Shadow of great britain

There is such a place at the junction of Bloomsbury, King's Cross, Clerkenwell and Farringdon in London, surrounded by cultural and academic institutions such as the University of London, King's College, Gray's Inn and the British Museum. A location called Chancery Lane.

As the name suggests, this name alone can illustrate the authoritative status of this region in the entire British legal community.

It is not only home to numerous well-known London law firms, but also the headquarters of the British Bar Association. Of course, the most important thing is that it also represents the Chancery Court, the seat of the Chancery Court.

Since the establishment of the Court of Chancery in the 15th century, except for exceptional cases such as treason and noble trials, the Court of Chancery has exercised its final ruling power as the highest court of appeal in Britain.

Such a transcendent status naturally made the chancery judges the lifelong goal of all those who made a living under the British legal system.

However, this sacred place in the hearts of all British lawyers and judges has attracted many uninvited guests today.

Among them were doctors who came to report the situation, members of the local health committee who came to ask for help, and pastors and Quaker elders who served on local parish committees. Of course, at this time, it was natural that various departments came to inquire about information. Affairs officers.

Rowan and Arthur, who were dressed in crisp uniforms, were among the officers of the Royal Navy and Army.

Arthur followed their footsteps, and from time to time, a few curses from the officers would be heard in his ears.

"I had long suggested to the Admiralty to impose a strict ban on merchant ships. As a result, the cabinet at that time was concerned about commercial interests and worried that this would affect trade income. Now it is better. Cholera is imported directly from Sunderland Port. I heard that this is In just over a month, Sunderland had nearly 400 cases, and the mortality rate was as high as 50%."

"Has the situation in Sunderland become so bad? Half of the four hundred people died? I remember that the entire population of Sunderland is only more than 10,000, right? With such an outbreak of cholera, can the loading and unloading of goods at the dock still proceed normally? "

"Proceed? Carry on! All merchant ships are now undergoing quarantine at the port. Previously, the Duke of Wellington requested that all ships be quarantined for 40 days, but the merchants engaged in ocean trade were not happy, as they thought this would delay business. You Didn’t you see that when the Tories were dismissed from power a while ago, they also danced happily? The Whigs immediately opened the door to quarantine, first reducing it from 40 days to 20 days, and then cutting it from 20 days to 10 days. God. It’s okay now. The Navy Ministry has just officially ordered that all incoming ships during the emergency period will be quarantined for 60 days.”

"No wonder I also received an order just now, saying that the Agamemnon, which returned from the Mediterranean rotation, should be quarantined at the Portsmouth base. During the quarantine period, all officers and soldiers are not allowed to go ashore, and anyone who violates discipline will be sent to the military Court. So the Admiralty considers us as a potential source of infection?"

"The Agamemnon is back? Haha! Then in my opinion, those unlucky guys won't be able to get off the ship for at least half a year. I just heard from an old guy who works in the Admiralty that the Admiralty seems to be studying how to borrow Regarding the cholera epidemic's crackdown on smuggling merchant ships. According to the usual style of the Admiralty, the Agamemnon is idle in the port. They will definitely be thinking of finding something for the sailors. I can guarantee that the Admiralty will 100% will throw them out to fight smugglers."

The army officer on the side heard the navy's discussion and interrupted abruptly.

"Is the Admiralty willing to crack down on smuggling? Isn't the largest smuggling group in Britain the Royal Navy itself? Do you plan to invite everyone else out and monopolize the smuggling profits?"

"It seems that the prices of tea and opium in London are going to rise again. Should we stock up on them in advance?"

"The Royal Navy is useless! Lord Hatesbury, the ambassador to Tsarist Russia, sent a message back from Moscow last year: 'If disaster strikes Moscow, no one can prevent it from spreading to the whole of Europe.' As a result, the Admiralty looks like It seems that they don’t take this matter to heart at all, and the tax officers of the Port Authority are also a bunch of bastards. They only appear to be shrewd when they are tallying the declarations.”

"You sons of bitches, do you know? There were riots in Liverpool a few days ago. A dock worker and his wife showed symptoms of diarrhea. The doctor planned to take him and his wife to quarantine. As a result, the couple When they heard that they were not assigned to the same hospital, they immediately started making a fuss. The woman cried and fainted, while the man waved his fists and wanted to hit someone, but fortunately he had lost the strength to pull, so it was very difficult. He was soon subdued..."

The naval officer frowned and said, "That's fine. Is there any riot here?"

The scar-faced army officer glared and said, "Shut your mouth and listen carefully! We originally thought that this was the end of the matter. But we didn't expect that the neighbors who lived near the couple got angry when they saw this situation. They were shouting, "The Army has started beating people up again!" As soon as they shouted, all the women and children who had been hiding in the house to observe ran out of the house. Didn't you see that? There was smoke everywhere. The huge crowd was as if thunder was coming from the sky and it was about to rain.

