Chapter 316: Appalling

Chapter 314 The Appalling
At the junction of Bloomsbury, King’s Cross, Clerkenwell and Farringdon in London, in the center of the encircling cultural and academic institutions such as the University of London, King’s College, Gray’s Inn and the British Museum, there is such a location called Chancellor’s Lane.

As the name suggests, the mere fact that it is so named speaks volumes about the authority of this area in the legal world of Britain.

It is not only home to countless famous law firms in London, but also the headquarters of the British Bar Association, and of course, most importantly, it also represents the Court of Chancery, i.e., the seat of the Court of Chancery.

Since the establishment of the Court of Chancery in the 15th century, the Court of Chancery has been the highest appellate court in Britain, exercising final judgment in all but the most exceptional cases, such as treason and trials of nobles.

With such a prestigious position, the Court of Chancery has become a lifelong goal for all those who make a living in the British legal system.

Only, this place of all British lawyers and judges in the heart of the holy land, but today has invited a lot of uninvited guests.

Among them were doctors rushing to report on the situation, members of the local board of health who had come to ask for help, ministers and lay elders serving on the local parish council, and, of course, clerks from various departments who had come to find out what was going on at a time like this.

Rowan and Arthur, in full uniform, mingled among the officers of the Royal Navy and the Army.

Arthur closely followed their footsteps, and from time to time, a few sentences of the officers’ spitting sounds would ring in his ears.

“I have long suggested to the Admiralty to impose a strict ban on merchant ships, but it turned out that the Cabinet at the time was concerned about commercial interests and feared that doing so would affect trade revenues. Now it’s great that cholera is being imported directly from Sunderland’s ports, and I’ve heard that in just over a month’s time, Sunderland has exploded with nearly 400 cases, and the death rate is as high as fifty percent.”

“Things have gotten this bad in Sunderland? Half of the four hundred dead? I remember that the entire Sunderland has a population of just over ten thousand, right? With such an outbreak of cholera, can the loading and unloading of goods at the docks still go on normally now?”

“Going on? No shit! All merchant ships are now in the harbor undergoing quarantine. The Duke of Wellington demanded a 40-day quarantine for all ships, but the merchants in the ocean trade were not happy about it, thinking it would delay business. Didn’t you see them jumping for joy when the Boom Tories stepped down a while ago? As soon as the Whigs came up, they immediately opened up the quarantine, first dropping it from 40 days to 20 days, and then cutting it from 20 days to 10 days after that. Now well, the Ministry of the Navy has just officially ordered that all incoming ships during the emergency period will be subject to a 60-day quarantine.”

“No wonder I’ve just received orders for the Agamemnon, returning from her rotation in the Mediterranean, to undergo quarantine at the Portsmouth base as well. During the quarantine period, all officers and enlisted personnel are not allowed to go ashore, and anyone who violates discipline will be court-martialed. So the Admiralty is treating us as a potential source of infection as well?”

“The Agamemnon is back? Heh! Then in my opinion, those unlucky bastards won’t be able to get off the ship for at least half a year. I’ve just heard from my old buddy who works at the Ministry of Navy that the Ministry of Navy seems to be looking into taking advantage of this cholera epidemic to crack down on smuggling merchant ships. According to the usual style of the Ministry of the Navy, the Agamemnon is idle in the harbor, they will certainly think of finding something for the sailors. I can guarantee that the Admiralty will throw them out to fight smugglers one hundred percent of the time.”

The Army officer on the side heard the Navy’s discussion and interjected coldly.

“The Admiralty sheds out to fight smuggling? Isn’t the biggest smuggling syndicate in Britain the Royal Navy itself? Are you planning to invite all the others out and monopolize the smuggling profits yourselves?”

“It looks like the price of tea and opium in London is going up again, shouldn’t we stock up a little in advance?”

“The Royal Navy is useless for shit! Lord Hatesbury, the ambassador to Tsarist Russia, sent back from Moscow last year: ‘If disaster strikes Moscow, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it spreading across Europe.’ As a result, the Admiralty looks as if it’s not taking the matter at all seriously, and the tax collectors in the port authorities are a bunch of mongrels who only look first-rate when it comes to tallying up the returns.”

“Do you sons of bitches know what? There was already a riot in Liverpool the other day when a dockworker and his wife developed diarrhea, and the doctor was going to pull him and his wife into quarantine, only for the couple to get into an uproar as soon as they heard that they weren’t assigned to the same hospital. That woman cried out and fainted, while the man swung his fists and tried to fight, but fortunately, he had already lost his strength from the diarrhea, so he was quickly subdued ……”

The naval officer frowned, “That won’t do, where’s the riot in here?”

The scar-faced Army officer glared, “You shut your mouth and listen carefully! We originally also thought that things would just end like this. As a result, we didn’t expect that the neighbors who lived near the couple, once they saw this, were there shouting, ‘The Army has started beating up and dragging people in again!’ As a result of this shout, the women and children who had been hiding in the house to observe the situation all ran out of the house. You didn’t see the situation, there were crowds of people everywhere, just as if it was thundering in the sky and about to rain.

