The Pharmacist and The Prince

Morbidity and Mortality

morbidity/mɔːˈbɪdɪti/ :  the rate of disease in a population. mortality/mɔːˈtalɪti/ :  the number of deaths in a given area or period, or from a particular cause.

It didn’t matter if it was magic that was used to heal or otherwise; some things were universal to health care and one of them is record keeping. All medical practitioners kept records. It was one of the basics of treatment.

The day treatment began, the initial and subsequent complaints, the initial and subsequent treatment measures and the patient’s vital signs are just some of the important things that could be found in a medical chart. 

“It’s very important we find all the medical records. That is the one of the first things we have to do if we are to defeat this disease.”

Ebony stood in front of an attractive young man, who introduced himself as Ulrich, in the records room of the apothecary. She was shocked to find out he was her age mate. He had more experience than than she did.

He told her he was one of the few healers that had been fortunate enough to escape the disease. Due to that, he had been assigned to assist her in the medicine house. Ulrich was well-versed in the healing magic; he had served as a healer for the past five years.

This, however, was a very different ball game. A new disease with no known cure. He told her he felt as if he was back to his apprentice days and she was his teacher.

“There are three basic steps to infectious disease management. The first step is to stop the spread. The second is to isolate and treat the infected. And the third is to eradicate the disease. Usually, the first and second steps take place concurrently. To stop the spread, we have to figure out what kind of disease it is. The causative organism. And how the disease is being spread. Then we have to isolate people from the transmission agent. If the disease is being spread from person to person, then we may have to quarantine people. Separate the infected from the healthy and prevent transmission. If it’s being transmitted from the water or food, then we need to find out the source and cut it out.”

“Then the third step is to eradicate the disease. Normally, this is done through vaccines but if I could create a vaccine in this world, then I need a Nobel Prize to my name.”

“And a million dollars.” She added, whispering to herself.

Turning back to Ulrich, she asked him, “The King said that there are nine apothecaries in the kingdom. How are they distributed?”

“There are two apothecaries per region and one apothecary –this one– for the castle and the neighbouring areas.”

“Hmmm.” Ebony hummed as she nodded. The official documents she asked for had arrived and she had spent an hour poring over them. She now knew a little about the kingdom

The Kingdom of Seelsorger was divided into four major regions. The northern, southern, eastern and western region. Every region was governed by a duke who reported back to the king or whoever the reigning monarch was.

All the regions had a defining feature and a specialty they were known for. The northern region was the largest geographically. It was known for construction. The eastern region specialized in education. It is the second largest geographically.

The southern region is the third largest geographically and but the largest population-wise. It specialized in agriculture. The western region was the smallest geographically and the smallest population-wise. It specializes in textile production and carpentry.

She was also aware of the unofficial central region where the castle was located. This region was the seat of power.

Ebony now had a good grasp of the kingdom and how it worked but she was confused about one thing. The King Regent said that the records from the other medicine houses would be available by this evening or tomorrow morning. She had no idea how that would be possible.

From the map she had seen, the kingdom spanned an entire continent. Like Australia in her own world. How would the medical records be transported in less than a day? The kingdom was not primitive but she didn’t think they had airplanes.

“Ulrich, about the medical records. The King Regent said that we would get the records from the other houses by this evening or tomorrow morning. How will that be possible?” This morning and yesterday, she had been transported to and fro the castle by a horse-drawn carriage. But it wasn’t possible for horses to make such a journey in such a short period of time.

Ulrich tapped his chin, considering the question. “It shouldn’t take long for the medical houses to arrange the records and send them, mila…eh…Ebony. If it was not for the plague, then they should have been here by now.”

An answer that didn’t answer her question.

“I mean; how will they get here? Horseback or…?”

“Horseback, yes, but only part of the way. The teleportation rings are still functional.”

“Ohhhh…teleportation rings. You have…uhmmm...teleportation rings.” Why did she bother asking? This is not earth.

“Yes, instantaneous teleportation rings. It was a collaboration between the eastern and northern regions. You know, education and construction. It was launched two years back. Before that, we had the delayed teleportation rings. Those took a longer time to teleport you to your destination but with the new ones, no matter how far or near your destination is, the teleportation is instantaneous.”

Ebony nodded her head. Not out of understanding but disbelief. Delayed or instantaneous teleportation. None of them existed in her world. This was a magical world. 

But it had often been said that magic was just technology that wasn’t understood yet. She had felt, upon seeing the state of the town, that this was a relatively primitive world. 

She was beginning to realize, however, that there was nothing primitive about the kingdom.

They simply selected the best and most beneficial technology for their world. I mean…with teleportation rings, they don’t have to worry about carbon emissions. 

Imagine that, teleportation rings.

Trying to sound neutral, she said, “How do they work, by the way? The teleportation rings. Where are they located and how do you use them?”

Ulrich’s eyebrows jumped up and Ebony blushed. She was showing her ignorance of the world again. She knew it was not something to be ashamed off but she still felt embarrassed when she was regarded strangely or like an ignorant noble.

Ulrich schooled his expression on seeing her embarrassment. “Mayhap it will be easier to show you. If you ever need to travel to the other regions, then I will be glad to show you, Ebony.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” That is definitely something to look forward to. But for now… “The medical records. I’d like to go through the records from January to now. It may give us some insight into the disease.”

Ulrich nodded and got to work. He was very familiar with the set up of the records room. It took only five minutes to locate the records Ebony asked for and placed them on the table in the middle of the room.

Ebony thanked him and started rifling through the documents. 

“Forgive me for asking," Ulrich said from beside her, "but what kind of insight are you looking for?”

Ebony raised her head and regarded the healer. “You see, when a disease or a plague becomes widespread like this, becomes a pandemic, a less lethal version of the disease usually spreads before the lethal disease enters into circulation. It normally presents with less intense symptoms and less morbidity and mortality. Sometimes, it even spreads among animals before infecting humans.

The first known death of this disease, as the King informed me, was on 14th of März. And it was a sudden death. The plague became very widespread after that. So, it’s very possible that before März…”

“The disease had been circulating prior to that,” Ulrich exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

“Yes, it’s very possible a less lethal version of the disease had been in circulation prior to that.” Ebony confirmed.

Ulrich shook his head. “No, I mean, yes. The disease had been circulating! I just remembered. We had some cases like that. Some cases of illnesses we couldn’t treat. They were very few cases. It was strange but the patients all recovered so we didn’t think too much of it. But that’s what you’re thinking, right? That the disease may have been present in a less lethal form. It was.”

And just like that, the first clue to ending the plague had been found.