Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 116-115 St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London: The Major Opportunity of Penicillin Discovery
After dinner, Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang talked about business, while Tu Zai's wife accompanied Lin Shuiwang's mother upstairs.

Tu Zai came over with a bottle of wine and a few dishes of snacks.

He put down his things and prepared to leave, but Fang Wen stopped him.

The three sat down together, and Lin Shuiwang opened his treasured bottle of fine wine and poured a glass for each of them.

This wine is as red as a cherry.

Fang Wen picked up his wine glass in surprise to look at it.

Lin Shuiwang said proudly, "This is our fine Fujian wine, brought from China by someone. It's not grape wine."

"Qinghong wine?" Fang Wen remembered. With the development of the internet in later generations, he still had this much knowledge.

"Yes. This kind of wine is best enjoyed when it's cold, and it's also suitable for London in February. You should try it."

Fang Wen took a small sip.

It has a slightly sweet and sour taste, yet also carries the lingering aftertaste of alcohol.

It has a unique flavor compared to other yellow wines.

He remembered a poem.

I couldn't help but recite the line: "Last year, I raised a plate of alfalfa wine to you, and poured Fujian wine that night, red as cinnabar." This is a poem by Su Shi, and it refers to the Qinghong Wine Shop.

"Really?" Lin Shuiwang said in surprise.

Tu Zai nodded: "I heard from the people selling alcohol on the street that they also have a liquor label."

The three of them didn't raise their glasses in a toast, but simply gathered casually, drinking and eating as they pleased.

After finishing a glass of wine and eating some braised beef and peanuts, Fang Wen got down to business.

“I received a message from China that there is a medicine in Britain that can treat gunshot wounds. I want to bring it back and produce it in China so that wounded soldiers on the battlefield can receive timely treatment.”

Lin Shuiwang nodded: "This is a great act of kindness by the Wan family's living Buddha. I have heard that one cannot afford to be injured on the battlefield. At best, the wound will fester and the rotten flesh will have to be dug out with a knife. At worst, the wound will have to be sawed off. That's how those wounded soldiers who are missing arms or legs end up. And this is only if they are cured. If they are not cured, they can only wait to die. The pain is unbearable to watch."

Lin Shuiwang's words were cruel, causing Tu Zai to immediately lose his appetite.

Tu Zai put down his wine glass: "Mr. Fang, if you're going to do such a good deed, count me in. It'll be good for my family."

Fang Wen nodded and continued.

"The current situation is that I don't know much about the development of this drug. I need to find someone to find out whether this drug has been used in clinical trials and whether there is a large-scale production process."

"So what should we do?" Lin Shuiwang asked.

Fang Wen took out a notebook and a fountain pen, wrote down an English name, tore it off, and handed it to Lin Shuiwang.

"Let's investigate this person first."

Lin Shuiwang nodded: "I have a way. I'll take you somewhere tonight."

Fang Wen checked the time; it was already past noon. According to the 7-hour time difference, it was 7 p.m. in Shanghai, which was almost time to make the telegram call.

He got up on his own initiative, using the excuse that he was tired from the morning flight and wanted to go back to his room to rest.

Lin Shuiwang knew this was to ensure the safety of the country, so he cooperated and ended the conversation.

Back in his room, Fang Wen first organized the military materials he had brought from Berlin.

He took all the documents out of the two suitcases and neatly stacked them.

There are hundreds of documents in total, all in German. We cannot find anyone to translate them at the moment, but we can notify the relevant authorities in China in advance to find translators who are fluent in German.

Fang Wen put all the documents into the canvas bag and took out the telegraph machine to send a message back home.

[Arrived in London, things are going smoothly, no need to worry.]

[Additionally, important military documents obtained from Berlin require German translation, preferably by a translator proficient in military terminology.]

8 PM, Shanghai Airport.

Kuang Mingzhu took off her headphones and looked at the translation she had copied with her right hand.

My husband went to Europe and accomplished so many great things.

In addition to a heavy aircraft, this time they also obtained important military data from the Weimar Republic.

She imagined her husband's thrilling experiences in Europe and thought about how she would take care of him afterward.

Before going to Kolkata, the translation arrangements also need to be finalized.

She thought of following Yue Jinping's lead and looking for a translator from the German advisory group; there must be a suitable person there.

But then I remembered Yue Jinping's warning and felt it was inappropriate.

Where else can you find people who are fluent in German?

Kuang Mingzhu thought for a moment. Shanghai was full of hidden talents, as well as various bookstores and publishing houses, and people who translated German books.

Pan Jiafeng's uncle owns a printing shop, so perhaps he knows people in that field.

