Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 22

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

22. Germination… Carcinogenesis? (15)

“The letters of the Westerners are truly amusing.”

“Yes?”

“Come here.”

Sejong, calling Hyang to his side, pointed at the Latin sentences and continued,

“These words appear to indicate the case of the subject in the sentence, as they appear repeatedly. And judging by how the words are written, this part seems to represent the beginning sound of the word, this part the middle sound, and this part the ending sound. So, they combine to form a single letter. And these letters here, here, and these seem to indicate the middle sounds. Seeing how they create words and sentences like this, it seems the Westerners have shaped the sounds, not the meanings. Is that correct?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct!”

Hyang stammered, his soul half-departed.

‘He’s a true genius! No, a monster!’

In just a short time of reading the books, Sejong had grasped the definite and indefinite articles of Latin, as well as the word structure and the fact that it was a phonetic alphabet.

It was a moment of truly experiencing Sejong’s genius, which he had only known through textbooks.

Sejong picked up the book again and read through it, then turned to Hyang.

“Do all the Western barbarians use this script?”

“No, although they use this script as a base, they are slightly different.”

Hyang selected books from France and Germany and placed them on the desk.

“Hmm… hmm…”

Sejong alternated between examining the books from France and Germany and the Latin book, stroking his beard.

“The shapes of the letters are largely similar. Some variations are visible in the letters that determine how to pronounce them… hmm…”

Sejong made a humming sound, then looked at Hyang with a serious face.

“Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Father.”

“What do you think about creating our own script for Joseon?”

‘Here it comes!’

Hyang cheered inwardly and answered promptly.

“I believe a unique script for Joseon is absolutely necessary! How many people know Hanja [Chinese characters], which the Sadaebu [Scholar-officials] revere as the ‘True Script’? And among those who know Hanja, how many can write it properly? If Hanja is the true script, then why do we use Idu [a system using Chinese characters to represent Korean]?”

“Did you have a hard time writing sentences?”

“Hehet!”

Seeing Hyang’s childlike demeanor, Sejong chuckled and nodded.

“Haha! I remember having a hard time when I first wrote sentences as well. I spent over an hour agonizing over writing a poem, and my father and grandfather burst into laughter when they read it.”

Sejong reminisced about his childhood memories and looked at Hyang.

“Indeed, the language of China and the language of our Joseon are completely different, so this is a problem. It becomes difficult for the people to appeal their grievances. The problem is that creating a script is not an easy task.”

“There are many wise men around Father, so if you make up your mind, it will become an easy task.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong shook his head.

“If I publicly announce that I will create a script, the Jiphyeonjeon [Hall of Worthies, a royal research institute] will become my enemy from that moment on.”

“Father.”

Hyang called out to Sejong, seeing the expression on his face that seemed to have much to say. However, Sejong did not continue speaking and rose from his seat.

“The night is late. It would be good to sleep now.”

“Yes, Father. Please have a good night’s sleep as well. Joseon will be stable only if Father is healthy.”

“You…”

Sejong chuckled and was about to leave the room, but he stopped and turned to Hyang.

“I hope you grow up quickly and reach the age of fifteen (志學, Jihak) [the age at which one is expected to be devoted to learning].”

“Yes?”

“Go to sleep.”

Hyang saw Sejong off and prepared to go to bed. Lying down on the bedding laid out by the palace maids, Hyang suddenly got up and muttered. Sejong’s words before leaving the room kept lingering in his mind.

“This gives me the chills, doesn’t it?”

* * *

While preparing for the cowpox vaccination for those residing in the palace and the residents of Hanyang [old name for Seoul], the palace, especially the Naeuiwon (Royal Clinic), was bustling with activity.

The head of the Naeuiwon, Naeuiwon Jeong (Chief Physician), grabbed the physicians and checked the situation.

“Are the needles for vaccinating with cowpox prepared?”

“100 have been prepared.”

“100 is not enough! Prepare 200 more!”

“How about the cows?”

“5 have been prepared!”

“How many people can that cover?”

“If things go as expected, we can vaccinate all those in the palace and the Six Ministries [the main administrative divisions of Joseon] who have not had smallpox, and still have plenty left over.”

“Good! Make sure to record exactly how long the pus taken from the cow with cowpox lasts!”

