Chapter 22 Part 2 - Since I was reborn as Saito Yoshitatsu, I'm aiming to hand over the territory to Oda Nobunaga and live longer!

1536 (Tenbun era, year 5)

TL: Yuina

---

Author's Note:

The author has no intention of supporting anything related to the medical use of cannabis in this story.

It is not intended to bring in any positive elements concerning cannabis. Cannabis is an illegal drug.

Please note that comments and feedback regarding cannabis may be deleted without prior notice.

---

　The house was actually an inn for those who came from far away for the paper. Since it was convenient, I decided to rent one of the rooms to perform the operation. I laid the patient down on the wooden floor. I asked him to hold down his hands that were holding his stomach, and I stripped his upper body and checked the color of his skin.

　There seemed to be no internal bleeding or broken bones. Was there a problem with his internal organs? If so, that'd be tricky.

　When I pressed the right side of his lower abdomen, he responded more loudly. I pushed in a little slower and more perpendicularly, then quickly pulled my hand away, and his pained cry was louder than before. The skin under my fingers felt hard.

"Brumberg's sigh… a slight fever... this is probably... You there!"

"Yes!?"

"Has this man vomited in the last few days?"

"Oh, I think so, at the party we had after the last market. I remember, he didn't eat or drink much at that time, and he left the table immediately. He practically didn't eat anything yesterday, too."

"Then... it's most likely appendicitis, huh?"

　A man who appears to be a merchant followed us here as he kept calling the patient's name, s I asked him if the patient had vomited recently. He couldn't afford to give a clear reply, but I didn't blame him for that.

　So when I asked him about it, he said he was vomiting earlier than usual at the banquet. Moreover, he hasn't had an appetite recently.

　Judging from the current information, the most likely cause should be an acute case of appendicitis.

　However, since I don't know his white blood cell count and can't do a CT scan, I can't be sure.

　There is no antibacterial medicine yet in this era. And if there are fecaliths, the symptoms won't get better unless I open the abdomen and remove them. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can treat him.

"Young Master?"

　I nodded lightly at Hikotaro's probing voice and opened the bag. Inside were the medical tools that I've been collecting little by little.

　Scalpels, surgical scissors, Metzenbaum, surgical sonde, Pean forceps, tweezers, etc. The accuracy is not so good, but the shape is similar. Just being able to reproduce these tools in this era is quite the accomplishment.

　In addition to this, I prepared a prototype of a non-woven cloth to replace the gauze, some suture thread, and a gourd of alcohol. I've also produced a small amount of something similar to anesthesia made from hemp, just in case, for emergencies.

　First, I made the patient smell the anesthetic. I already tried it on an enemy soldier who was injured but still went on a crazed rampage, at the time when the Asakura attacked. I think I'd also like to have some thiopental, but honestly, there are a lot of drugs and tools that I'd want to get.

　I cleaned the area around the abdomen with soap, and washed my hands at the same time. Then, I poured a small amount of anesthesia on his abdomen. I didn't know how well it would work as a partial anesthetic. Though I hope it works. I asked him to turn his body around and try not to move too much.

　While boiling and sterilizing the tools in the hot water I had prepared, I waited for the patient to calm down. I tied a cloth around my head and took off my jacket to change into something a little less dusty. It was a little chilly, but I could still bear with it until the surgery was over. Actually, it wasn't such a bad thing, thanks to the cold, I won't be sweating too much. I also put on a surgical cap and mask and got ready to start the procedure.

　The surgical tools were arranged on a clean cloth in the usual order. It reminded me again that there were many tools that I missed.

"Young Master, what are you going to do?"

"This merchant is probably suffering from appendicitis. It is a painful disease caused by the decay of one of the body's internal organs. The only way to cure it is to open up the abdomen and remove the rotten guts."

"Wha-, you want to open my stomach? Won't that kill me?"

"Otherwise, you will die before long."

　His fellow merchant looked at me with wide eyes. But I'm not changing my mind. You can't expect to live long with that kind of pain. You have no choice but to take a gamble here. Though, I have no doubt in my skills, the risk depends on whether it truly is appendicitis, and making sure no germs get into his body during the surgery.

"Hikotaro, never change the order of the items on the cloth, and hand me the tools as soon as I ask. When you return them, put them back in the same place."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

　Having the future warlord Akechi Mitsuhide, wear a mask and a spare cap, and act as my assistant during this odd all-or-nothing operation, was truly baffling. It was something I couldn't even dare wish for. But I was determined.

　I didn't go easy on rubbing and disinfecting with the prototype alcohol I made.

"I will begin the surgery to remove the inflamed appendix."

　I stabbed the scalpel made by the Mino craftsman into the midsection of his abdomen, and opened it up in one fell swoop, without cutting too much.

　I lifted the peritoneal swelling and checked the visceral condition, while trying not to damage the muscles as much as possible. In lieu of a surgical loupe, my eyesight was better than in my previous life, so I could easily manage.

　I paid close attention to the roughness of the tools in both my left and right hands as I shifted with optimized movements, putting to good use the experience I accumulated in my previous life.

　My mind was spinning quickly as I tried to figure out how to compensate for the tools I don't have at hand and how to recreate the procedure with what I do have.

　I have to be careful not to hurt the patient, and since it's not a sterile room, I'm in a hurry to get it done, but I still have to keep my hand moving at a steady pace. All I need is to concentrate and empty my mind, so that I'd be able to think straight.

　At the sight of the appendix, my thoughts were finally confirmed, it was appendicitis. I could see the pus, albeit just a little.

　I really have to invent something to replace the drain. At first, I scraped out as much pus as I could using a spoon. Thanks to his thinness, the work proceeded smoothly, without any excess bleeding or complications.

　I proceeded with each step swiftly and carefully. For the first time in a while, I felt I could move my hands as freely as I wanted. Perhaps it was because I have kept all my memories, but my previous surgical experience was directly translated into the rapid speed of my moving hands. As the border of the colon came into view, Hikotaro was desperately trying to help.

　I cut off the tip of the appendix with a raspy sound. The appendix, trembling slightly from the roughness of the instrument, was carefully removed from his body and placed on a ceramic plate. A resounding sound confirmed that it also contained fecaliths.

　Removing the appendix was already hard enough, but the step that comes afterwards is just as much important, if not more. It's not uncommon to forget an instrument in the body of a patient, or have a medical accident because of the relaxation and relief that comes with the completion of the most important step. We have to restore the body to its original state as much as we can, without damaging any organs, muscles, blood vessels, or nerves.

　The last step is to suture the open abdomen. Since there was very little bleeding, I switched tools and started stitching at a steady pace, little by little. It was difficult to suture it well with the thread I managed to get in era, unless the affected area was slightly heaped up. I felt bad that he would be left with such a scar after the surgery.

"All done.", I exclaimed.

　And by that time, the sun had long since tilted to the west.

Prev | TOC | Next