Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 19

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

Germination… Carcinogenesis? (12) [This likely refers to the 12th stage or aspect of a process, possibly related to the spread or development of something, drawing a parallel between biological germination and the onset of cancer.]

Sejong, startled by the report that ‘The Crown Prince has harmed himself!’, encountered Hyang as he rushed out of the throne room, rounding a corner.

“Oh? Father? Where are you hurrying off to?”

“Seja!”

Seeing Hyang, Sejong hurried over and examined Hyang all over.

“Father, why are you doing this?”

“Haa~. You’re not hurt.”

Sejong, relieved, glared at the Chief Eunuch, who had followed him in a fluster.

“What? The Crown Prince harmed himself?”

“I also received a report…”

Sejong, along with the ministers, glared at the Chief Eunuch, who in turn glared at the court eunuch who had reported to him.

“Eunuch Oh! What is the meaning of this!”

Eunuch Oh, rebuked by the Chief Eunuch, glared at the court eunuch standing next to Hyang.

“Eunuch Kang! You tell them. Wasn’t it you who told me! I am innocent!”

At Eunuch Oh’s words, Sejong and the ministers all glared at the court eunuch standing next to Hyang. Just then, Queen Soheon’s voice was heard.

“Your Majesty! What is going on! The Crown Prince harmed himself, you say!”

With the king, queen, and ministers all glaring, the face of the Eunuch Kang turned deathly pale.

“You knave! Explain now why you spoke words that should not even be thought!”

At Sejong’s roar, Eunuch Kang prostrated himself on the ground and opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty! I have never spoken a falsehood!”

“Never spoken a falsehood?”

At Eunuch Kang’s words, Sejong looked at Hyang. Sejong, along with the ministers and the queen who had followed, all looked at Hyang, who wore an awkward expression as he spoke.

“Eunuch Kang seems to have misunderstood the procedure I received.”

“Procedure? Misunderstood?”

Seeing Sejong’s face, which clearly showed he didn’t understand at all, Hyang turned his head back.

“Come forward, please.”

“Yes? Yes! Your Highness!”

At Hyang’s call, an elderly man from among the group that had followed him came forward and bowed deeply to Sejong.

“This lowly one greets the Sanggam Mama! [Sanggam Mama is a respectful title for a high-ranking official or royalty.]”

“Who are you?”

“I am Soedol, taking care of the royal livestock on Neobeol Island.”

“Soedol?”

“It’s the name I received to take good care of the cows.”

Even as he listened to Soedol’s answer, Sejong still looked like he didn’t understand. Eventually, Sejong turned to Hyang.

“Seja, explain the situation. Without leaving anything out!”

“Yes, Father. Actually, while reading medical books that came from China…”

According to Hyang’s explanation, the progress of the incident was as follows:

-In the medical books from the Song and Yuan dynasties in China, there were records of performing something called ‘variolation’ to prevent smallpox. After confirming that variolation was described not only in Chinese medical books but also in those of the Western barbarians, he delved into it in more detail. However, both Chinese and Western medical texts stated that variolation had a very high probability of failure. Variolation was a method of extracting pus from someone recovering from smallpox and pricking it into the body of someone who had not yet contracted smallpox, or having them inhale powdered scabs through their nose.

This was naturally a high-risk method. Extracting pus from someone who seemed completely healed on the outside but not on the inside was not very effective, and in the opposite case, the person would immediately contract smallpox and face a life-or-death situation.

While poring over medical books that described the dangers of variolation, Hyang found a peculiar sentence in a Western medical text.

-Among the herdsmen who raise cattle, there are quite a few who do not contract smallpox. Their common trait is that they contracted cowpox while caring for cows with cowpox. It seems worth investigating further.

Upon finding this sentence, Hyang immediately headed to Neobeol Island to confirm the facts.

Arriving at Neobeol Island, Hyang immediately gathered the herdsmen. As expected, the herdsmen’s faces were full of wrinkles due to hardship, but all except for one were relatively clean.

