Chapter 336: The Two Faces of the Cholera Vigilantes

Chapter 333 – The Two Faces of the Cholera Vigilantes

Inside the parlor, Arthur leaned back in the sofa with a complex, varied and unspeakable expression on his face.

Whether it was the quarrels that came out from time to time from the corridor outside the parlor, or the memories that flashed in his mind, it was hard for him to accept the fact of dissecting the patient.

Although Sir Peel had drafted an Anatomy Bill after the London body thefts last year, and formally submitted it to the House of Commons after the fall of the Tory cabinet at the beginning of the year.

And this bill also nearly effortlessly received a high vote of support from MPs of both parties, and after the approval of the House of Lords officially became one of the many medical management methods in Britain.

Even so, there are still many religious and medical practitioners who are opposed to the bill.

The 26 regional bishops who hold spiritual seats in the House of Lords voted unanimously against the bill, and the five most senior bishops in the Church of England – the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Durham, and the Bishop of Winchester – issued a joint statement denouncing the government for staging an unmitigated farce. unadulterated farce.

The State Church is doing so, and the Catholic Church and the Jewish Church are not much better.

Both Jewish rabbis and Catholic priests were disgusted by the Anatomy Bill. Clergy of either religion were reluctant to officiate at funerals on behalf of dissected corpses.

And the attitude of the religious leaders furthered the already distrustful attitude of ordinary believers toward autopsies, with some even threatening that if he found out which doctor was dissecting a corpse, he would have them burned at the stake.

It didn’t take long for the Anatomy Act to be released before all fourteen private anatomy schools in England were violently stormed.

In order to protect the safety of these medical students and teachers, Scotland Yard alone, which is responsible for policing the greater London metropolitan area, rallied several times and arrested many of the participants in the violence.

In order to quell public anger, the Cabinet had to amend the Anatomy Act twice, creating an Anatomy Commission in the House of Commons and appointing an Inspector of Anatomy for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

These inspectors were required to pass an autopsy test and report to the Secretary of State on the specifics of autopsies, and their role was to inspect places where autopsies were likely to be carried out and to ensure that autopsies were carried out legally.

Politicians such as the Prime Minister, Earl Grey, and the Tory leader, Lord Peel, also paid frequent visits to the bishops, who were the most important figures in the religious world, to ask them, in a low voice, to take a holistic view of the situation and to use their influence to persuade the clergy to agree to the burial of dissected bodies.

Fortunately or unfortunately, a few more cases of body theft in Lancaster County came to light at this time.

The bishops finally decided to compromise with the government in order to put an end to this evil.

They agreed to bury dissected bodies according to religious rites, and, accordingly, the government had to promise to step up enforcement against those who used the bodies illegally.

Although the government agreed to their demands, from what Arthur learned, the fulfillment of this promise was actually not ideal.

Although the Anatomy Bill included the unclaimed corpses in the Home for the Poor within the scope of autopsy, expanding the source of legal corpses, it also combated the rampant crime of corpse theft to a certain extent.

However, the Anatomy Committee set up by the House of Commons did not actually fulfill their functions very well, and it was too difficult to rely on four people to monitor autopsy activities in the whole of Britain.

Even the introduction of the Anatomy Act gave birth to yet another gray business.

Many of the deacons of the House of the Poor would auction off the corpses as commodities, while the major medical schools became the bidders, and whoever offered a higher price would have priority in getting more corpses, and would be able to provide better quality of teaching and improve their own social reputation and medical strength.

Because of Arthur’s personal interest in the cadaver trade, he was keenly aware of how profitable a no-cost business it was, with a cadaver usually able to fetch between twelve and sixteen guineas. The annual income of a worker in London was usually only thirty pounds, which meant that it only took two corpses to cover the annual income of a worker.

But in the face of this trade, which teetered on the edge of legality and illegality, Scotland Yard was not as ruthless as it had been with the body-snatchers. Because from the standpoint of the sheriff’s department, at the very least, they were now solving the problem with money, rather than expanding their sources through murder.

And this was verified in the occasional inspections of the various medical schools.

As things stand, the source of their corpses has all shifted to the Poor House instead of some unspecified place.

But while all the bodies from the medical schools have been able to be clarified, there is absolutely no way that the bodies dissected by a bottom-feeding doctor like Hardcastle could have complete legalization.

First of all, it was impossible for him to afford the expensive price of the corpse. Secondly, given the efficiency and bureaucratic style of the British government, how could a small doctor with no qualifications and no background be able to handle the cumbersome scrutiny procedures in such a short period of time?
In this regard, Rosenberg’s lambasting of Hardcastle was completely unproblematic.

Even more, if this incident had taken place in the Scotland Yard precincts, Arthur would have been perfectly capable of arresting the clinic doctor under the Anatomy Act and transferring him to the magistrate’s court for the offense of unlawful possession of a corpse.

And under the Act he would have paid a fine of thirty pounds per illegal corpse, and because of the large number of corpses, he might even have gone to prison for a few more years. And when he gets out of prison, his time served won’t be over. Because he will certainly not be able to pay the full amount of the fine to the court, he will be transferred back to debtor’s prison as soon as he gets out of the criminal court.