When those guys who were doing nothing nearby saw that there were many people here, they also gathered around. Children threw stones at us, women spat at us, and dock workers who had just gotten off work guarded them to prevent us from getting close to arrest them. We saw something was wrong at the time, so we quickly sent a smarter boy back to the camp to call for support. In the end, the 82nd Regiment dispatched a full company of troops to get the couple to the hospital. "

"It's not over yet! After we got the people to the hospital, we found that there were already thousands of people gathered outside the hospital. You also know our old British tradition. Usually if so many people gather, nothing will happen. Good thing. We stayed in the hospital until night, and sure enough, as soon as the sun set, they started..."

The naval officer sneered: "What? Your army has done something like the Peterloo massacre again?"

When the army officer heard the word Peterloo, he immediately seemed to have his tail stepped on. He roared: "Fuck you! Peterloo was done by the cavalry. What does it have to do with our infantry? If you want to consult Regarding relevant experience, I suggest you go to Hyde Park and ask the Cavalry Guards, they have always been the first in this regard."

The naval officer asked: "Then how did you deal with it?"

The army officer took out a pipe from his pocket and leaned against the marble pillar in front of the courthouse to smoke: "As soon as it got dark, they began to use the old skills that had been passed down for centuries. The men took advantage of the night to take advantage of the The small hammers they used for work began to climb over the wall and hit the hospital, intending to rescue the couple. The good guys took the opportunity to light a fire near the hospital, intending to send us all to see God. If we had not guessed that they would do this early, If I have dispatched enough troops in advance, I will probably have to brag with you in the cemetery now."

"Did you catch the guy who stormed the hospital?"

"It depends on how the Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to deal with it. But I heard that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is very busy with the Swain riots recently. They have arrested hundreds of people for rioting in Kent and York in the south. farmers, but the situation is not slowing down yet. At this moment, the Ministry of Internal Affairs should not have time to deal with these dozens of people in Liverpool."

Arthur passed the officers and continued forward. The doctors standing in the inner hall were obviously much more civilized in their language than the officers, but judging from their red-faced expressions, the intensity of their debate was no less intense than that of the navy and army.

"I think that under the current circumstances, the British medical community does not have a systematic understanding of cholera. In this case, traditional conservative bloodletting therapy is the most effective. Based on my treatment experience in Manchester, I speculate that Cholera is thought to be a blood-borne toxin, and the neurological disorders it causes cause significant venous congestion, which blocks healthy arterial blood flow to the lungs, and removing venous blood apparently reverses the course of the disease."

"Mr. Galt, I forgive you for disagreeing with your opinion. My treatment experience in Howden tells me that bloodletting does not work for all patients, and your success in Manchester is probably just a matter of luck. Regardless of how cholera is spread, first of all, I think it is not a blood-borne toxin, but a gastrointestinal disease."

"I also agree with Mr. Ayre. All the patients were accompanied by a lot of vomiting and diarrhea, which indicates that toxins are accumulated in their digestive tracts. The best treatment for this disease is to induce vomiting. In this case Under such circumstances, emetics such as calomel, croton oil, mustard, and camphor are definitely the best choices for treating cholera. But we have to pay attention to the dosage, especially calomel. I think it should not exceed 20 pills each time. If the patient refuses to take the medicine , we can also provide some opium and wine to help them take the medicine down."

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

Whether it was large doses of bloodletting or taking calomel and camphor, it was somewhat beyond his cognition.

If the provisionally established Central Health Commission really promotes these treatments as guidance, it is really difficult not to make people wonder whether this will help patients recover or accelerate their death.

He wanted to join the discussion among the doctors in front of him, but he hesitated and finally did not act rashly.

This is not only due to his low profile in medicine, but also because the name Arthur Hastings is not a popular title in the medical community.

A year ago, his deeds of arresting doctors involved in corpse-robbery cases in London had already spread throughout Britain.

Although many doctors support his actions, they believe that those doctors who use illegal cadavers to conduct autopsy research have tarnished the reputation of the entire medical community.

But on the other hand, it also led to a sharp decline in Scotland Yard's reputation among doctors seeking groundbreaking research.

To put it more appropriately, most of those who supported Arthur were old British doctors in Britain, and bloodletting and other medical treatments inherited from the Middle Ages were their specialty.

Those doctors who dare to innovate have always been regarded as marginalized people in the medical field due to the influence of corpse theft for centuries. This is the fundamental reason why most of the treatments Arthur hears here are the same old ones.

Just as Arthur was thinking about how to solve this problem, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in front of him.

