What are they doing circumcision for?
Are these people insane?
When people are too dumbfounded, they often lose their words.
It's not just an expression—I truly felt that way after coming to the 19th century.
This time was no exception.
I was stunned.
"Ah, circumcision. Yeah, I guess you could call it that."
I wonder if Liston acts this way because his name has "ston" in it…?
Even after leaving me in such a state, he continued speaking with an unconcerned expression.
"You see, I heard it can even prevent sexually transmitted diseases?"
"Huh?"
Isn't there a saying that love is forgotten by another love?
Well, it might be an expression only older people know…
But a similar idea seemed applicable here.
Shock is forgotten by another shock.
Sexually transmitted diseases?
"What are you talking about?"
"Haha. I didn't get it either, but… a paper came out. A very credible paper."
"A paper…?"
"Yeah. We also publish our achievements as papers, don't we?"
"Well, yes, that's true."
Aside from the absurd content, Western Europe was indeed advanced.
They were already publishing papers in the 19th century.
Didn't that imply the existence of academic societies?
Whether then or now, academic societies aren't particularly profitable, so the fact that they were sustained meant there was sponsorship.
I heard there were membership fees from members, but the main funding still came from the pockets of nobles and businessmen.
Nowadays, knowledge itself is somewhat rudimentary, and even that knowledge is dominated by preconceptions, so it's a series of futile efforts—but isn't it from among those that something useful occasionally emerges, leading to human progress?
"There's a Dr. Jonathan. A very young fellow… Lately, whether because of your influence or not, great scientists are emerging, teens and twenties alike."
"Oh…"
While I was lost in such thoughts, Liston's mouth didn't stop.
I've become quite sociable myself, but due to racial and physical reasons, I don't attend gatherings as actively as Liston…
Maybe that's why Liston seems much more up-to-date with the latest trends than I am.
Though I wonder if I really need to be.
Anyway, I hear all the truly important news during the hospital meetings attended by Sir Jamie.
Most other rumors are just gossip.
But it doesn't seem like a bad thing that scholars in their teens and twenties are beginning to make a name for themselves.
After all, young people are more likely to be free from preconceptions.
"Anyway, that friend of mine investigated the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among Jews and non-Jews… ordinary people."
"Ah… That seems like it would show a meaningful difference, doesn't it?"
"Huh? So you thought so too?"
"Huh? Isn't that… obvious?"
Jews.
People who practice Judaism, though in practice, it largely refers to the Hebrew people.
I had thought Hitler or Germans hated Jews, but after coming here, it seems that's not the case—rather, it seems most people simply hate Jews.
When the Black Death was rampant, rumors spread that Jews had poisoned wells, and I heard many Jews were beaten to death because of that.
It reminds me of the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake in the Japanese colonial period…
'I feel a bit sorry saying this, but there are some unpleasant people among the Jews…'
Koreans were truly unjustly treated.
They were swallowed up simply because their country lacked power—wouldn't you say they fell victim to hatred of the weak?
Of course, Jews too must have suffered from the sorrow of not having a nation…
But their religion itself claims that only they are God's descendants, and some even openly declare, 'Jesus is merely one of the prophets, not the Son of God, so those foreigners who believe in him won't go to heaven.'
No wonder even our great Shakespeare portrayed Shylock, a moneylender and the worst villain in The Merchant of Venice, as a Jew.
Considering Shakespeare was a great writer who dominated the 16th and 17th centuries, it's safe to say that anti-Semitism in Europe boasts a quite ancient tradition.
'Well… it's not for nothing that they have that chosen people mentality.'
Even from my perspective as someone belonging to the Confucian sphere, it seems true that Jewish life in the 19th century appeared safer than that of the average European.
These people are governed by religious law.
And that law is so strict that it's difficult to keep without considerable willpower.
But whether because Jews are bound by this religion and strongly influenced by its governance—making them more strong-willed—or due to external pressure, they generally seem to adhere to it well.
This is especially true regarding monogamy and premarital chastity.
'So of course their rate of sexually transmitted diseases would be lower.'
Really…
It's obvious.
Sexually transmitted diseases are contracted through sexual contact with an infected person, right?
So if you're only ever with one person, it's no exaggeration to say your chance of getting an STD is virtually zero.
"And guess what! It turns out Jews have a much lower rate of sexually transmitted diseases!"
"Ah… Is that so?"
But the fact that he said "lower" suggests there were still some who got infected.
That means they broke the law—but Liston seemed to misinterpret my surprise and laughed heartily.
"Right! Why do you think that is?"
"Because of the law…"
"Exactly! The law! Because of their law, they get circumcised, don't they?"
"Huh?"
"Because of that circumcision, their libido seems lower too. Definitely… at parties or such, they tend to hold back."
