Chapter 25: Radical Newspaper Seeks Collection

  New book uploaded, seeking collection and recommendation

  By the end of 1842, articles signed "Dr. Jessen" began to appear in several left-wing newspapers in Britain and across the English Channel in France and Germany (German Confederation).

  The name of the article is "Doctors - The Distributors of Germs", which was first published in the largest non-mainstream newspaper in the UK, the Northern Star. The article first denies the "natural occurrence theory" of disease, which is considered a golden rule by the British medical community at that time, and believes that diseases such as puerperal fever and postoperative wound inflammation are not "naturally occurring", but are caused by the transmission of certain germs. Moreover, many deadly germs that have killed countless patients were transmitted by British doctors who were supposed to cure them! This is due to the neglect of personal hygiene, surgical instrument cleaning, and hospital sanitation by most British doctors, leading to the rapid spread of these pathogenic bacteria. The most typical example is the transmission and outbreak of puerperal fever.

  "It is the contaminated hands and instruments of the doctors themselves which bring disaster to the patient!" Moreover, it says: "Past mistakes are not terrible; what is terrible is not acknowledging science and reality. In some hospitals and by some doctors who have already realized this mistake and have used effective disinfection methods to greatly reduce the incidence of puerperal fever, the authorities in British medicine still stubbornly refuse to acknowledge this fact and do not want to take any measures to change the current situation where British doctors and British hospitals are spreading germs..."

  Some newspapers also carried a profile of Dr Jason.

  Jason Zhu, a medical scientist from the East, not only has in-depth research on Western medicine but also is well-versed in mysterious Chinese medicine. On the basis of his research on Chinese medicine, he discovered and proposed the "Blood Type Theory", which solved the long-standing "blood transfusion problem" that had plagued European medical circles for many years, making it possible for surgical operations to be widely carried out. Moreover, based on blood transfusion treatment and surgical disinfection, he successfully performed multiple "cesarean sections" at the Omen Hospital in London, saving the lives of many difficult-to-deliver mothers. Due to his indignation towards the Royal Medical Society's refusal to acknowledge the "germ theory of disease transmission" and its refusal to establish a strict medical disinfection system, he wrote articles for major newspapers in England and France, hoping to use public opinion to force the medical community's high-level recognition of science and reality, so as to save the lives of countless patients.

  What he said was indeed true, but this hornet's nest really stirred up a big mess, almost capsizing the entire boat!

  Moreover, the evidence presented along with these accusations is far from sufficient, only including statistical data from Oumeng Hospital and several successful cesarean sections. No conclusive evidence has been presented to support the "germ theory of disease" - displaying pathogenic bacteria under a microscope while using rigorous experiments to prove that killing pathogenic bacteria can prevent the occurrence of diseases.

  So as soon as Dr. Jason's article came out, it immediately caused a huge stir.

  Especially in the UK where Dr. Jason is located, the Royal Medical Association reacted immediately and announced the revocation of Dr. Jason's medical license.

  At the same time, prominent articles refuting him were published in major mainstream newspapers, all written by Britain's most authoritative doctors, who cited traditional medical theories to refute him and labelled Jason Zhu as an ignorant charlatan, with his views being "pseudoscience". Some people even wrote about Jason Zhu's skin colour and ethnicity, believing that he was just a low-intelligence yellow person who was not qualified to engage in medical research, and the theories he put forward were not worth refuting.

  There are also doctors who openly declare in newspapers: "Doctors are gentlemen, and as gentlemen their hands are naturally clean, so doctors do not need to wash their hands after surgery or autopsy, let alone wear gloves."

  There are also some people with sharper tongues who, in the newspapers, made fun of Zhu's two nicknames "Jason the Ripper" and "Bloodthirsty Veterinary Jason". They even fabricated that Zhu came from a family of veterinarians in the East, and during the process of treating animals, he accidentally discovered the existence of different blood types. He then applied this theory to humans, perhaps even conducting several experiments that could have resulted in human deaths. It is suggested that the London police department thoroughly investigate whether any British citizens died in these inhumane blood transfusion experiments...

  Such a dispute naturally quickly attracted the attention of the British bourgeoisie and middle class, and the hospital's hygiene issues became a topic of conversation for them after dinner. Zhu Jishi also became a celebrity as he wished, but this reputation was not very good. Because most of the bourgeoisie and middle class believed in the Royal Medical Society, rather than a so-called Eastern doctor.

  Moreover, these people will not go to a dirty hospital for medical treatment. They have skilled and considerate doctors who come to their homes for diagnosis and treatment. However, if they pay attention, it's not difficult to find that the doctors who provide home services are now very careful about their personal hygiene. Before performing surgery, they repeatedly wash their hands with soap powder and use iodine and alcohol to disinfect various instruments...

  However, for the working people who make up the vast majority of the British population, they hold the opposite view - because the British working class at this time does not read mainstream newspapers!

  It's hard to believe, but the price of mainstream British newspapers in the 1840s was exorbitant! The selling prices of major newspapers such as The Times, Manchester Guardian and Leeds Intelligencer were between 7 pence and 10 pence! Equivalent to a few days' wages for an unskilled laborer in Britain! Who would work hard for three or four days to earn money to buy a newspaper?

  The reason for such an exaggerated newspaper price is mainly due to the "stamp tax" system implemented since 1712. Because newspapers need to pay stamp duty, advertising tax, supplement tax and a host of other taxes, the selling price is extremely expensive. The British government did this, allegedly to effectively control public opinion - is this what they call freedom of speech? Freedom of the press?

  However, the result of this "stamp tax" more than a hundred years later was quite different from its original intention. Because people in Britain during this period were not as law-abiding as they would be later, many illegal newspapers that did not pay stamp taxes appeared! For example, The Northern Star, which William Hemingway served, was actually an illegal newspaper! There were dozens or even hundreds of similar newspapers, such as The Observer and The London Dispatch. These newspapers also had a nickname that didn't sound very good, called "radical newspapers", meaning their views were extremely radical and belonged to the kind of newspapers that couldn't get along with mainstream society.

  However, these newspapers that evaded taxes such as the "stamp tax" had extremely wide readership. Taking The Times, Britain's largest mainstream newspaper at the time, as an example, its daily circulation was only around 30,000 copies, mainly targeting the elite class of British society. In contrast, the Northern Star, where William Hemingway worked, had a maximum circulation of over 100,000 copies! Moreover, at that time, the middle and lower classes in Britain liked to collectively read these newspapers in many public places such as cafes, bars, and restaurants located in working-class districts. This popularization method also allowed these radical newspapers, which already had large circulations, to have even wider readership.

  While the radical topics of "universal suffrage" and "democratic institutions" were temporarily suppressed by the British government, radical newspapers such as the Northern Star turned their attention to the dark side of British society. Engels' controversy with the Royal Medical Society at this time provided the best ammunition for the penmen of radical newspapers like the Northern Star.

  As a result, articles condemning the Royal Medical Society of Great Britain and charity hospitals controlled by the bourgeoisie for their callous disregard for human life and persecution of the proletariat flooded the press. Each article was more violent than the last, with some even claiming that "murder is being committed in the charity hospitals against the proletariat! Puerperal fever is a tool used by the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie to eliminate 'surplus' members of the working class..."