It was a familiar face, dressed smartly, with a serious expression and meticulously groomed sideburns. This was none other than Mr. Chadwick, the secretary of the Chancery Hall who once brought good news to Arthur.

Chadwick first turned his attention to Director Rowan next to Arthur: "Superintendent Rowan, it's great to see you here, and it saves me having to send someone to Scotland Yard to inform you. The emergency health meeting has just ended. , the Chancery Hall and the Ministry of Home Affairs are planning to hold a joint meeting with the Admiralty, the General Post Office, the Customs Service and Scotland Yard to announce the control decision. You can go to the conference room first. I believe that the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary will definitely have a conversation. you said."

When Rowan heard this, he nodded slightly and said goodbye to Arthur: "Then I'll go over first. Arthur, you can find out the situation here first. When the meeting is over, you can come to the conference room to find us again. Remember to bring you with you." That report.”

"Understood, sir."

Arthur watched Rowan leave his sight, and turned to Chadwick and asked: "Has the final decision been made?"

Chadwick took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Rather than making a final decision, we intend to adopt all the suggestions from both parties. William Pi, the head of the Quarantine Service who was dismissed due to attacks by the Chamber of Commerce, Mr Tom has been reinstated and will be transferred to the Privy Council to formulate a new set of merchant ship quarantine regulations.

Mr. Henry Halford, Chairman of the Central Advisory Health Committee, also submitted a report at the just-concluded meeting. In my opinion, this report is quite complete, but it may be a bit difficult to implement. "

Arthur was not too polite to the gentleman who had served as Bentham's personal secretary. He asked directly: "Can I see that report?"

"Of course, no problem. Anyway, this report will be sent to Scotland Yard soon."

As Chadwick said this, he took out the document in his hand and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur just glanced lightly and frowned suddenly. He finally understood what Chadwick meant by bad execution.

In addition to once again emphasizing the need to implement strict quarantine systems and isolation measures to prevent the invasion and spread of cholera, the Central Health Commission's report also requested that the government must closely monitor the domestic trade navigation rivers to ensure that all residents along the coast are not allowed to interact with smugglers. Intercourse.

In areas where cholera epidemics are detected, special local health committees must be quickly established to isolate cholera patients or suspected patients.

Specific measures include but are not limited to:

1. All houses where cholera patients live or have lived in the recent past must have prominent signs such as "sick" and "attention". House warning signs must not be removed without the permission of the local health agency.

2. Other people in the house are not allowed to go out or communicate with the outside world at will. The local government dispatches special personnel to deliver food and other daily necessities to the quarantined people. Only when the food delivery person has gone far can the people in the house go out to pick up the food. .

3. After the patient is transferred, the house and built-in furniture must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with lime water, and windows must be opened for ventilation for at least one week.

4. Patients recovering from cholera or people who have communicated with patients must continue to be observed for at least 20 days.

5. Cholera victims must be buried in isolation areas near cholera hospitals.

6. Local magistrates must make every effort to prevent their area from interacting with towns or neighboring rural areas where epidemics have occurred.

As soon as Arthur saw this report, he immediately understood that these measures must not be fully implemented.

Regardless of what the members of the House of Commons will think of this report full of coercive measures, even if it passes in front of the members alive, the British people will only obey it for a week at most.

At least in London, if you want Londoners to last for half a month, you have to mobilize the Scotland Yard police.

If they were to hold on for a month, they would have to send out the Guards Cavalry and Coldstream Infantry stationed in Hyde Park and the Tower of London.

If he wanted them to persist for three months, Arthur could only advise the War Department and even write to the Duke of Wellington, asking him to resume the large-scale conscription during the Napoleonic Wars.

Arthur took a deep breath and put the report into his bag: "It is indeed a very professional report. I understand Mr. Halford's professionalism, but I estimate that he must have made many references for this report. What are the suggestions from Mr. William Rogin and Mr. David Barry's inspection in Russia? This approach works in Russia, but it probably won't work in Britain. The election of the House of Commons is coming to an end. In order to promote parliamentary reform, there will definitely be some More liberal MPs have been elected. I bet as soon as you get this report to the House of Commons Mr Halford will have to step down as chairman of the Central Health Commission."

Chadwick also had a headache about this. As Bentham's personal 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 Prussia A generally hard-line view of the government.

He patted his forehead and said: "The chief justice is also having a headache about this matter. Now everyone doesn't have any good ideas. You want freedom but don't want cholera to come to you. How can there be such a good thing in the world? Although I don't have any good ideas either. I like the Russians, but I have to admit that they have indeed shown some results in cholera prevention and control, which is why the Central Health Commission decided to learn from their experience. Therefore, we must find a way to persuade the Parliament to accept this matter. I am today Just to solve this matter, my head is about to burst. Arthur, do you have any good suggestions on this matter? "