Immediately afterwards, Kuang Mingzhu asked Qiu Ju to find Pan Jiafeng and bring him over.

After Qiuju went out for a while, she brought Pan Jiafeng back.

When Pan Jiafeng heard his teacher's wife mention that she needed to find a German translator, he thought of someone.

“Madam, I know someone named Lin. She teaches in Shanghai and translates German architectural materials in her spare time. She is very fluent in German.”

"Really? Then I'll leave this to you."

“My master’s affairs are my affairs. I will definitely do it. I will go to my uncle tomorrow and ask him to ask on my behalf.”

7 p.m. London time.

After dinner, Fang Wen, Lin Shuiwang, and Tu Zai went out together.

They walked from one end of Limehouse Street to the other and turned into an alley.

Then, enter a secluded place through a small door in the alley.

They walked down the corridor, with curtains covering the doors on both sides.

There was a lot of noise behind the curtain, with occasional coughing sounds.

A strange smell filled the air.

How to describe it? It's like a faint smell of urine mixed with fragrance.

"Where is this place?" Fang Wen asked.

"They smoke opium," Lin Shuiwang explained in a low voice.

At this moment, someone lifted the curtain and came out.

He was a tall, British man wearing a suit.

He walked straight outside.

Taking advantage of the gap when the curtain was lifted, Fang Wen looked inside.

Several people lay on the bed, picked up their pipes, and smoked, puffing out clouds of smoke.

However, most of them are foreigners, and there are very few Chinese.

Lin Shuiwang continued to explain: "For us Chinese to establish ourselves in Limehouse, simply clustering together won't work; we have to be willing to fight and take risks. Those who are willing to fight form gangs, and we can keep safe by paying a little protection money. Their main source of income is still smuggling and opium dens. However, nowadays, fewer of our people are involved with opium, but more and more locals are getting involved."

Fang Wen understood that finding someone would be faster through the Limehouse gang, since the gang had extensive connections and resources.

He followed Lin Shuiwang deeper into the opium den.

There, a group of Chinese people were unloading goods, stacking boxes of unknown contents into piles.

It's probably something smuggled in.

At this moment, Lin Shuiwang suddenly raised his voice: "Brother Tielong, it's been a long time. I've come to visit you."

The burly man, shirtless, turned around and laughed, "Why aren't you out on a boat looking for a wife? What are you doing here?"

He also noticed Fang Wen and Tu Zai. He knew Tu Zai, but he had never seen Fang Wen before, and immediately said in a cold voice.

"Who is this?"

“He’s from China, a pilot who sank a Japanese warship,” Lin Shuiwang replied.

"Oh. I remember now. I heard about this a while ago." Tie Long showed an appreciative expression. "Come on, let's talk in my office."

The group entered Tie Long's office, and Lin Shuiwang got straight to the point.

“We’re looking for someone. His name is Alexander Fleming, and he’s a doctor.”

"Finding someone is easy. I can waive the fee because you fought the Japanese, but you have to tell me why."

Tie Long scrutinized Fang Wen.

Fang Wen pondered how to put it.

You can't just use patriotic rhetoric when dealing with gangsters. He's seen it all in Shanghai. When the country is in crisis, gangsters might prioritize national righteousness, but in normal times, profit is their primary concern.

If you were to ask for a cure, the other party would likely be thinking about profit.

Therefore, he replied, "Alexander Fleming once discovered a lysozyme, and a doctor friend of mine is very interested in it and asked me to ask him some questions."

Without further thought, Tie Long readily agreed, "No problem, I'll give you the letter tomorrow. But tonight, could you do me the favor and we get together for a chat, so my brothers can hear about the bombing of the warship?"

Such social obligations were unavoidable, so Fang Wen agreed.

However, he remained wary of those who ran opium dens and kept his conversations carefully controlled.

The night passed.

Because he had been drinking with the Limehouse gang last night, Fang Wen didn't get up until 9 a.m.

He finished washing up and went downstairs.

Lin Shuiwang and Tu Zai were waiting downstairs.

Upon seeing him, Lin Shuiwang immediately stood up and said, "The Iron Dragons have found Alexander Fleming. Although he has a surgical license, he doesn't work at the hospital. He mainly teaches at the St. Mary's Hospital Medical School."

“Let’s go, let’s go find him now.” Fang Wen put on the coat he was holding.

"Mr. Fang, aren't you going to have breakfast? I've prepared some fish porridge for you." Tu Zai brought over a bowl of porridge.

After finishing their porridge in a few bites, the three of them went out.

St. Mary's Medical School, officially St. Mary's Hospital Medical School.

It is an institution that combines a hospital and a college.

Located in West London, you need to take a taxi to get there.