And those who have nothing to do in the vicinity of the guy saw this side of the crowd, also have to follow the gathering over. The children threw stones at us, the women spat at us, and the dockworkers who had just gotten off work protected their bodies from us. We saw that the situation was not right, so we hurriedly sent a smart boy back to the camp to call for support. In the end it took a full company of the 82nd to get that couple to the hospital.”

“That’s not all! After we got the people to the hospital, we realized that there were already thousands of people gathered outside the hospital. You all know the old tradition of our Britannia, usually when so many people gather, nothing good will definitely happen. We stood guard at the hospital until night, and as expected, just as soon as the sun set, they started ……”

The naval officer sneered, “What? Did you Army do the same thing again as you did in the Peterloo fiasco back in the day?”

When the Army officer heard the word Peterloo, he immediately looked as if his tail had been stepped on as he growled, “Fuck you! Peterloo was done by the cavalry, what does it have to do with us infantry? If you guys want to go for advice on the experience, I suggest you go to Hyde Park and ask the Close Quarters Cavalry Regiment nicely, they’ve always been brave in that regard.”

The naval officer asked, “And what did you do about it then?”

The Army officer fished a pipe out of his pocket and leaned against the marble pillars in front of the courthouse and smoked, “It was just after dark when they started to use the old craft that had been handed down for centuries. The men took advantage of the night and began to climb over the walls and storm the hospital with the small nail hammers they used for their work, intending to rescue the couple. The do-gooders took the opportunity to start a fire near the hospital with the intention of sending us all to God. If we hadn’t guessed they’d do that early on and dispatched enough troops ahead of time, then I guess I’d be bragging to you guys from the graveyard at this point.”

“Did you catch the guy who stormed the hospital?”

“Caught a few dozen, depending on what the Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to do with them. But I’ve heard that the Ministry of the Interior has been busy lately with the Swain riots, and they’ve already caught a couple hundred rioting farmers in Kent and York in the south, but things aren’t slowing down for a while yet. At this moment, the Home Office shouldn’t have the time to bother with these dozens of people in Liverpool for the time being.”

Arthur moved on past the officers; the doctors standing in the inner hall were obviously much more civilized than the officers in terms of language, but judging by their red-faced expressions, the intensity of their arguments was nothing less than that of the navy and army.

“I do not think that under the present circumstances the medical profession in Britain has a systematic understanding of cholera. In this case, the traditional conservative bloodletting therapy is the most proven. I presume from my experience of treatment in Manchester that cholera is supposed to be a blood-borne toxin, that the nervous disorders it causes result in pronounced venous stasis, which impedes the flow of healthy arterial blood to the lungs, and that the withdrawal of venous blood apparently reverses the course of the disease.”

“Mr. Gault, I beg to differ with you. My experience of treatment at Howden has taught me that bloodletting does not work on all patients, and it is quite possible that the success you were able to achieve in Manchester was just chance. Let’s ignore the exact mode of transmission by which cholera is spread, first of all, I don’t think it’s a blood toxin, but a gastrointestinal disease.”

“I also agree with Mr. Ayer. All of the patients were accompanied by massive vomiting and diarrhea symptoms, which suggests that the toxin was stagnating in their digestive tracts. And the best treatment to deal with this disease is to induce vomiting. In this case, emetics such as glycerine, croton oil, mustard, camphor, etc. are definitely the best choice for treating cholera. However, we have to pay attention to the dosage, especially glycerin, which in my opinion should not exceed 20 grains per dose. If the patient resists taking the medicine, we can also offer some opium and wine to help them smooth it down.”

When Arthur heard this, he just felt goosebumps all over his body.

Both the large doses of bloodletting and the administration of glycerin and camphor were a bit beyond his knowledge.

If the improvised Central Health Committee really promoted these treatments as guidelines, it would really be hard not to wonder whether it would help patients heal or hasten their deaths.

He was tempted to join the discussion of these doctors in front of him, but he hesitated and ultimately did not act recklessly. It wasn’t just that he was a man of few words when it came to medicine, but also that the name Arthur Hastings was not a popular one in the medical community.

A year ago, the story of his massive arrest of the doctor involved in the body theft case in London had long spread throughout Britain.

While there were many doctors who supported his actions, believing that the group of doctors who carried out anatomical research with outlawed corpses were tarnishing the reputation of the entire medical community.

But on the other hand, it had caused Scotland Yard’s reputation to plummet among doctors who sought to conduct groundbreaking research.

To put it more aptly, most of those who supported Arthur were the old English doctors of Britannia, and bloodletting and other healing techniques inherited from the Middle Ages were right up their alley.

Those who dare to engage in innovative doctors, due to centuries of body theft phenomenon, they have always been regarded as the fringe of the medical profession, which is why Arthur is here to listen to the treatment is mostly the same old fundamental reason.

Just as Arthur was pondering how to solve this dilemma, he suddenly heard a familiar voice ringing out in front of him.

It was a face of déjà vu, a competent dress, a serious expression with meticulously groomed sideburns, it was the same Mr. Chadwick, the secretary of the Lord Chancellor’s Office, who had once brought good news to Arthur.

