Chapter 497: May I Examine Inside the Child?
"Consultation? This late?"
Archmage Novak was not pleased as he stood up. For spellcasters, the night is ant for sleeping and restoring spells. Although one can rely on magical potions, nobody really wants to get up in the middle of the night...
He grumbled as he gathered his potions and magical gear, preparing to head out with his students. While packing, he rambled to Garrett:
"There’s nothing worth calling about... The child was born without an anus, and healing spells won’t create one... Even if you poke a hole to make it through, the person will still die eventually..."
Pfft...
Poking through...
Garrett nearly couldn’t hold back. This treatnt approach, well, wasn’t entirely unreasonable. The child ended up dying...
Was it an infection, or anal stenosis, or bowel obstruction? Or besides the anal atresia, were there other complications?
He humd in agreent a couple of tis, quickly imrsing his mind in books from his past life:
"Pediatrics..." Diseases of the digestive system... Physiological anatomy of the digestive system in children... Intussusception, congenital gacolon... Oh no, nothing!
It’s not that he was cramming at the last minute; he just hadn’t treated this condition in his previous life.
Being born without an anus is dically called congenital anal atresia. Normally, the child is taken from the maternity ward, imdiately examined, and found to have the condition, then swiftly sent to the neonatology departnt to call for a pediatric surgeon to perform surgery.
Turning up in the ergency departnt? That doesn’t happen. Such cases wouldn’t land in their hands, and even if one occasionally did, it wasn’t his responsibility.
Pediatric treatnt differs significantly from adult treatnt in terms of anatomical structure, equipnt size, precision of operation, anesthesia, and dication. Even the licenses aren’t the sa, and he definitely wouldn’t dare to operate.
"No pediatrics," he hurriedly flipped through "Surgery." Hmm, diseases of the rectum and anal canal... Congenital diseases of the rectum and anal canal... Congenital anomalies of the rectum and anal canal... There!
Thank heavens, at least surgery ntioned it!
Garrett focused his mind, rapidly scanning through the pages. [Classification]... [Associated malformations]... [Clinical manifestations]... [Diagnosis]... [Treatnt]...
Then, a passage caught his eye:
"Depending on the type of rectal and anal malformation, the treatnt varies, but all require surgery. Anal atresia should be operated on imdiately after birth."
Imdiate surgery!
Imdiate surgery!
There’s no need to consider the physiological, pathological, biochemical stuff anymore. Once there’s a conclusion in the dical books, just follow it and act. Garrett imdiately stood up, and as Archmage Novak turned to leave, he paused:
"You go rest, I’ll just check and co back."
"Your Excellency, let
accompany you," Garrett cautiously said, not daring to claim "perhaps I can help"—the books ntioned that anal atresia often cos with other malformations, occurring in 28% to 72% of cases, fearing he couldn’t handle it—just very cautiously suggesting:
"I haven’t seen this disease before, can you show ?"
Archmage Novak smiled. Magicians always have a curiosity; transmutation mages seeing unique animals and plants, abjuration mages discovering unheard-of forms of attack, divination mages observing new stars, they would gladly bring their provisions and follow without rest.
And healers seeing unique diseases also bear the ire of the patient’s family, poking their heads in to learn sothing new.
He didn’t object, taking Garrett on a flying carpet, flying down the mountain. It was almost night, and the entire City of Nevis was shrouded in darkness, only the Theater Avenue brightly lit up, connected to the speckled garden district.
Within the bounds of Igor’s Lock, flying is prohibited for mid-tier mages, but less so for high-tier mages. Archmage Novak had no pressure starting to fly, bearing the cool night breeze, he explained to Garrett:
"Viscount Calrend’s family, they were nobles rooted in Nevis before the city was founded, and their ancestors’ nas are also listed at the beginning of the mountain path."
"Their direct lineage is also unfortunate, previously two sons, one was raised until three years old, drowned in a pond; another, shortly after birth, was scratched by a cat, at the ti cured using healing minor wounds, but days later, suddenly convulsed to death; now this is the third one..."
Uh, the first drowned, the second had rabies, the third born... that thing. According to the old Chinese saying, your ancestors didn’t accumulate virtue, or the parents didn’t accumulate virtue, right?
Garrett silently criticized, beginning to doubt the necessity of his trip.
Archmage Novak also seed reluctant to go, sighing:
"They have a fifteenth-level great mage. So, no help for it, one must consider professional courtesy..."
The flying carpet rode the wind down, soon stopping in front of a spacious mansion. It was already night, yet the entire mansion was brightly lit, with seven or eight luxurious carriages parked at the door, each bearing a crest.
Garrett lay on the flying carpet, casually glancing, and saw the crests of the Temple of the War God and the Temple of the Spring Goddess. As for the Church of the God of Nature, apparently, everyone was carriageless—
Of course, Elder Wood wasn’t in town, and this late-night ergency probably only managed to randomly grab soone at the port clinic, whoever was available.
