When Doctors Have to Learn Math
"My lord, have you been feeling down lately?"
Old Franz had noticed that Friedrich had seemed a little off ever since he returned from the castle, where he had spent the night.
Lately, Friedrich had been worrying all day and paying little attention to the camp. He spent his time in the tent writing and drawing God knew what.
When Old Franz asked him about it, he merely shook his head without saying anything.
Sophia's condition wasn't looking good. They had written to the experts at Weissenburg University, but the experts had no answers either. Only Friedrich had prescribed several cough syrups to be taken in rotation to reduce the risk of drug resistance.
"It's nothing," Friedrich said. "Is something the matter?"
He trusted the old knight. Now that the camp was running smoothly, there were precedents to refer to for many matters, so Friedrich didn't have to make as many decisions himself.
Old Franz said, "There's a doctor who wants to see you."
The Weissen Family didn't have a family doctor at present. After Friedrich's mother had died, their previous doctor had resigned.
So when a doctor came calling, Old Franz immediately informed Friedrich.
"A doctor?" Friedrich stopped writing. "What does he want?"
Old Franz was at a loss for words. "Doctor Frank was worried that an epidemic might break out in the camp, so he volunteered to help. I thought he was so kind that I came to report it to you, my lord."
"I asked around. Doctor Frank has graduation badges from three medical schools, and his medical skills sound impressive. He even described my old ailments better than our former family doctor did."
"He's also brought his daughter. Miss Florence is a nurse, and she has a medical school graduation badge too."
Friedrich understood at once. Old Franz was getting on in years and was nearing the age when he'd need a doctor close at hand. It would be a problem for him if there wasn't a good doctor in Wessen Territory.
"Show them in," Friedrich said.
Old Franz soon brought a middle-aged man of about forty and a woman in her twenties into the tent.
Friedrich had Tarot bring chairs for them. After studying the medical school graduation badges pinned to the father and daughter's chests, he figured their medical skills were probably sound and asked, "Do you know algebra and geometry?"
Frank had come hoping to find work here. He'd heard that Baron Weissen was still a child, so he'd already prepared himself for an interview. His experience graduating from three medical schools was enough to impress many people.
But no matter how prepared he was, he hadn't expected Friedrich to open by asking whether he knew mathematics.
He cautiously asked, "May I ask, Your Lordship, why would a doctor need to know algebra and geometry?"
Friedrich rummaged through a file box beside him and pulled out a stack of sheepskin papers tied together with a thin cord. Handing them to Frank, he said, "I don't want a doctor who serves only me. I want a marshal among doctors."
"Such a doctor doesn't need to be exceptionally skilled at treating patients. What he needs to do is find ways to cure and save lives by studying the numbers."
"Take our camp, for example. In the first few days, there were only two or three thousand people here."
"At that point, several pharmacy scholars from Weissenburg University arrived with dozens of students in pharmacy and other fields. They split into two groups and took on different tasks."
"The first group recorded everyone's health conditions. They analyzed the data and compiled a table of the factors behind the various illnesses people suffered from. Then, based on that, they drew a priority chart and identified which illnesses most urgently needed treatment."
"Next, they carefully sorted through those illnesses and analyzed their causes. Using cause-and-effect diagrams, they broke them down step by step to identify what was behind the most prevalent illnesses."
"Then they used the current statistics to identify a large number of potential causes, checked each one against a verification table, and finally determined the primary causes."
"Once they had confirmed those primary causes, they drew up a countermeasure plan and set out the necessary actions and control targets."
"Using that plan as a guide, they concentrated the camp's limited resources on treating patients and preventing disease."
"The second group conducted its own independent statistical survey. At regular intervals, they compiled data on the types of illnesses in the camp, the number of people who had fallen ill, the number who had recovered, and so on. They analyzed and compared the figures using tables and charts, keeping track of how each illness changed over time and providing a basis for decision-making."
Having finished, Friedrich lifted his teacup and took a sip to soothe his throat.
He knew next to nothing about medicine. The pharmacy scholars and students knew how to make medicine, but they could only recognize simple illnesses. They weren't as skilled as doctors at making diagnoses.
So when faced with so many diseases, Friedrich could only start by tackling the biggest problems.
He didn't have many tools at his disposal to properly analyze diseases and make decisions, so he'd had the first group use quality-control circles to identify which illnesses needed treatment first, then borrowed their analysis of the underlying causes.
At the same time, he'd had the second group use statistics to visualize the information and data, providing a clear basis for decision-making. This was one of the major contributions of the "Goddess of the Lamp" from his homeland.
The three-step process for refugees entering the camp—discarding their old clothes, shaving their hair, and bathing with medicinal solutions—had come from this approach. Its purpose was to reduce the spread of bloodsucking insects and skin parasites.
Friedrich had seen one refugee who needed special treatment. Skin parasites had laid eggs across two palm-sized patches on his back, and the eggs had already hatched. The only option was to pour melted beeswax over the area and then remove the larvae physically, as if extracting blackheads.
Intestinal parasites were even more widespread. Fortunately, Friedrich's deworming capsules worked against parasites other than roundworms too. That meant the students who knew necromancy had it rough: every day, they had to go to the cesspit and kill the parasites. Otherwise, the whole place would become uninhabitable.
Frank and Florence silently studied the data and charts on the sheepskin papers, deeply shaken.
At last, Frank said with great solemnity, "Baron Weissen, I have an unreasonable request."
Friedrich nodded. "Go ahead."
Frank took all the badges off his lapel. His face lit with fervor as he said excitedly, "Please tell me which scholar invented this method. I want to become his student!"
He was fascinated by the method these documents used to determine the causes of disease. There was no consensus on how patients contracted many illnesses. If this method could establish their causes, Frank's name would naturally appear more than anyone else's on future medical students' exam papers.
Before Friedrich could answer, Old Franz spoke up. "Who else could it be? Our baron's teacher, of course. That great master went traveling several years ago, though, and nobody knows where he is. If you want to learn, study with our lord instead."
Old Franz had been there when Friedrich first assigned the task, so he used the excuse of the Wandering Scholar. If they could get the doctor to stay, everyone would win.
Friedrich shrugged. "Actually, this method isn't primarily for medicine. I just didn't have any other methods. It can be used in agriculture and handicrafts too."
"If you want to learn, you can start by taking a position here, then join the students from Weissenburg University in their research and discussions."
Frank readily agreed.
Friedrich had Tarot take the father and daughter to arrange their accommodations. Then he said to Old Franz, "Starting now, let him help manage the camp. I'll return to the territory the day after tomorrow to see how things are going with settling the new village."
Old Franz immediately replied, "No problem. We've all got some experience now."