“Among those gathered here, raise your hand if you have had Mama [Mama refers to smallpox, a common and dreaded disease at the time.].”

At Hyang’s words, only the one person raised his hand.

“Did you get it after becoming a herdsman?”

“No, I got it before coming to the ranch.”

“Who is the oldest person here?”

At Hyang’s question, Soedol stepped forward.

“Has smallpox never circulated on this Neobeol Island and its surrounding areas?”

“No, it has circulated at least once a year.”

“But why?”

Hyang stopped speaking. It was because the old man named Soedol in front of him looked like he knew something.

“You, you know something, don’t you? Do you have some kind of secret technique?”

“It’s not quite a secret technique.”

According to Soedol’s explanation, it was as follows: Soedol’s family had been raising the royal family’s livestock since the time of King Gongmin of Goryeo [King Gongmin reigned during the Goryeo dynasty, which preceded the Joseon dynasty.]. Soedol also began raising cows when he reached a certain age.

Then one day, a cow that Soedol had been particularly fond of suddenly contracted cowpox. Cowpox was not a fatal disease for cows, but occasionally, unlucky cows would die from severe inflammation in their udders.

While caring for the cow for days without sleep, Soedol contracted cowpox. Soedol, who was already exhausted, suffered from a fever for several days. However, Soedol’s father looked at him with a rather nonchalant expression.

“You rascal, now Mama will never come to visit you for the rest of your life.”

Soedol, who had recovered from his illness, asked his father why he had said that. Soedol’s father replied simply.

-I don’t know why, but if you get cowpox and recover, the smallpox spirit doesn’t come.

“Then why didn’t you tell the doctor or the officials when you found out? Then many people wouldn’t have contracted smallpox!”

At Hyang’s question, Soedol smiled bitterly and replied.

“How could I, wearing the skin of a human, just let it pass? Of course, I told the doctor. But I was only cursed and kicked out. How can a disease that only affects insignificant creatures like cows prevent the smallpox spirit?”

“So, you’re the only one who avoided the smallpox spirit?”

“I’m also human… I couldn’t bear to see my family become pockmarked. So…”

Soedol trailed off, but Hyang could guess what came next.

“You forcibly made the people here get cowpox, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, Your Highness.”

At Soedol’s answer, Hyang clenched his fist.

‘The clinical trial is over safely! It’s all or nothing! No, stopping now would make me the biggest coward in the world!’

“I should get that secret technique too.”

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness!”

The court eunuchs and bodyguards who had followed Hyang were horrified, but Hyang didn’t care.

“It’s almost time to return to the palace, so hurry. Is there a cow with cowpox?”

“We deliberately make at least one cow get it every year because there are children who need to get it every year….”

“That’s great!”

“…That’s how I got the cowpox pus.”

After finishing speaking, Hyang looked at Sejong’s face. Sejong’s face was pale, and Queen Soheon was on the verge of fainting. No parents could maintain their sanity when their son, who had greeted them in the morning, had returned after getting something called cowpox, which they had never heard of before.

“You rascal!”

Sejong, shouting angrily, raised his hand high, and Hyang immediately knelt down.

“Father! How many people die from smallpox every year? If we can save those who are dying, what’s the problem!”

“That’s no reason for you to step forward first! You are the Crown Prince!”

“Where is there nobility or lowliness in human life! And why be afraid when there are already people who are fine!”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong put his hand on his forehead and sighed.

“Haa~. You rascal… Can’t you stay still for even a day? Haa~.”

Sejong sighed deeply again and turned to Soedol.

“So. What happens if you get this cowpox?”

“For the next five days or so, you will have a high fever, so you must not move around. And several boils will appear on the shoulder where you received the inoculation, but you must never pop them and wait for the scabs to form naturally. After about ten days, you can get up and move around.”

“Is that so? Commander of the Royal Guard!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Imprison this man! However, do not inflict torture and give him three proper meals a day.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

After giving the order, Sejong glared at Soedol.

“If there is even the slightest problem with the Crown Prince’s body, I will immediately cut off your head. But, if it turns out as you say, I will give you a great reward.”

