SGB Chapter 333

## Chapter 333: The Two Sides of the Cholera Watchman

The meeting room was filled with a complex and unreadable expression on Arthur’s face. The constant arguing coming from the corridor outside, and the memories flashing in his mind, made it difficult for him to accept the fact of dissecting patients.

Although last year, after the London body-snatching incident, Sir Peel had drafted an “Anatomy Act” and officially submitted it to the House of Commons after the Tory cabinet fell at the beginning of the year.

This bill was almost effortlessly supported by both parties with high votes, and after approval by the House of Lords, it officially became a part of Britain’s numerous medical management regulations.

However, even so, many religious people and medical professionals still opposed the bill.

During the voting process, the 26 bishops who held religious positions in the House of Lords voted unanimously against it. The five most prominent bishops in the Church of England—the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Durham, and Winchester—even issued a joint statement denouncing the government’s actions as nothing short of a farce.

The Church of England was like this, and the Catholic and Jewish churches were no better.

Jewish rabbis and Catholic priests alike were strongly opposed to the Anatomy Act. No matter what religion the clergy belonged to, they were unwilling to officiate the funeral of a dissected body.

The stance of religious leaders further deepened the distrust of ordinary believers towards dissection, and some even threatened that if they discovered any doctor dissecting a body, they would burn them at the stake.

Not long after the Anatomy Act was issued, fourteen private dissection schools in England were all subjected to violent attacks.

To protect the safety of these medical students and teachers, Scotland Yard, which was responsible for the security of the Greater London metropolitan area, had to gather several times and arrest many participants in the violent activities.

To quell public anger, the cabinet had to revise the Anatomy Act twice. It established an Anatomy Committee in the House of Commons and appointed an Anatomical Examiner for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland respectively.

According to the regulations, these examiners needed to pass an anatomical test and report specific information about dissected bodies to the Secretary of State. Their responsibility was to inspect places where dissection activities were likely to take place and ensure the legal operation of body dissection.

Prime Minister Earl Grey, Tory leader Sir Peel, and other political heavyweights also frequently visited various bishops who held significant influence in the religious circles. They humbly requested the bishops to consider the bigger picture and use their influence to persuade their clergy to agree to perform funeral ceremonies for dissected bodies.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, several body-snatching cases happened in Lancashire at that time.

Out of a desire to eradicate such evils, the bishops ultimately decided to compromise with the government.

They agreed to bury dissected bodies according to religious rituals. In return, the government must guarantee to increase law enforcement against illegal use of bodies.

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

While the Anatomy Act included unclaimed bodies from workhouses within the scope of dissection, expanding the source of legal bodies and to some extent curbing rampant body-snatching crimes.

The Anatomy Committee established by the House of Commons did not actually fulfill its functions well. It was simply too difficult for four people to monitor dissection activities throughout Britain.

The Anatomy Act even gave birth to another gray business.

Many workhouse wardens auctioned bodies as commodities, and major medical schools became bidders. Whoever offered the highest price would get priority access to more bodies, thus providing better teaching quality, improving their social reputation and medical strength.

Due to Arthur’s personal attention to the body trade, he deeply understood that this was a very profitable business with no capital investment. A body could usually be sold for twelve to sixteen guineas. The annual income of a London worker was usually only thirty pounds, which meant that two bodies could equal a worker’s annual income.

However, Scotland Yard did not deal with this trade that hovered on the edge of legality and illegality as harshly as they dealt with body-snatchers. Because from the perspective of the security department, at least they were now using money to solve the problem, not killing to expand the source.

Irregular inspections of various medical schools also confirmed this point.

As things stood, their source of bodies had all shifted to workhouses, not some unclear places.

However, although the source of bodies in medical schools could be clarified, bodies dissected by lower-level doctors like Hadcastle could never have complete legal procedures.

Firstly, he couldn’t afford the exorbitant price of bodies. Secondly, with the efficiency and bureaucratic style of the British government, how could a small doctor with no qualifications and no background complete the cumbersome review process in such a short time?

On this point, Rosenberg’s criticism of Hadcastle was completely justified.

Even if this incident had happened in the jurisdiction of Scotland Yard, Arthur could have arrested the clinic doctor based on the Anatomy Act and transferred him to the Magistrate’s Court on charges of illegal possession of a body.

According to the Act, he would pay a fine of £30 for each illegal body. Due to the large number of bodies, he might even spend a few years in prison. And after his release from prison, his sentence wouldn’t be over. Because he would definitely be unable to pay the full fine to the court, so he would be transferred to a debtor’s prison immediately after leaving the criminal court.