Chadwick first turned his eyes to Director Rowan beside Arthur: ”Superintendent Rowan, it’s so good to see you here, and it saves me from having to send someone to Scotland Yard to inform you. The Emergency Health Conference has just ended, and the Lord Chancellor’s Department and the Home Office are planning to join the Admiralty, the Post Office, and the Customs and Excise Department in a joint meeting with Scotland Yard to announce the control decision, so you can go to the conference room first, and I’m sure that the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary will have something to say to you.”

Hearing this, Rowan nodded slightly and rushed to Arthur to say goodbye, “I’ll be going over first then. Arthur, you stay here first to understand the situation, and when the meeting is over, you will come back to the conference room to meet us, and remember to bring that report of yours with you.”

“Understood, sir.”

Arthur watched Rowan out of sight and turned to Chadwick, “Has a final resolution been made?”

Chadwick pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat on his head, “Rather than making a final resolution, we intend to adopt all the suggestions from both factions. The head of the Quarantine Department, Mr. William Pym, who was previously dismissed due to an attack by the Chamber of Commerce, has been reinstated, and he will be transferred to the Privy Council full-time to formulate a new set of quarantine regulations for merchant ships.

Mr. Henry Halford, chairman of the Central Advisory Sanitary Commission, also submitted a report at the meeting just concluded, which seems to me to be quite complete, except that it may be a little difficult to carry out.”

Arthur was not overly polite to the gentleman who had served as Bianchin’s private secretary, and he asked directly, “May I see that report?”

“Of course there is no problem, anyway, it won’t be long before this report will be sent down to Scotland Yard as well.”

Chadwick said as he drew out the document in his hand and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur just lightly swept a glance, his eyebrows suddenly wrinkled, he finally understood what exactly Chadwick meant by bad execution in his mouth.

In its report, the Central Health Committee, in addition to re-emphasizing the need to implement a strict quarantine system and isolation measures to prevent the invasion and spread of cholera, also demanded that the government must closely monitor the trade navigable rivers within its borders to ensure that all residents along the coasts are prohibited from having dealings with smugglers.

In areas where cholera outbreaks have been detected, specialized local health committees must be quickly established to isolate cholera patients or suspected patients.

Among the specific measures include but are not limited to:
1. All houses in which cholera patients reside or have recently resided are to be conspicuously labeled with signs such as “SICK” and “CAUTION”, and the warning signs are not to be removed from the houses without the permission of the local health authorities.

2. No one else in the house may go out or communicate with the outside world at will, and the local authorities send special persons to deliver food and other necessities to the quarantined people, who may go out to take the food only when the deliverers have gone away.

3. After the patients have been transferred, the houses and built-in furniture should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected using lime water, and the windows should be opened and ventilated for at least one week.

4. Patients recovering from cholera or people who have interacted with the sick should be kept under observation for at least 20 days.

5. Cholera victims must be buried in an isolated area near the cholera hospital.

6. Local magistrates must make every effort to prevent interaction between their area and towns or neighboring villages where the epidemic is already present.

As soon as Arthur saw the report, he immediately realized that there was no way these measures could be implemented in their entirety.

Regardless of what the members of the House of Commons would think of a report full of mandatory measures, even if it survived the legislators, the people of Britannia would only have a week at most to comply.

In London, at least, the Scotland Yard police would have to be called out if they wanted the citizens of London to hold out for half a month.

If they were wanted to hold out for a month, the close-guard cavalry and Coldstream infantry stationed in Hyde Park and the Tower of London would have to be sent in.

If they were wanted to hold out for three months, then Arthur would have to advise the War Office, and indeed petition the Duke of Wellington, to ask him to reinstate the mass conscription of the Napoleonic Wars.

Arthur took a deep breath and put that report into his bag, “A very professional report indeed, I understand Mr. Halford’s professionalism, but I guess this report he must have referred to many of the recommendations of Mr. William Rogin and Mr. David Barry’s expeditions in Russia, right? It worked in Russia, but most likely it will not work in Britain. The House of Commons is nearing the end of its reelection, and more Liberal MPs are sure to be elected this time in order to push through parliamentary reform. I’ll bet that once you get this report to the House of Commons, then Mr. Halford will soon have to roll off his chairmanship of the Central Health Committee.”

Chadwick had quite a headache with this, as Bianchin’s private secretary he had always been a liberal who held utilitarian principles, but when faced with a situation like cholera he couldn’t help but want to hold the hardline views of the Prussian government in general.

He tapped his head and said, “The Chancellor is also in a headache over this matter, and now everyone has no good ideas. You want freedom and you don’t want cholera to come to you, there’s no such thing as that under the sun. Although I don’t like the Russians either, I have to admit that they did show some success in cholera control, which is why the Central Health Committee decided to learn from their experience. So, we have to find a way to convince the Parliament to accept this matter. I’ve been cracking my head trying to solve this matter just today. Arthur, do you have any good suggestions on this matter?”

(End of chapter)