At Sejong’s words, Soedol bowed deeply and was led to prison by the guards.

Sejong, watching Soedol disappear into the distance, looked at Hyang, who was still kneeling, and tried to say something while pointing his finger. But Sejong, who forcibly held back the words that had risen to his throat, turned his body.

“You must be suffering for the next few days, so go in and rest. The court eunuchs must care for the Crown Prince with all their heart.”

“We obey the command.”

The court eunuchs, receiving Sejong’s order, dragged Hyang into the Crown Prince’s residence. Following them, Sejong ordered the ministers.

“The ministers should return to the throne room first. I will check on the Queen’s condition for a moment and then go in.”

“We obey the command.”

As the ministers, having paid their respects, disappeared into the distance, Sejong looked at Queen Soheon.

“Are you alright?”

“I am alright. How is Your Majesty?”

“Haa~.”

Sejong replaced his answer with a long sigh. Sejong looked at the Crown Prince’s residence and continued.

“I can’t tell whether that rascal will be a blessing or a curse to this Joseon [Joseon is the name of the Korean kingdom during this period.]. Sometimes he is like a sage that no one in the world can match, and at other times he is like a reckless fool who wouldn’t be enough even if you rolled him in a straw mat for a hundred days…” [This is a Korean idiom referring to someone so foolish they deserve a harsh punishment.]

* * *

Meanwhile, Hyang, sitting in his room, looked at the medical book written in Latin and chuckled.

“The Jenner was the first to know about vaccination…”

The medical book titled ‘Considerations on Diseases’ was a medical book written by an Italian monk whose name he didn’t even know.

-There are herdsmen who show symptoms similar to those infected with cowpox while managing cows infected with cowpox. According to observations, these herdsmen did not suffer from smallpox even when smallpox was prevalent. It is interesting, but it may be a simple coincidence. Especially according to doctrine….

The monk who wrote the medical book ended with a negative sentence, citing Catholic doctrine. In other words, the author, the monk, came to the same conclusion as the Joseon doctors.

‘How can a human disease be prevented by a disease of an animal, a cow?’

Hyang, who saw that doctors from the East and West had come to the same conclusion in the medical books he had searched for to find references, muttered.

“Did Samcheonpo say that? [Samcheonpo is likely a reference to a respected teacher or figure.] It’s not just Newton who saw the apple falling. But the reason why only Newton left his name in history is the difference between taking it one step further or not….”

Hyang, pondering the words of Teacher Samcheonpo, chuckled.

* * *

As Soedol said, Hyang began to develop a fever that night.

“The court eunuchs and royal physicians must check and record the Crown Prince’s condition at all times!”

According to Sejong’s orders, the court eunuchs and royal physicians stayed close to Hyang, observing his every move.

The royal physicians observing Hyang’s condition reported Hyang’s condition to Sejong and the ministers every morning and evening.

“According to the royal physicians, it is the same as what that Soedol said, so doesn’t that mean that Soedol’s words are true? What do you all think?”

At Sejong’s question, the ministers were lost in thought. After some time, Chief State Councilor Lee Won opened his mouth.

“The Crown Prince’s condition is almost identical to what Soedol said, so I think this means that the secret technique Soedol spoke of is effective.”

“That’s right. If so, this means that we can prevent smallpox… How about implementing it nationwide?”

Right State Councilor Jeong Tak expressed his opposition to Sejong’s proposal.

“I think there is a problem with implementing it on all the people in the country unconditionally. It may just be a coincidence.”

“Soedol and his family have been proving it for decades, and it’s a coincidence?”

“The number is too small.”

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Sejong came to a conclusion.

“If the Crown Prince is completely cured, have cowpox vaccinations given to the palace maids and the people of Hanseong [Hanseong was the capital city of Joseon, modern-day Seoul.]. The people of Hanseong are numerous enough to determine whether it is true or false.”

“We obey Your Majesty’s command.”

The ministers answered in unison to Sejong’s order. It was because there was no reason for them to oppose it at all.

End

ⓒ Gukbbong