Arthur couldn’t help but frown at the thought.

The Red Devil, holding a goblet, saw his expression and just patted his shoulder mockingly: “Arthur, what’s wrong? You always uphold the attitude of thoroughly investigating these cases. Are you going to let him off just because it’s in your interest? Oh, or should I say it more politely, you have a soft spot for talent. You see Hadcastle the same way I see you.”

Arthur tapped his pipe to knock out the ash, and he laughed self-deprecatingly: “Agareus, you don’t have to be so sarcastic. I’ve never been a righteous hero. In most cases, I’m just a dog of the law. I’m just considering whether to bite Hadcastle.”

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

Agareus smiled brightly: “Since you’re going to be a dog anyway, why not be a dog for me? Being a dog of the law is not as comfortable as being a dog of the devil.”

“Really?” Arthur took a puff of his pipe: “If I were a dog for you, wouldn’t I be worse than Eld? At least he wants to be a dog for the ladies, and a free-range one at that.”

Agareus just sneered: “Come on, I was just kidding. But you are indeed different from before, you’ve become smarter, because I haven’t heard you talk about that legal justice stuff for a long time. It seems that studying at the University of London really helped you, you finally started to understand that law and morality are two different things.”

“Yeah!”

Arthur blew out a puff of smoke: “Professor Austin’s ‘Jurisprudence Lecture Notes’ helped me a lot. Law is law, morality is morality, people who break the law are not necessarily immoral, and immoral people don’t necessarily break the law. I used to think Professor Austin was talking nonsense, so I often argued with him during lectures at the university.

But after working at Scotland Yard for so long, I realized that he was right. The essence of law is coercion. As long as you can send someone to Australia, put them in prison, or hang them, then even if you make baldness a crime, that nonsensical regulation can still be law.

And Professor Austin studied these laws themselves, he didn’t consider morality or immorality, he was only concerned with these established facts. It’s precisely because the professors at the University of London all adhere to a pragmatic utilitarian attitude that many people think they are cold-blooded like uncivilized beasts.

But in fact, they are not unaware of morality, bottom lines, and things like that. In fact, many concepts that conform to basic morality were proposed by them. However, from an academic perspective, in a society where people constantly break the bottom lines, continuing to study things that don’t exist would definitely not be wise.”

The Red Devil took a sip of wine: “So do you think Hadcastle crossed the line?”

Arthur shrugged: “I don’t know. The concept of a bottom line is different for everyone. But I know one thing, for most people in Britain now, whether it’s the high-standard religious circles, ordinary people, or the British medical community itself, Hadcastle has indeed crossed the line.

If The Lancet knew he used illegal bodies for his paper, they wouldn’t publish it, they would even expose the whole thing. Mr. Thomas Wakley, the founder of The Lancet, personally led the investigation of the London murder and body-snatching case, and he loathes this kind of behavior that brings shame to all medical colleagues.”

The Red Devil just shook his head upon hearing this. He held his goblet and asked: “Arthur, what are you talking about? I’m not talking about the British public, I’m asking you, where is your bottom line? Professor Austin is right, the essence of law is coercion. And now, that coercion is in your hands.”

Arthur sat in silence on the sofa. He pondered for a long time before getting up from the sofa and opening the meeting room door.

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

Arthur raised his hand to stop him: “Where’s the apothecary apprentice who followed Mr. Hadcastle?”

“I’m here.” Snow, standing in the corridor with a small satchel on his back, raised his hand: “Sir, do you need anything?”

Arthur beckoned him: “Come in, I have something to ask you.”

Snow followed Arthur into the meeting room nervously, sitting uneasily on the sofa. From his expression, it was clear that the young man was not very composed after witnessing what had just happened.

Arthur saw this and simply reassured him: “Don’t worry, no matter what the outcome, it has nothing to do with you. Even if Hadcastle loses his medical license because of this, it won’t affect your future. You just need to tell me everything you saw and heard.”

Although Arthur said so, the young man from the Yorkshire countryside like Arthur had never seen this kind of scene.

The members of the Liverpool Health Committee, the most prestigious doctors in the area, almost surrounded his teacher and berated him. If someone hadn’t stopped them, Hadcastle would have definitely been beaten up today.

Not only that, even the onlookers watching from the sidelines were all bigwigs in Liverpool. Who knows how they would view him, the student of this tainted doctor, in the future?

Thinking that his future might be ruined along with this, and even lose the opportunity to study at a medical school, Snow’s lips couldn’t stop trembling.

In a lifetime, there are not many opportunities to change one’s destiny.