“Understood!”

“And how much disinfectant alcohol (酒精, ethanol) has been secured?”

“We are still distilling it.”

“We must not run short, so make sure to prepare enough.”

“Yes, sir.”

After organizing the situation to some extent, Jeong (Chief Physician) let out a small sigh.

“Hoo~. Disinfection, huh… the work has increased several times over. His Highness the Crown Prince guaranteed it, but I wonder if there will really be any gains?”

* * *

At that time, the concept of disinfection was hardly established. It was common practice not to wash hands when examining patients, and needles were reused. However, these practices were completely overturned with the implementation of cowpox vaccination.

“Washing the cow? And the needles have to be boiled too?”

At Jeong’s question, Soedol bowed his head and answered immediately.

“Yes, that’s right. If you look at the cow, it’s covered in dung, isn’t it? If you’re not careful, you’ll get dung poisoning.”

“Dung poisoning I understand, but why the needles?”

“When I first administered the cowpox vaccine, there was a guy with severe ringworm. After vaccinating him, I used the same needle on another guy, and the ringworm spread. Since then, we’ve been boiling the needles in boiling water after each use, and wiping them with a thoroughly boiled and dried cotton cloth before using them.”

“I see.”

At Soedol’s words, Jeong nodded and recorded the details. Hyang, who was watching the scene from the side, added some MSG [a Korean expression for embellishing or exaggerating a story].

“May I add a few words?”

“We will listen attentively to the Crown Prince’s words (洗耳傾聽, Sei-gyeongcheong) [a respectful idiom for listening carefully].”

“I’ve seen some Western medical books. It was a collection of knowledge from the military doctors of a great nation called Rome.”

At Hyang’s words, Jeong dipped his gold brush deeply in ink, preparing to write down everything. It was well-known that the Crown Prince had many valuable medical books that they did not have. They wanted to see those medical books, but none of the physicians were bold enough to ask the Crown Prince to show them, or even borrow them. They were all just twiddling their thumbs when Hyang spoke up himself, so they couldn’t miss the opportunity.

“In that medical book… ‘Tools used in the treatment of patients must always be boiled in boiling water and then wiped with a clean cotton cloth before being used to treat the next patient. All cotton cloths used to wrap or cover patients’ wounds must be used once, then boiled, washed, and thoroughly dried in strong sunlight.'”

“…thoroughly dried before use.”

“Ah! And to add another point, ‘Physicians must always keep their hands clean when touching patients. When touching one patient and then another, they must wash their hands thoroughly and wipe them with a clean cotton cloth. When treating patients’ wounds, they must clean the wound area with alcohol.'”

“…must wipe. Will this really be effective?”

“According to the person who recorded that medical book, it is definitely effective. Therefore, it seems there would be no harm in using the same method ourselves.”

“We will deeply consider the Crown Prince’s words.”

Jeong bowed his head and answered after hearing Hyang’s words.

The physicians who saw the documents (文件, mun-geon) [official records] recorded based on Hyang’s words were divided into two opinions.

“It’s good to be clean, but isn’t this too much?”

“No. From experience, I know that recovery is considerably faster when cotton cloths and bedding are clean.”

“Can we really trust the medical techniques of the Westerners?”

“They are also people who strive to save lives. There seems to be no need to unconditionally deny them.”

The physicians, who were engaged in a heated debate, eventually reached a tentative agreement.

-First, since there are also the Crown Prince’s words, we will prepare as much as possible and confirm the results on-site.

While the physicians of the Naeuiwon were making such decisions, Hyang whistled softly while sorting through books full of Latin.

“I added a little MSG, but the medical books of the Eastern Roman Empire were unexpected.”

Among the Western books brought in by the envoys, quite a few were medical books from the Eastern Roman Empire. However, what was surprising was that while many books in other fields had been translated into Chinese (漢譯, Han-yeok) [translated into Chinese], the medical books had hardly been translated. And the reason for this was written at the end (末尾, malmi) [the conclusion] of a barely found translated book.

-The medical techniques (醫術, ui-sul) [medical skills] of the Westerners do not consider the principles of the Five Elements (五行, O-haeng) [a philosophical concept used in traditional Chinese medicine] in prescribing medicines, and they are not afraid to use knives when treating external injuries (外傷, oe-sang) [physical wounds] as well as internal injuries (內傷, nae-sang) [internal ailments], so their methods are extremely radical. Therefore, there is no need to pay attention to the medical techniques of the Westerners.

