Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 39 Snake Venom
Saltpeter and sulfur are common ingredients in various ancient medical systems.

Whether in traditional Chinese medicine or in Arabic medicine, saltpeter is believed to have detoxifying, diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects, while sulfur is believed to be able to treat skin diseases and clear external parasites.

Among them, the medicinal value of sulfur has been repeatedly verified in modern medicine, and saltpeter's diuretic effect is also theoretically feasible. It can be said that these are all good things.

Unlike the medical system in Western Europe, which was probably still at the level of witch doctors, Arab medicine in the 12th century seemed to have a knowledge that was ahead of its time in many medical fields because of its openness, tolerance and rich positivist spirit.

For example, as early as the 9th century AD, Arab doctors established the world's first real hospital in Baghdad, rather than the previous charity house or poorhouse model.

In the 10th century AD, people began to realize that fever was part of the body's self-defense.

By the 11th century, a large number of practical surgical procedures had been developed that could cure many eye diseases.

In terms of herbal medicine experience, it has absorbed a lot of knowledge from Chinese traditional medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and has discarded and verified them, retaining the parts that have more medical effects.

Unlike the current situation in Europe where medical research and development are still deeply influenced by theology, Islamic culture in this era is no less committed to and worships rationality and empiricism than people in the classical era.

When he arrived in the town, Garys was quite surprised to find an Arab clinic on the street.

He had never thought that there might actually be an Arab doctor in this small town. After thinking about the medicinal value of saltpeter and sulfur, he pushed the door and walked in, hoping to find what he wanted here.

Of course, in order to determine whether the doctor in front of him was a liar or a quack, Gaillis still tried to test him with simple words after entering the room.

When Abdullah heard that Gairis was looking for sulfur and saltpeter, his face turned uglier. He said directly: "If you don't want medical treatment, you shouldn't come to the clinic!"

Garys was a little shocked. He had never thought that he would get such an answer. It could only be said that the Europeans of this era were indeed a lot less technologically advanced than the Arabs... Regardless of whether the other party realized the value of gunpowder, at least they could guess what Garys was looking for.

Of course, this does not prevent the Europeans from beating up the Arabs in terms of martial virtues...

Garys opened his mouth, but held back the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He didn't lie because there was no need.

Just when the atmosphere was brewing in an awkward direction, the door of the clinic was suddenly pushed open again and a man rushed in.

All I heard was the man shouting, "Abdullah! My child was bitten by a poisonous snake!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Abdullah immediately put down the work in his hands, rushed to the table beside him, and simply packed up some equipment that might be used, and sorted out the herbs that could dissolve snake venom.

While Abdullah was packing up the medical equipment, Gailis grabbed the man and said, "I am also a doctor. Take me to see your child first. Doctor Abdullah is going to pack up the snake medicine."

The man was a little hesitant. He didn't know whether he should trust the Franks. In his impression, the Franks were actually not much different from barbarians.

"Hurry! We don't have that much time!"

There was an indescribable authority in Garys' words. He was ordering the man to lead the way, not bargaining.

Feeling the fierce dragon-like momentum, this man who had experienced many hardships and sufferings obeyed subconsciously. He turned his head to look at Abdullah who was still picking medicines from bottles and jars, and said loudly: "Doctor, my child is on the street! Come quickly!" Abdullah made a gesture to indicate that he understood. He did not bother to verify the quality of Gairis, so he could only hurry to pack up and prepare the ointment.

Led by the man, Garys rushed out of the clinic and ran towards the street.

An Arab boy was leaning against a mud house, crying and holding his bitten leg.

Next to him was the corpse of a snake, which looked like its spine was broken by being stepped on.

Gellis took a glance at the appearance of the venomous snake. It was about 40 to 50 centimeters long, with a yellowish-brown body and irregular dark stripes.

Such colors are very easy to camouflage in the Middle East, and ordinary people will disturb others if they are not careful.

Garys didn't recognize the species of the snake, but now was not the time to be pedantic.

He shouted to the man next to him again, "Go! Hurry up and help me get a basin of water and a piece of soap!"

When the man heard the word soap, his face looked rather embarrassed. It was obviously not because he had never heard of it, but more like he was short of money and therefore did not have any at home. Although soap has a very long history, it has long been a luxury item and was far from being something that ordinary people could use on a daily basis.

After noticing the man's emotions, Garys directly threw out a gold dinar. The shining gold reflected greed and temptation in the sunlight, causing the pedestrians around to stop and look at Garys in surprise.

"Now! At once, bring me soap, water, and a dagger!"

At this critical moment, Garys' words seemed to have magic power, which could drive others to act according to his orders.

Or maybe it was because of Garys. The more urgent the situation was, the more sincere his eyes were. It was not for his own personal gain, but because he had a burning heart for justice.

It was this natural emotion and no hesitation when throwing the gold coins that made others willing to listen to him.

The man left to look for the soapy water and the dagger, and more passers-by gathered nearby, but Garys didn't care.

He tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes with his bare hands, then calmed the boy down and made him let down his guard.

When the boy realized that Gellis might be a doctor, he tried his best to control his sobs and stretched out the leg he was hugging.

To be honest, first aid for snake bites is not complicated. The key point is to prevent the spread of snake venom.

On the one hand, it is necessary to bandage the wound in time to prevent too much venom from flowing through the veins to other parts of the body. On the other hand, it is necessary to calm the person's emotions and calm his panic to reduce the absorption and spread of toxins.

Garys first took off the straw sandals on the boy's feet to prevent them from being difficult to remove due to swelling of the limbs caused by the venom.

Then, tie the wound 5 to 10 cm proximal to the center with the cloth strips torn off earlier.

(End of this chapter)