Arthur couldn’t help but frown at the thought.

Seeing him in this state, the Red Devil, who was resting on his highball glass, just mocked by putting a hand on his shoulder, “Arthur, what’s the matter? Don’t you always uphold the attitude of investigating this kind of case to the end? Do you want to let him go just because it’s in your interest? Oh, or I should say more elegantly, I should say, you have moved to cherish your talent, you look at Hardcastle as I look at you.”

Arthur tapped his pipe to knock out the ashes, and he smiled to himself, “Agareth, you don’t have to be so gloomy. I’ve never been much of a justice seeker, for the most part I’m just a law dog. I’m just contemplating whether or not to punch Hardcastle in the mouth right now.”

“Oh …… my dear Arthur, why do you degrade yourself so?”

Agareth smiled broadly, “I’m going to be a dog anyway, so why not be a dog for me? Being a dog of the law is not as comfortable a life as being a dog of the devil.”

“Is it?” Arthur sipped his cigarette, “Wouldn’t I be worse than even Elder being a dog for you? At the very least he wants to be the ladies’ dog and loose.”

Agareth just bristled, “Come on, I was just kidding. But you do seem different and smarter than you used to be, because I haven’t heard you spouting off about the righteousness of that set of laws in a while. It seems that studying at the University of London did help you, you’re finally starting to understand that law and morality are two different things.”

“Yes!”

Arthur puffed out a mouthful of smoke, “Professor Austin’s Lectures on Jurisprudence have helped me a great deal; law is law and morality is morality; people who break the law are not necessarily immoral, and people who are immoral are not necessarily breaking the law. I used to think that Prof. Austin was talking out of his ass, that’s why I used to raise hell with him in lectures when I was in college.

But after being at Scotland Yard for so long, I realized in retrospect that he was all right. The nature of the law is coercive, and as long as you can send someone to Australia, put them in jail, or hang them on the gallows, then even if you make it a crime to be bald, that nonsensical rule can be the law.

And it is these laws themselves that Prof. Austin studies; he doesn’t think about morality or immorality, he only cares about these established facts. It is also because of the pragmatic utilitarian attitude of the professors at the University of London that many people find them cold as an unenlightened beast.

But in reality, it is not that they do not understand things like morality and bottom line, and even many concepts that are in line with basic morality are still proposed by them. But from the perspective of governing, in a society where the bottom line is being breached everywhere, to continue to hold on to things that don’t exist for research is definitely not to be called wise.”

The Red Devil took a sip of his wine, “So do you think Hardcastle is considered a bottom line breaker?” Arthur gave a shrug, “I don’t know, the concept of the bottom line is different for everyone. But I do know one thing, for most people in Britannia at the moment, whether it be the high standards of the religious community, the general population, or the medical community of Britannia itself, Hardcastle did cross the line.

If the Lancet knew that he had used illegal cadavers in this paper, they would have publicized it, not to mention published the article. Mr. Thomas Wakeley, the founder of The Lancet, who personally led the medical committee inquiry into the murderous body thefts in London, abhorred this disgrace to all his fellow medical professionals.”

The Red Devil just shook his head at this as he propped up his glass and asked, “Arthur, what are you talking about? I’m not talking to you about the masses of Britannia, I’m asking you, where exactly does your bottom line lie? Professor Austin is right, the essence of law is coercion. And right now, coercion is in your hands.”

Arthur sat on the couch in silence, and he considered for a long time before he rose from the couch and pulled open the door to the parlor.

The servant guarding the door saw him come out and hurriedly asked, “Mr. Hastings, you ……”

Arthur raised his hand to signal him to stop, “Where is the apothecary apprentice who just followed Mr. Hardcastle?”

“I’m here.” Snow, who was standing in the hallway carrying a small satchel, raised his hand, “Sir, what do you want to see me about?”

Arthur waved him in, “Come in for a moment, I have something to ask you.”

Snow tremblingly followed Arthur into the parlor and sat down on the couch restlessly, it was also clear from his expression that the lad was not very calm about what he had just witnessed.

Seeing this, Arthur just said soothingly, ”Don’t worry, no matter what the outcome is, this has nothing to do with you. Even if Hardcastle is revoked from practicing medicine because of this, it won’t affect your future, you just need to truthfully inform me of what you have seen and heard.”

Although Arthur said so, the young lads who came out from the countryside of York just like Arthur had never seen such a battle.

The members of the Liverpool Board of Health, and the most reputable doctors in the area, practically surrounded their teacher, pointing and cursing at his nose, and if it hadn’t been for someone nearby to hold him back, Hardcastle would certainly have escaped a good beating today.

Not only that, even the onlookers who were watching the show from the side were all the local big shots with big names in Liverpool. Who knew exactly what they would think of themselves as a tainted doctor’s student in the future?
As soon as he thought of the possibility of his future being buried along with him for this reason, even to the point of losing his qualification to travel to medical school to further his studies, Snow’s lips couldn’t stop trembling.

