel Prize for developing artemisinin. I think its material must be...’

It must be grass common anywhere in East Asia.

The grass could be found even in the area where Kanghyok stopped.

“Artemisia! Look for artemisia!”

“What?”

“Don’t stand with a blank face like that. Find artemisa. I need it to treat my father.”

“Oh my... Yes, master.”

Dolsok instantly began to pluck up weeds that were as tall as his waist.

Kanghyok knew the herbal name, but never saw it in person.

So, he had to double check with Dolsok.

“Are you sure that grass is artemisia?”

“Sure. You can find it everywhere here.”

“Oh, I see. Just look for only fresh leaves of artemisia.”

Kanghyok got off his horse and began to find the grass.

Both of them spent some time to find it, but it was only a bagful because they plucked up only its leaves.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Yes, master.”

As soon as they went into the house, Dolsok came running to him.

“How about his condition now?”

“He looks better after taking the medicine. He is in bed now.” Obviously, his fever went down after he took anti-inflammatory pills.

‘He can’t sustain this...’

Anti-inflammatory medicine was only a temporary reliever.

If left uncured, Sungmun could be in a dangerous situation.

“This is the herbal medicine that’s good for my father.”

“Great, master.”

Thinking the master could save Sungmun’s life, Oksok gave a broad smile.

But Dolsok tilted his head curiously. “By the way, master.”

“What?”

“How much of this medicine does he need to take?”

“Oh...”

It was a sharp question. Dolsok was smart sometimes.

‘Dang it. I have no way of figuring out how much dosage is okay.’

He could not figure out how many grams of artemisinin he could take from the given artemisa grass.

‘Too much won’t be good. Let me measure it by feeding him little by little.’

His father was set to be a guinea pig for this test.

It was not only the issue of how much dosage of artemisinin.

‘I need to brew artemisinin.’

As far as he knew, artemisinin didn’t melt in water.

As a medical student, he once tried to figure it out after he heard from a patient with blood tumor.

‘He said wormwood was good for cancer patients when they brewed it as a medicinal herb. But that was wrong.’

It was a good alternative to water, but it had no effect as medicine.

‘Ether is the best alternative...’

But he could not find ether here.

‘I think I have to use alcohol.’

Fortunately, there were some homemade alcohol barrels sent by the mayor.

“Dolsok, bring me some alcohol.”

“What? Alcohol? Your father is sick.”

With an annoyed glance, Dolsok looked at Kanghyok.

“Do you think I’m drinking it? No way! I’m going to use it to make medicine for father.”

“Oh, I see. Let me bring it here quickly.”

Dolsok quickly brought some alcohol.

“Here you go.”

“Good. How strong is this alcohol?”

Kanghyok took a spoon and tasted it.

As far as the alcohol strength was concerned, the homemade alcohol would not be as high as 40%.

“Put it into an alcoholic pot with some artemisia grass and then boil it, Dolsok.”

“Yes, master.”

The more it was boiled, the more it emitted out a strange aroma.

“It’s boiling up. Nice job, Dolsok.”

Looking at him, Kanghyok could feel Dolsok was full of expectation that this medicine would cure Sungmun.

‘Let me taste it first.’

Perhaps it might taste awful.

“Can you bring me a spoon?”

“Here you go.” Dolsok gave a spoon to him on the spot.

Kanghyok stirred the brewed water with a silver spoon.

‘The spoon color isn’t changing.’

And then he tasted it with a tense look.

Glug.

It tasted pretty bitter.

Though Kanghyok had no knowledge of medicinal herbs, he clearly knew one thing.

‘This is not for a human being.’

Though there was a saying that goes, ‘Bitter medicine is good for your body,’ this was not the case.

The bitter taste in his mouth didn’t go away quickly.

When he was making a frown, Dolsok approached him.

“You don’t look good, master...”

“Dang it. How come you brewed it like this?”

“What?”

“Try to brew it with a low fire this time. Boil it slowly.”

“Oh, I see... You asked me to brew it at a high temperature a while ago.”

“When did I say that? I just said it’s boiling up now.”

“Oh, no, you are lying to me.”

Grumbling, Dolson brewed it again with low fire.

“Good. Put the grass there.”

“Yes, master.”

He put the wormwood into the pot.

Soon yellow soup was made with a sweet-smelling aroma.

Kanghyok felt that it was right this time.

“Good. Let me taste it.”

Swallowing saliva in his dry mouth, he tasted it.

‘Oh! It doesn’t taste bitter now. Nor is it disgusting. It smells good.’

Come to think of it, he remembered that artemisinin was the best brewed at 60°C.

“Great. This is what I want. Let’s go and see father.”

“What about the remaining soup?”

Though only a minute had passed, the alcohol inside the pot had already turned black.

“We can’t have it. Just throw it away.”

Kanghyok headed for his father’s room in no time.

Though his fever went down as he drank anti-inflammatory medicine, he didn’t look good.

“Dad, please have this.”

“Oh, it smells good.”

“Yes, and it tastes good as well.”

“Sounds good. Let me drink it.”

Sungmun slurped the brewed artemisia soup.

“I like it. Actually, the pills you gave me the other day didn’t taste like medicine at all.”

“As this medicine is more important to you, let me prepare it for you everyday.”

“Thanks, son.”

“Can you lie down a bit? Let me check your belly.”

“Okay.”

Sungmun quietly lay on the bed. Kanghyok carefully examined his belly.

‘His liver is more swollen than before. He hasn’t been cured yet.’

Anti-inflammatory pills only had limited effects.

He was sure that young men could overcome it, but he was not sure if seniors like Sungmun could.

“Take some rest first. Rest will make you feel better as you have caught malaria.”

“Got it. Let me follow you as you direct me. I’ve come to think differently as your medical skills are so excellent...”