Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 384 The Dean is Doing Real Work
“Mr. Cooper? What a rare guest! It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

The monk, who was tidying up the medicine cabinet, stopped what he was doing, sat down at the table, and poured a cup of hot tea for the visitor who was rubbing his hands to warm them.

"Is there something you need? Or has the director finally found some free time and is planning to come to the clinic for consultations?"

"No, probably not in the short term."

Kup tightened his robe and eagerly took a sip of hot tea. The fragrant steam went down his throat and spread throughout his body, slightly relieving the chill.

The chilly autumn winds are no joke, especially riding a horse down the mountain path early in the morning to get to the clinic – it's almost inhuman.

But he had no choice. After understanding the situation here, he had to rush back before noon to combine the consumption of medical supplies in the clinic and the monastery and hand it over to Raymond for a procurement budget.

The messenger must deliver the orders by the end of this month so that suppliers in Dunlin and Westminster have time to prepare and deliver the goods before winter arrives. Otherwise, rain and snow will significantly increase transportation costs and difficulties.

In the afternoon, a whole host of learning tasks awaited him, including writing standards, basic arithmetic, etc. Usually, Raymond would give him a lecture and he would study on his own for half the time, with occasional medical skills training from Kraft, which would continue until before dinner.

After dinner, flip through a few more pages of introductory anatomy, look at some illustrated material to refresh your mind, and then fall asleep feeling refreshed.

If anyone feels they haven't seen him in a long time, it might not be a misperception.

"I'm here to check out the clinic. It doesn't seem like there are many people here?"

"No, it's just too early. We see four to five patients a day, mainly in the afternoon. Most of them want a prayer blessing, and a few are given the simplest herbal tea."

The monk's description of his current work situation is, to be honest, quite enviable.

This position is mainly held on a rotating basis by monks who have received certain medical training, since the church already assumes similar functions in the community.

But Cooper knew that the core reason Kraft trusted them to be there was that all the herbs in the medicine cabinet had been proven to be "ineffective" or "very insignificant," perhaps only good for coloring hot water and adding flavor.

"In fact, it is quite effective. Few of our patients return for the same reason, which proves that God still cares for this land."

On the contrary

“You know, if I had finished studying medical statistics, I could clearly point out the logical fallacies in it, but unfortunately I haven’t finished studying it yet.” Cooper raised his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, chewing and swallowing the flower petals. “So now all I can say is that most minor illnesses actually heal on their own, and have nothing to do with what we do.”

"Perhaps you are right, but the pills provided by the dean are indeed remarkably effective, and almost all patients who have taken the medication have given very positive feedback."

"You didn't drive carelessly, did you?"

"Of course not, everything is done according to strict requirements. Acute fever, no history of abdominal pain," the monk quickly clarified, not daring to touch Kraft's most sensitive nerve.

"But the quantity is really too small. We only give one or two tablets each time, and we're almost out. Can we apply for some more?"

“Now almost everyone knows about this… ‘miracle drug,’ including the Baron, who wants to buy a few for his own use.” “I’m afraid that will be difficult.” Cooper recalled Kraft’s recent schedule. Indeed, knowing about this had become part of his job, since he needed to know when to go and find the person.

“Mr. Kraft has been quite busy lately, you know, he always is.”

I spent the first half of the day treating and rehabilitating two patients, and the second half reading.

Frankly, it's rare to see Kraft flipping through a book. Everyone who knows him would think that all the knowledge he thinks he needs is already in his head, while the parts he doesn't need can never be filled in.

Because of the deliberate secrecy, very few people know what he is looking at, and Coup is one of those "very few".

The materials were a diverse collection, some given as gifts and others borrowed, including personal diaries, customs and culture, missionary experiences, geographical notes, and more. They read whatever they could find and were quite engrossed in it.

Raymond was genuinely frightened when he was engrossed in reading a missionary's notes, and at one point thought that something unclean was possessing him, causing his abnormal behavior.

After Raymond's unexpected intrusion, he became stricter about his reading environment, locking the door and refusing anyone to watch, as if opening a book would turn him into a highly contagious patient.

Therefore, Kup believes that Kraft would raise the standards for medication and order the monks to stop prescribing medication for minor fevers or when patients request it, rather than spending a lot of time replenishing the supply.

The whole process takes about two days, half of which is spent fiddling with various instruments and reagents. A small amount of powder is extracted from a large vat of willow bark soaking liquid, mixed evenly with flour and powdered sugar, and pressed out a few pieces of something that is bitter, sour, and sweet.

Another possibility is that Kraft, on a whim, decided to pass on the entire production process of the "miracle drug" to the new resident monastery caretaker, Kup, who was becoming increasingly adept at using it, and announced that he would be in charge of future pharmaceutical production matters, while the abbot would only be responsible for acceptance.

However, the production of "miracle drugs" by multiple individuals will not alleviate demand, but will only encourage blind pursuit and further abuse, until some people try to use it to solve all their problems and, as expected, it backfires.

I witnessed this when ether anesthesia first became popular, and the result was the emergence of a group of "adventure surgeons" who wanted to cut anything in sight. It's best not to have that happen again.

“I will convey your request at an appropriate time.” The new chief resident nodded reluctantly, indicating that he fully understood the clinic’s difficulties. “Until then, you’ll have to use it sparingly.”

"Also, I would like to request the medication consumption records and patient visit statistics for this period. Thank you."

"It's all here, along with the papers filled out by the brothers from the previous shifts. Take them with you." The monk took out a few sheets of paper and arranged them neatly on the table. "By the way, do you know Dominic and Field? They're doing a great job here."

"Of course." One of them had his scalp stitched up, and the other was a colleague; they were very familiar with each other.

"I heard Dominic was very ill. Is he feeling any better now?"

"His condition has improved significantly after treatment, and Mr. Kraft is helping him with rehabilitation exercises. He will be able to return to us healthy in a while." Cooper believed this was inevitable, just a matter of time.

Hearing that his companions were safe and sound, the cultivator smiled with relief. "That's wonderful. Many believers have a deep impression of them and often mention them."

“A few days ago, the stonemason and basket maker from the village came to me to thank the two monks for helping the two families to resolve their differences and clear up their misunderstandings. They wanted to thank them in person and give them something.”