Along the way, Lin Shuiwang talked about Alexander Fleming's situation.

"He studied at St. Mary's Medical School and later returned to the school to teach, where he was in charge of microbiology."

"But in recent years, he doesn't seem to have done any research on the penicillin you mentioned."

Hearing Lin Shuiwang's words, Fang Wen was also uncertain.

After all, he had absolutely no knowledge of the history of medical development.

We'll only find out the specifics when we get there.

The taxi stopped at St. Mary's Hospital College, and the three of them got out and walked into the college, which had no security guards.

Lin Shuiwang stopped a student and asked, "Excuse me, where is Professor Alexander Fleming?"

"The microbiology lab, over there."

Guided by the students, the three arrived at a small building.

This is the laboratory building, where the laboratories of various departments are located. It's very quiet, and everyone is working in their respective laboratories.

Lin Shuiwang didn't care about that. He stopped a short woman who came out of the laboratory and asked her again where Alexander Fleming was.

The woman raised her index finger: "Keep your voice down. No noise is allowed here. Alexander Fleming is in the second lab. Wait for him outside. He'll be out in half an hour."

The three then waited outside the laboratory.

Through the window, you can see an elderly man with white hair conducting some kind of experiment inside.

Several tens of minutes later, the old man finished the experiment and came out.

Fang Wen stood up and introduced himself: "Hello, I am Fang Wen from China. I am here to learn about penicillin."

“That was four years ago. I have no new discoveries in this area,” Alexander Fleming replied.

"I am very interested in your research and have read your paper 'On the Bactericidal Effect of Mold Culture.' Could you give me a little time to have a constructive discussion about this?"

“Constructive?” Alexander Fleming was somewhat intrigued. “Sure. Come with me.”

He led Fang Wen and his group to his office.

Lin Shuiwang and Tu Zai waited outside, while Fang Wen and Alexander Fleming talked inside.

Fang Wenxian asked, "Have you done any research on penicillin treatment?"

Alexander Fleming rummaged through a cabinet in his office and found a stack of documents, which he placed in front of Fang Wen.

“I conducted an intravenous injection study of crude penicillin extract. A large proportion of the biological subjects did not have an allergic reaction after the injection. However, when I later gave the biological subjects oral penicillin, most of them died. After dissection, I found that the bacteria in the intestines of these subjects were killed by penicillin, which led to the collapse of their bodily functions.”

Fang Wen was unfamiliar with medical materials. After pretending to look through them for a while, he asked, "So you stopped your research?"

"Yes. But my students are continuing. Doctors at St. Mary's Hospital are treating people with intravenous injections of penicillin extract, which has been effective for eye infections and skin conditions like boils. But allergic reactions still occur, and large doses of intravenous injection can be fatal."

It seems the other party has already grasped some of the tricks of penicillin application.

Fang Wen asked again.

"Have you ever considered producing penicillin in large quantities, conducting more extensive drug trials, and using it to treat more diseases?"

Alexander Fleming shook his head firmly: "That's impossible. Penicillin is a medicinal substance that is effective but dangerous. I don't think it can be used on a large scale."

Through his conversation with Alexander Fleming, Fang Wen learned about penicillin.

I found the right direction, but I chose the wrong person.

Alexander Fleming was indeed the discoverer of penicillin.

However, he was not the one who widely promoted its effectiveness.

In fact, Alexander Fleming did not intend to continue his research on penicillin.

In that case, future history would be that when World War II broke out, others conducted more comprehensive research based on Alexander Fleming's work, which led to the development of medicinal penicillin.

That means the medicinal technology for this product has not yet been developed; other medical researchers can study it, and so can we.

Fang Wen was overjoyed.

Although I don't understand medicine, I have grasped historical opportunities and some tips that will be common sense in the future but no one knows now.

For example, the safest treatment for penicillin in this era was intravenous injection, but in order to ensure that there was no dangerous allergic reaction, a skin test was necessary.

Those who pass the skin test can safely receive intravenous penicillin treatment.

Don't underestimate how simple this skin test may seem. Before the advent of penicillin, there was no such allergy testing method at all.

While in London, his most important task was to obtain Alexander Fleming's method for preparing penicillin.

Then recruit a group of biological talents to cultivate penicillin strains, and then form a large-scale, standardized process for preparing penicillin extract.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen smiled and said to Alexander Fleming, "I have a very good suggestion."

Alexander Fleming looked up: "I've been waiting for your constructive suggestions."

"I am very interested in penicillin and am willing to invest in purchasing your penicillin preparation technology to conduct more in-depth research. Is that alright?"

“It shouldn’t be worth much. How much are you willing to pay?” Alexander Fleming asked.

(End of this chapter)