Seeing that the door leading from miner’s son to middle-class doctor was about to close, he felt his heart twist with pain.

For Arthur, who had the same experience, it was not difficult to guess what Snow was thinking.

And his rich experience in law enforcement made him understand how to dispel the witness’s worries.

Arthur didn’t waste any words, but directly took out a pen from his coat pocket, took a notebook from the table, and began to write furiously.

Snow was so scared that his face changed color: “You… what are you writing? Could it be an arrest warrant for Mr. Hadcastle?”

Arthur continued writing without looking up: “Young man, an arrest warrant can’t be written on any random piece of paper, and that’s not my job either. I’m writing a letter, a letter of recommendation.”

“A letter of recommendation?”

“That’s right, a letter of recommendation for the University of London Medical School.”

Arthur threw the notebook to Snow: “I’m one of the first graduates of the University of London, so I have some influence there. And Professor William Marsden, the administrator of the London Free General Hospital, the designated internship hospital of the University of London Medical School, is also a friend of mine.

With this letter of recommendation, I believe the medical school will be happy to accept you. As for tuition fees, you don’t have to worry about that either. I can pay your tuition for you. As for living expenses, if you study hard enough, the annual academic scholarship will be enough for you.”

“The… University of London… Medical School? My… My God!”

Although Snow wasn’t very familiar with the University of London, which had just been granted a Royal Charter of Instruction, the University of London’s reputation in medicine was not as high as the two major Scottish medical schools, Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, the word “university” alone was enough to shock his nerves.

University meant a higher social evaluation than a medical specialist school, and it also meant that his starting point was no longer a lower-level doctor, but a middle-class medical professional right after graduation, with the opportunity to work at a high-level royal hospital like St. Mary’s Hospital, with the opportunity to become a member of the Westminster circle, the core of British medical academia.

Arthur put the pen back in his coat pocket and asked: “Alright, Mr. Snow, now you can tell me the truth, can’t you? What’s going on with Mr. Hadcastle?”

Snow’s mind was still a little dizzy. He felt like the door that seemed about to close suddenly opened for him again, and the person who walked out of that door, shining with golden light, was Mr. Arthur Hastings in front of him.

He never thought that what Hadcastle was desperately trying to get would fall on his head by accident.

Snow sniffed, he was about to cry with emotion: “Mr. Hastings, I really don’t know how to thank you.”

“No need.” Arthur smiled: “We’re both Yorkshiremen, we’re all from the same place after all. Seeing you, I realized that there are quite a few Yorkshiremen in all walks of life. Maybe I should consider starting a Yorkshire club. As long as you work hard and study hard, you might even become one of the founding members.”

The young man who had always been inconspicuous and working as a handyman for Hadcastle had never smelled such a sweet bait. He took the bait without hesitation, wishing he could tear his heart out and show it to Arthur.

“Mr. H… Hastings, I swear to you, everything I’m going to say is true. Mr. Hadcastle, he… well… he’s not exactly a very decent person, but he’s definitely not as bad as Mr. Rosenberg said. He did dissect patients’ bodies, but he didn’t go as far as a dissection class. From a legal standpoint, he definitely broke the law, but he also discussed it with the deceased’s families before the dissection. As long as they agreed to an autopsy, they could be exempted from medical fees. That’s why he was able to get so much data.”

“Hmm…” Arthur’s heart sank a little when he heard this: “So, the nature of the offense isn’t particularly serious. But are you sure he asked everyone’s opinion?”

“Well… that…”

Snow stammered: “Of course, there are some who he didn’t ask. Sometimes he would go to the slums himself to find cholera patients who had collapsed on the streets. The patient he claimed to have cured was picked up by him like this. He lied to you about this.

You may not know, most cholera patients’ families don’t trust this new intravenous therapy. Unless their family members are at death’s door, most are unwilling to use this radical treatment.

Mr. Hadcastle was so eager to turn things around. So, in order to find enough critical cases to verify the therapy, he would go to the slums to pick up patients whenever he had free time. That’s why he has such detailed data…”

Arthur frowned and asked: “Those patients he picked up, didn’t they have families? Did he ask their families’ opinions?”

Snow looked embarrassed: “Mr. Hastings, everyone is afraid of cholera. Especially ordinary poor people. Once a cholera patient appears in a poor family, the family members will avoid them, and in some extreme cases, they will even kick them out of the house. Mr. Hadcastle did go to find them, but on the one hand, the patient’s condition was critical and time was tight, on the other hand, the family members may not be willing to see the patient, so… you understand, not all patients can get permission from their families…”

(End of Chapter)