Hyang burst into laughter after reading the sentence that completely made a judgment (斷言, dan-eon) [a definitive statement].

“Just wait 500 years.”

Unlike the Chinese evaluation, Hyang rated the medical books of the Eastern Roman Empire quite highly.

“The level is higher than expected. Is it because they are descendants of the Roman Empire?”

What particularly caught Hyang’s attention were the books on public health (公衆衛生, gongjung-wi-saeng) [measures to protect and improve population health]. Hyang examined a book full of content such as the installation of water and sewage systems and the composition of urban areas to prevent fires, and muttered softly.

“The city of Hanyang is still incomplete… Should I try SimCity once?”

Considering that King Munjong had reorganized the city of Hanyang when he was the Crown Prince in actual history, it was a truly amazing coincidence.

“That’s right, but…”

Hyang muttered, looking at the books that filled the room.

The Western books that the envoys had obtained and brought back were truly diverse, and the quantity was not small. In addition, the amount of Confucian classics was also considerable, so Hyang converted one of the rooms in the Donggungjeon (Crown Prince’s residence) into a study. Bookshelves were erected along all four walls of the room, and a large desk and chair were placed in the center.

What Hyang was curious about was that there were so many Western books in China. Considering the size of the Chinese continent, it was certain that the books in that room were only a small part.

“To be precise, there are so many books, but it doesn’t seem to have had a big impact on China’s industry or technology.”

While pondering ‘Why is that?’, Hyang recalled a book review (書評, seo-pyeong) [critical analysis of a book] he had read before.

“Is it the pride of the Middle Kingdom (中華, Junghwa) [a historical term for China, emphasizing its central and superior position]?”

Hyang’s prediction became a certainty when those who went to Ming as Dongjisa (winter solstice embassy) returned.

“These are new ones, except for those on the book list you gave me.”

The books that the Minister of Taxation (戶曹判書, Hojo-panseo) [a high-ranking official in charge of finance] had newly obtained at Hyang’s request amounted to three large wooden crates.

“That’s quite a lot. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Judging by the number of books, it seems that Muslims (回回敎徒, Hoehoe-gyoto, Islamic believers) are steadily entering Ming?”

“There is still exchange south of the Yangtze River, but there is no public exchange.”

“But there are still many books.”

“Most of them are being released by Ming’s enthusiasts (好事家, Ho-sa-ga) [patrons or hobbyists].”

“Why are the enthusiasts releasing them?”

“Ming is doing its best to clear away the remnants of Yuan [the Mongol-led dynasty that preceded the Ming].”

Hyang nodded at the Minister of Taxation’s explanation.

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.”

Hyang saw off the Minister of Taxation and muttered softly, looking at the books in the wooden crates.

“It wasn’t a zero base after all.”

-The explosive growth during Sejong’s reign didn’t fall from the sky! It’s the result of absorbing as much technology as possible that flowed out during the transition from Yuan to Ming! The problem is that it all fell apart after that.

Hyang nodded repeatedly, recalling the words of Teacher Samcheopo.

* * *

Around the time the Dongjisa returned from Ming, preparations for cowpox vaccination for the residents of the royal palace and Hanseong were also in the final stages.

“Make sure to properly check that all preparations have been made!”

“We have checked each item twice.”

“We can finish before the spring poverty season (春窮期, Chun-gunggi) [a period of economic hardship in spring before the harvest], right?”

The physician nodded at the Naeuiwon Jeong’s (Chief Physician) question.

“We can finish it!”

“Then I will have to report to the Minister.”

* * *

“We can definitely finish before the spring poverty season, right?”

“The physicians are confident.”

The Minister of Personnel (吏曹判書, Ijo-panseo) [a high-ranking official in charge of personnel appointments] stroked his beard at Jeong’s answer.

“I understand. Then I will report to His Majesty the King.”

* * *

“You must not forget that the vaccination must be completed before the spring poverty season.”

Sejong, after receiving the report from the Minister of Personnel, issued a similar order. The Minister of Personnel bowed his head at Sejong’s order.

“I will do my best.”

End.