The flying carpet directly descended into the courtyard. Garrett followed Archmage Novak briskly inside, soon entering a grand, warm room on the second floor of the mansion.
Inside, shadows moved about, a faint sll of blood lingered, with a young female priest quickly walking in and out. Clearly, this was the room of the parturient, moans and sobbing sounds continuously emanating.
In the room outside, a shrine to the Spring Goddess was set up against the wall, an aged elder kneeling before the statue, head bowed, murmuring prayers.
Beside the shrine, a small round table was set up, covered with a thick mattress, and draped with deep blue silk damask. The child was placed on it, seemingly to bring him closer to the goddess’s blessings.
A few older, dignified-looking n stood nearby, whispering among themselves. Archmage Novak walked straight over. Imdiately, soone half-turned their body, making way for him.
Garrett didn’t rush to follow. He looked around, recognizing many familiar faces. There were priests of the War God, priests of the Spring Goddess, all who had helped during the anthrax epidemic. Besides...
"Brother Matthew!" Garrett quietly greeted this priest of the God of Nature:
"What’s the situation now? How’s the child?"
"I’ve looked already, there’s nothing to be done." Priest Matthew was also here for professional courtesy, of course, plus a night fee of 500 gold coins. He whispered to Garrett:
"The child was born over two hours ago. So far, he hasn’t passed any stool, nor dare we feed him water or milk. As you can see, everyone can only stay here, occasionally using divine magic to soothe the child..."
His expression gradually darkened. Garrett listened carefully; the child’s voice was already a bit hoarse, clearly having cried non-stop until now.
That’s normal, over two hours without feeding, without passing conium, not even held once, the child was clearly uncomfortable. If he continued crying like this, he might face electrolyte disturbances—
Archmage Novak cautiously approached, bent down to observe for a mont, and discussed briefly with several people nearby, also shaking his head. In the end, he could only cast a sleep spell on the child, better than nothing.
The baby finally cald down. A few high-tier healers looked at each other, after a mont, all deeply sighed.
"Can I go over and look?"
Garrett asked in a low voice to Priest Matthew.
Those standing by the child were clearly high-level figures. If he went over... not being allowed to look was impossible, but if the others were sowhat resistant, he would first move closer to Archmage Novak...
"Go ahead, it’s fine. We’ve all looked already."
Priest Matthew whispered a sigh.
Not to ntion the high-level ones, even the mid-tier and low-tier healers they brought had each taken a turn. Obviously, the host was desperately seeking help.
Garrett reassured himself and walked over. He first slightly bowed, using his eyes to greet the high-level ones in a circle, simultaneously quickly observing the child—
Skin rosy, limbs capable of bending and stretching, he had just heard the cries, the voice quite robust. At a glance, he didn’t notice symptoms like jaundice.
If not considering congenital anal atresia, in terms of a newborn score, actually quite high.
Belly swollen, traces of filth on the mouth and silk damask. A nurse stood by, anxiously watching the child, ready to wipe away any vomit at any mont.
Hmm...
Anorectal malformation, to explore the position of the rectum, what thod should be used? For X-rays, the child needs to be turned upside down, for ultrasound, oil must be applied to the child...
Forget it, let’s do it all in one go. Malformations associated with anorectal malformations are most commonly urogenital malformations, followed by spinal malformations, especially sacral anomalies. Then, other parts of the digestive tract, like intestinal atresia. If unlucky, there could also be heart malformations
...
Garrett rembered, not long before his transmigration in his previous life, the director of neonatology personally operated on a child with congenital anal atresia with anterior rectal fistula, combined with absent right kidney and tethered spinal cord malformations.
Later, the child was discharged smoothly, and before he transmigrated, had already safely grown to ten years old...
If the child in front of him was really this severely ill, he could only admit defeat, acting as if he hadn’t co today. Garrett took out the mini oak wand from his chest, showing the little snake on the wand head to the high-level ones:
"May I take a look? This is the totem spirit of my contract, an ethereal creature. I’d like it to enter the child’s body to explore the internal condition..."
"You? Who are you?"
The elder in front of the shrine suddenly spoke. He had just finished this prayer, stood up from before the statue, turning to the people. His eyebrows knitted slightly, looking at Garrett, clearly sowhat skeptical.
Before Archmage Novak could speak, a War God’s bishop already took over the conversation:
"He’s Garrett Nordmark, disciple of the Lord of Thunder, and has so unique insights in healing arts..."
Disciple of the Lord of Thunder? The title of a legendary mage is indeed big enough, but still, being a sculpting mage has nothing to do with healing...
The bishop didn’t continue, and on the other side of the shrine, a young man quickly stepped forward, explaining quietly to the elder by his side. Garrett was too far to hear clearly, but caught familiar terms like “penicillin,” “infectious disease hospital,” “smallpox.”
The elder’s expression imdiately softened. He looked deeply at Garrett, as if imprinting his face in his heart, then, looking at the child by the shrine, sighed:
"Go ahead, take a look!"
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