In a person’s life, there weren’t many opportunities to change one’s fate.

Seeing that the door that led from a miner’s son to a middle class doctor was about to close, he felt his heart twist a little.

For Arthur, who had the same experience, it wasn’t hard to guess what Snow was thinking.

And his extensive experience in the case had helped him to understand exactly how to relieve the witnesses of their worries.

Arthur didn’t talk much, but directly fished out a pen from his jacket pocket and took the book on the table and buried his head in it.

Snow saw the situation and changed the color of his face in fear: “What are you …… writing? It can’t be an arrest document for Mr. Hardcastle, right?”

Arthur wrote the letter without looking up, “Lad, arrest papers are not written by just pulling pages, and that business is not my responsibility. What I’m writing is a letter, a recommendation for admission.”

“A letter of recommendation for admission?”

“Yes, a letter of recommendation for admission to the University of London Medical School.”

Arthur tossed the book to Snow, “I was one of the first graduates of the University of London, so I also happen to have a few thinly veiled credentials in that part of the world. And Professor William Marsden, the administrator of the London Free General Hospital, the designated internship hospital of the University of London Medical School, is one of my friends.

With this letter of recommendation, I’m sure the medical school will be more than willing to take you on. As for tuition fees, you don’t have to worry at all, I can cover your tuition fees for you. As for living expenses, if you study hard enough, the annual academic gold award will be enough for you.”

“Lun, University of London …… Medical School? I …… my god ah!”

Although Snow didn’t know much about the University of London, a school that had just been awarded a Royal Teaching Charter, and the University of London’s reputation in the medical field was nowhere near as resounding as Scotland’s two major medical powerhouses, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the word university alone was enough to shake his nerves.

University, on behalf of higher than the medical college of social evaluation, also represents his start is no longer the bottom of the doctor, but once graduated can be from the middle circle of the medical world, have the opportunity to enter the St. Mary’s Hospital, such as the high level of the Royal Hospital, the opportunity to become a member of Westminster, the core circle of the British medical academia.

While putting the pen back into his jacket pocket, Arthur asked, “Well, Mr. Snow, now you should be able to tell me the truth in a nutshell, right? What’s going on with Mr. Hardcastle?”

Snow’s mind was still a little giddy, he only felt that the door that seemed to be about to close was suddenly open to him again, and out of that door that was glittering with golden light came none other than this Mr. Arthur Hastings in front of him.

He had never thought that what Hardcastle had gone to such desperate lengths to obtain would actually come crashing down on the top of his head.

Snow sniffled violently, he was so moved that he was on the verge of crying out, “Mr. Hastings, I really don’t know how to thank you.”

“No need.” Arthur laughed, “All of you are Yorkers, how can I say that you are also from the same hometown. After meeting you I realized that there are still quite a lot of Yorkers in all walks of life, maybe I should consider getting a York club, as long as you can work hard and study hard, you might be one of the founding members.”

Where had the lad who had been quietly following Hardcastle around doing odd jobs ever smelled such fragrant bait, he didn’t hesitate to take a bite out of the hook, and simply hated to show Arthur his heart.

“Mr. Black …… Hastings, I assure you that what I am about to say is true. Mr. Hardcastle he …… how can I put it …… he can’t be considered a particularly decent person, but he is definitely not as bad as Mr. Rosenberg said. He did dissect the bodies of his patients, but it wasn’t over the top to the extent of an anatomy class kind of thing. If you look at it from the point of view of legal procedures, he definitely broke the law yes, but he also discussed it with the family of the deceased before the autopsy. As long as they agreed to the autopsy, then the medical fees would be waived, and because of that, he was able to get that much data.”

“Hmm …… “Arthur’s hanging heart slightly relaxed when he heard this, “In that case, the nature is not particularly bad. However, are you sure he asked everyone’s opinion?”

“Well …… this ……”

Snow stammered as he spoke, “Of course, there were no inquiries. He sometimes goes out into the slums himself to look for cholera patients who have fallen by the side of the road, and the patient he said was cured was picked up by him that way. In this he lied to you.

You may not be aware that most families of cholera patients do not trust the new treatment of intravenous injections, and most are reluctant to take this radical treatment unless their family member is in their last moments.

Mr. Hardcastle was so desperate to turn over a new leaf that in order to find enough critically ill cases to validate the therapy, he would pick up patients in the slums whenever he had a spare moment. And because of that, he has such detailed data ……”

Arthur frowned and asked, “Don’t those patients he picked up have family members? Did he ever consult the patients’ families?”

Snow blushed and said, “Mr. Hastings, cholera is a disease that everyone is afraid of. Especially the common poor, once a case of cholera appears in a poor family, the family will shun him, and in some extreme cases, even kick him out of the house. It’s not that Mr. Hardcastle hasn’t gone to them, but one is that the patient’s condition is critical and time is too tight, and the other is that the families may not be willing to see the patient, so …… you understand, not all patients can get permission from their families …… “

(End of chapter)