Cancer?
"The Crown Prince has harmed himself!" The report startled King Sejong, who rushed out of the council chamber just as he turned the corner and encountered Hyang.
"Huh? Father? Where are you rushing off to?"
"Crown Prince!" Upon seeing Hyang, Sejong hurriedly ran over and examined Hyang's body from head to toe.
"Father, what is the matter?"
"Ah, no injuries, thank goodness."
Sejong sighed in relief and glared at the officials who had followed him in a panic.
"What? The Crown Prince harmed himself?"
"I was just reporting..."
As Sejong and the officials glared at him, the official, Sangseon, turned to the eunuch who had reported to him.
"Oh, Eunuch Oh! What is the meaning of this?"
Under Sangseon's reprimand, Eunuch Oh glared at the eunuch standing next to Hyang.
"Eunuch Kang! You explain. Did you not tell me this?"
"I am innocent!" Eunuch Oh protested.
Sejong and the officials all turned their gaze to Eunuch Kang, who stood beside Hyang.
At that moment, the voice of Queen Sohyeon rang out.
"Your Majesty! What is happening? The Crown Prince has harmed himself?"
With the King, the Queen, and all the officials glaring at him, Eunuch Kang's face turned pale.
"You! Why did you even think to say such a thing? Speak!"
Under Sejong's command, Eunuch Kang immediately knelt down and opened his mouth.
"Your Majesty! I have never spoken a falsehood!"
"You have never spoken a falsehood?" Sejong looked at Hyang.
As Sejong and the officials turned their attention to Hyang, he wore an awkward expression and spoke.
"It seems Eunuch Kang misunderstood the treatment I received."
"Treatment? Misunderstood?" Seeing Sejong's face clearly showing confusion, Hyang turned his head away.
"Come forward."
"Yes? Yes! Your Highness!" Among the entourage that followed Hyang, an elderly man stepped forward and bowed deeply to Sejong.
"I am but a humble servant, Your Majesty!"
"Who are you?"
"I am Seodori, taking care of the royal livestock on Neobeol Island."
"Seodori?"
"It is a name given to me for my skill in raising cattle."
Even as he listened to Seodori's answer, Sejong still wore a puzzled expression.
Finally, he turned to Hyang.
"Crown Prince, explain what happened. Leave nothing out!"
"Yes, Father. While reading medical texts from China..."
According to Hyang's explanation, the events unfolded as follows:
- In the medical texts from the Song and Yuan dynasties brought in from China, there was a record of a method called "variolation" to prevent smallpox.
Not only in Chinese texts but also in the texts of the Westerners, it was confirmed that variolation was described, and upon further investigation, both Chinese and Western medical writings stated that the chances of failure were very high.
Variolation involved taking pus from someone recovering from smallpox and injecting it into someone who had not yet contracted the disease or having them inhale powdered scabs.
This was, of course, a highly dangerous method.
While it might not show any effect when taken from someone who had fully recovered, the opposite could lead to immediate smallpox infection, risking life and death.
While reading about the dangers of this variolation method, Hyang found a peculiar sentence in the Western medical texts:
- Among the cattle herders, there were many who had not contracted smallpox, and their common trait was that they had cared for cows that had contracted cowpox.
It seemed worth investigating further.
Upon finding this sentence, Hyang immediately headed to Neobeol Island for verification.
Upon arriving at Neobeol Island, Hyang gathered the herders.
Indeed, the faces of the herders were lined with wrinkles from hardship, but all except one were relatively clean.
"Among those gathered here, raise your hand if you have had smallpox."
At Hyang's words, only one person raised his hand.
"Did you contract it after becoming a herder?"
"No, I was like this before entering the pasture."
"Who is the oldest among you?"
At Hyang's question, the one who stepped forward was Seodori.
"Has smallpox never spread in this Neobeol Island and its surrounding areas?"
"Not at all. It has spread at least once a year."
"Then why?" Hyang paused, as the elderly man named Seodori seemed to know something.
"You know something, don't you? Is there some secret technique?"
"It's not exactly a secret technique."
Seodori explained that his family had been raising royal livestock since the time of King Gongmin of Goryeo.
As Seodori grew older, he began to take care of the cows.
One day, a cow he was particularly fond of contracted cowpox.
Cowpox was not a deadly disease for cows, but occasionally, unlucky cows would die from severe inflammation in their udders.
After days without sleep caring for the cow, Seodori caught cowpox himself.
Exhausted, he suffered from a fever for several days.
However, Seodori's father looked at him with a calm expression.
"My son, you will never have to worry about smallpox again."
Seodori asked his father why he said that.
His father simply replied:
- "I don't know why, but once you catch cowpox, you won't get smallpox."
"Then why didn't you tell the doctor or the officials? Many could have been saved from smallpox!"
Seodori smiled bitterly and replied, "How could I just let it go? Of course, I told the doctor. But I was only scolded and chased away. How could a mere animal's disease prevent smallpox?"
"So you alone avoided smallpox?"
"I'm human too... I couldn't bear to see my family suffer from smallpox. So..."
Seodori trailed off, but Hyang could guess the rest.
"You forced those here to contract cowpox?"