"That…"
It's probably because of the law, not libido…
Anyway, Liston was speaking so rapidly that I hardly had a chance to interject.
No, right now, I had none at all.
"Anyway, this time it seems circumcision might prevent STDs too!"
"How… how could that be possible?"
"It is possible! You haven't had it done, have you?"
"I… haven't."
Since I'm not Jewish, I haven't.
Naturally.
That thing…
In an era without anesthesia, why would anyone do it?
They'd probably even cut without disinfecting…
I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few people died from circumcision.
"No, hyung. What are you doing?"
He's not giving me time to think, this madman.
This fucking…
He forcibly pulled down his pants.
Ah, not mine—his own.
I don't know if I should be relieved about that.
"Look. I haven't had it done, right? It's all wrinkled here, see?"
"I'm not looking, okay?"
"Look."
"No, fuck. I said I don't want to!"
"Look!"
"Ugh."
I closed my eyes, but it was useless.
Liston used two fingers to pry my eyes wide open, forcing me to see what I didn't want to.
Damn it…
"See? Wrinkled, right?"
"Yes…"
In this situation, it seemed better to just get it over with quickly.
Isn't there a saying that if you can't avoid something, you should enjoy it?
Though I doubt I could enjoy this no matter what.
"Blundell! Our Pyeong is ready to hear it!"
"Ah, really!"
As I tried to keep my eyes open, Blundell entered.
I thought the door was locked, but it wasn't.
Liston…
Is this what you call confidence?
Well, I guess he has no reason not to be confident.
In contrast, Blundell should probably be a bit more embarrassed…
"Now look."
He pulls his down right away.
These guys are truly insane.
"See the difference? Here, there's no place for anything to get stuck, right?"
"Ha…"
You told me to look, so I am…
But I really hate this.
So instead of forming proper words, I just gaped, while Liston and Blundell began chatting excitedly.
Other students came in too, so it wasn't just the three of us, yet they still hadn't pulled their pants up.
As I listened, I started to understand why they were doing this.
"I'm the frontier of the medical world, aren't I?"
That was Blundell.
It wasn't entirely wrong.
They performed blood transfusions using the ten-to-one method without even knowing about blood types…
He also created the prototype of the Rust Bell…
Just hearing it, it sounds impressive.
The frontier of the medical world.
The problem is that no matter what you say, it doesn't look cool when you're fumbling around.
"Yeah, this friend is the frontier."
"I got it done as soon as I heard the news."
"Ah, don't worry. I did it for him. I roughly watched how it's done, then properly administered anesthesia and disinfected everything before doing it."
"It really didn't hurt. Actually, the few days after were the painful part."
The two chatted on with serious expressions, as if they didn't find this strange at all.
At this point, it seemed like I was the one with the problem for finding this situation weird.
When you think about it, it's just a bit gruesome to watch…
Anyway, with their crazed experimental spirit, didn't it feel like they'd experimented on their own bodies this time, not on students?
In other words, what we're doing now is a discussion based on experimentation.
"The amazing thing is… my libido really has decreased."
"Right, Blundell isn't one to lie, is he?"
"It decreased?"
"Yeah. It definitely decreased."
"Just think—from now on, he'll use the energy he'd have spent on that for proper things. Doesn't that make you look forward to the future?"
"Hmm."
Decreased?
Libido?
Everyone except me wore expressions that said, "Well, of course."
A paper had come out, and since it appeared to be based on statistical results, it seemed all the more plausible.
I'm someone who's accustomed to looking at papers critically, and above all, I theoretically understand the mechanisms of libido, so I can see the facts clearly—but expecting people with insufficient background knowledge or experience to think like me is unreasonable.
You could even call it a mistake.
Just from what I've seen so far, it's clear these people are by no means stupider than me, right?
It's truly just due to the limitations of the era.
'The libido decreased because it hurt, right? If your dick hurts, would it be normal for your libido to surge…?'
No, it wouldn't.
'Besides… there's something called the placebo effect.'
Also known as the placebo effect, it's surprisingly powerful.
Sometimes it even cures actual illnesses, doesn't it?
There are studies suggesting this is especially true for things related to sexuality.
Particularly if you've undergone a semi-permanent procedure or surgery, it's said to be even more effective.
When you've done something irreversible, your brain automatically rationalizes the action you've taken.
Unfortunately, it seems our Blundell is in that situation right now.
'But… how do I correct this…?'
Can it even be corrected?
Probably not.
-What, man? You saying it's useless?
I went and cut my foreskin, you bastard!
It's obvious a fight would break out if I said that.
Besides…
'It's not like a vasectomy—it's just cutting the foreskin…'
Would that be a big problem?
It's not about cutting it—it's already cut.
With that thought, I nodded.
"It seems plausible."
I said this without realizing how much influence I wielded in 19th-century London.