"That's right, Your Highness."
At Seodori's answer, Hyang clenched his fist.
"The clinical trials have been completed safely! Even if it doesn't work, I must try! No, stopping now would be the greatest cowardice!"
"I must also undergo this treatment."
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!" The eunuchs and guards who followed Hyang were taken aback, but Hyang paid them no mind.
"It is almost time to return to the palace, so hurry. Is there a cow that has contracted cowpox?"
"There are children who need to be vaccinated every year, so at least one is intentionally made to contract it..."
"Very well!"
"...and that is how I came back with cowpox pus."
Having finished speaking, Hyang looked at Sejong.
Sejong's face had turned pale, and Queen Sohyeon was on the verge of fainting.
It was hard for any parent to remain composed when their son, who had greeted them in the morning, returned home with a disease they had never heard of before.
"You brat!" Sejong shouted, raising his hand, and Hyang immediately knelt.
"Father! How many people die from smallpox each year? If we can save those dying, what is the problem?"
"That does not mean you should take the lead! You are the Crown Prince!"
"Is there any distinction between lives? And there are perfectly healthy people here, so what is there to fear?"
At Hyang's response, Sejong placed his hand on his forehead and sighed.
"Ah, you... if you could just behave for a day, would you get a boil or something? Hah."
After another long sigh, Sejong turned to Seodori.
"So, what happens if you catch cowpox?"
"For the next five days, you will have a high fever, so you must not move. And on the shoulder where you received the cowpox, some boils will appear, but do not burst them; wait for them to scab naturally. After about ten days, you should be able to get up."
"Is that so? Captain of the Royal Guard!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Put this man in prison! But do not torture him; ensure he is fed three meals a day."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After giving the order, Sejong glared at Seodori.
"If anything happens to the Crown Prince, I will take your head. However, if what you say is true, I will reward you greatly."
At Sejong's words, Seodori bowed deeply and was led away by the guards.
Watching Seodori disappear into the distance, Sejong looked at Hyang, who was still kneeling, and tried to say something while pointing his finger.
But the words that had risen to his throat were forcibly swallowed, and Sejong turned away.
"You will have to endure for a few days, so go rest. Eunuchs, take care of the Crown Prince with all your heart."
"We will obey."
The eunuchs who received Sejong's order took Hyang into the East Palace.
Following that, Sejong commanded the officials.
"Officials, return to the council chamber first. I will check on the Queen's condition and then join you."
"We will obey."
After the officials bowed and left, Sejong looked at Queen Sohyeon.
"Are you alright?"
"I am fine, Your Majesty. How about you?"
"Ah."
Sejong responded with a long sigh.
He gazed at the East Palace and continued speaking.
"I cannot tell if this child will be a blessing or a curse for Joseon. At times, he seems like an unparalleled sage, and at other times, he resembles a fool who could roll up a mat for a hundred days..."
Meanwhile, Hyang, sitting in his room, looked over the medical texts written in Latin and chuckled.
"Variolation was first known by Jenner..."
The medical text titled "Considerations on Disease" was written by an unknown Italian monk.
- While managing cows infected with cowpox, there were herders showing symptoms similar to those infected.
Observations indicated that these herders did not suffer from smallpox even when it was prevalent.
While it is intriguing, it could simply be a coincidence.
Especially according to doctrine...
The monk concluded with a negative statement, citing Catholic doctrine.
In other words, the monk reached the same conclusion as the doctors in Joseon.
"How could human illness be prevented by a disease of cattle?"
As Hyang muttered, having seen that both Eastern and Western doctors reached the same conclusion while searching for references, he recalled the words of Teacher Samcheongpo.
"Newton was not the only one to see an apple fall. But the difference lies in whether one takes a step further to leave a name in history..."
As Hyang pondered Teacher Samcheongpo's words, he chuckled.
As Seodori had said, Hyang began to develop a fever that night.
"Eunuchs and royal doctors, do not miss a moment and monitor the Crown Prince's condition and record it!"
Following Sejong's command, the eunuchs and royal doctors closely observed Hyang's every move.
The royal doctors reported Hyang's condition to Sejong and the officials every morning and evening.
"According to the royal doctors, it seems to align with what that Seodori said. If so, does that mean Seodori's words are true? What do you all think?"
At Sejong's question, the officials fell into thought.
After some time, the Chief State Councillor, Lee Won, spoke up.
"The Crown Prince's symptoms closely match those described by Seodori, which suggests that his method is effective."
"Indeed. If so, this means it can prevent smallpox... What do you think about implementing it nationwide?"
Sejong's suggestion was met with opposition from the Minister of Military Affairs, Jeong Tak.
"I believe there is a problem with implementing it across the nation without caution. It could simply be a coincidence."
"Seodori and his family have proven this over decades, and you say it is a coincidence?"
"The number of cases is too small."
"Hmm..."
After a moment of contemplation, Sejong reached a conclusion.
"If the Crown Prince recovers, let us administer cowpox vaccinations to the palace servants and the people of Hanyang. The people of Hanyang will be a sufficient number to determine the truth."
"We will obey Your Majesty's command."
The officials answered in unison, as they had no reason to oppose.