Grantville Gazette, Volume X Page 27

  "I don't know," Lori said, "cultures of some kind? Let me see."

  Amy pulled several silver packages from the paper bag along with a product sheet that she handed to Lori. Lori nodded as she read the sheet. She pointed to the first few lines.

  "See? I was right. 'Lyophilized reference stock cultures.'"

  "Lyophilized?" asked Amy.

  "Freeze-dried, essentially. Keeps micro-organisms in good condition for awhile. So what have we got?"

  "This one sounds interesting. Clostridium sporogenes. Putrid odor. Yummy."

  Lori took the package, marked Microbiologics on the label, and looked more closely. "Yeah, but notice the expiration date. October 2000. Which would have been last October. Way out of date. Anything else?"

  Amy rummaged through the paper bag and pulled out another Kwik-Stik. "How about this one? Penicillium roqueforti. Even more yummy. Roquefort cheese organism. And can't we use this to get penicillin?"

  Lori shook her head. "No, you need a particular strain of penicillium, not just any strain. I forget the exact species. As I recall, Alexander Fleming, the guy who discovered penicillin, had his cultures contaminated by accident. Besides, this one has an October 2000 expiration date as well."

  While Lori had been talking Amy had been rummaging in the bag and she pulled out the next package in triumph. "Bingo! expiration June 2001!"

  "Penicillium italicum, causes blue mold of citrus fruits." Lori smiled. "Closer, but still not the right one."

  With a flourish Amy pulled another package from the bag. "Next to last one. Ring a bell?"

  "Penicillium Notatum. High yield. Expiration March 2001. A little out of date, but it still might be viable. Expiration dates are generally conservative. This is the stuff we want."

  "Cool!" Amy said. Moving quickly the two women searched through the remaining paper bags in the refrigerator. Most of the Kwik-Stiks they found were far out of date or of organisms that didn't seem important. Only three were Penicillium Notatum, two labeled low yield, with expiration dates of June 2001, and the one labeled high yield. They transferred the penicillium Kwik-Stiks to the cooler while they finished cleaning the refrigerator, then transferred them back.

  "So what should we do with the Kwik-Stiks?" Amy asked.

  Lori shrugged. "I'm not sure. I do know that the chem team took some stuff last fall, so they may already have some penicillium cultured up. Ask Nicki Jo tonight when you see her. If they can use them, I bet Len Trout would be happy to give them up. And they probably won't be viable for much longer."

  * * *

  That night at the Modi house Amy told her boyfriend, Franz Dubois, and Nicki Jo Prickett about the Kwik-Stiks.

  "Penicillium Notatum? Oh yeah, the chem team already has some of that cultured." Nicki Jo said. "But it's good to have more. Given the expiration date, I bet the school district will let us have it for free. Use it or lose it, and it's probably too close to the end of the current classes to use it in a high school lab experiment."

  Franz Dubois looked puzzled. A second cousin of Colette Modi, he had arrived in Grantville in December 1631 from Hanau near Frankfurt. Always fascinated by chemistry, he had found himself spending many hours talking with Amy Kubiak. Within a month he had discovered that he was fascinated with Amy Kubiak as well.

  "Penicillium Notatum? Used to produce penicillin?"

  Nicki Jo nodded. "Yup. But penicillin isn't really that much of a priority right now. We're in the seventeenth century, not the early twentieth. We need stuff that is going to prevent or cure the major epidemic-type diseases we might see, like typhus, bubonic plague and smallpox. That's why the chem team is concentrating on things like DDT and chloramphenicol and the medical people are working on smallpox vaccinations. Oh, we'll be making some other antibiotics, mainly the sulfa-like drugs, which aren't that difficult if you have the ingredients. Sulfanilamide is even in one of my organic chem books. But synthesizing pure penicillin in sufficient quantities is pretty difficult, according to the sources we have. That'll have to wait a few years. In the meantime, we're sending out cultures of Pencillium Notatum, along with instructions, to various hospitals and universities around Germany as we get visitors headed in the right direction."

  "But if we can't really make penicillin right now, what good is it to send out the cultures?" Amy asked.

  "I think the rationale is not to have all your eggs in just the Grantville basket," Nicki Jo said. "If something happens to us, the people in charge wanted to make sure there are plenty of the right penicillium species available for the day when someone can manufacture it. It probably took a decade of intense effort up-time to mutate the original Fleming strain into even the lower yielding strains we have cultured right now."

  Amy looked over at Franz. "What about those two men from Cologne you're translating for? Aren't they physicians or something?"

  "No," Franz said. "One, Gerhard Eichhorn, is a surgeon, and the other, Matthias Wagener, is the praeceptor of a hospitaller order in Cologne, the Antonites. They're leaving for home next week though."

  "What's a praeceptor?" Amy asked.

  "Essentially just the head monk," Franz said. "But with responsibility for overseeing all the hospitals the order administers in Cologne and interacting with the city council to ensure things run smoothly."

  Nicki Jo nodded. "Well check with them to see if they'd like some of the penicillium. The Kwik-Stiks would be more convenient to transport than the actual cultures. I'll check with Greg to get the okay and he can arrange for permission from Len Trout."

  * * *

  Matthias Wagener turned one last time to look back at Grantville before urging his horse into a canter to catch up with Gerhard Eichhorn.

  "An interesting six weeks, wouldn't you say, my friend?" Matthias said when his horse came level with Gerhard's.

  Gerhard snorted. "You've always had a gift for understatement, Matthias. Do you finally believe they are really from the future?"

  Matthias shrugged. "Of course. Or from some future. But the philosophical questions are the most fascinating. Why did God decide to send them here? And why now?"

  Gerhard smiled. "So you don't subscribe to the opinion of some of the Protestants we met? That God sent Grantville back in time to punish Catholics for Tilly's sack of Magdeburg? The timing would certainly indicate a correlation of some kind."

  Matthias waved his hand in dismissal. "Highly unlikely, Gerhard, in my opinion. God is not so petty. If anything, God sent them back for the children. Think of how many children will be saved now that we know more about disease and the reasons for early mortality."

  Matthias shook his head. "And not just children. Now that we know about the importance of sanitation, we can focus on building better sewage systems."

  "Well, I will help when I can. But your position as praeceptor of the Antonites should be sufficient to enlist the city council behind the changes that need to take place."

  "Easier said than done, my friend." Matthias shook his head again. "Too many will resist the changes because the Americans are starting to ally themselves with Gustavus Adolphus. Others because they will see no economic benefit, just expense. Still others will say it is good that so many children die young, rather than to grow up into misery and pain and starve to death.

  "As for you, Gerhard," Matthias continued, "I would be very careful if I were you with the knowledge you've gained in Grantville. Franz Wilwartz is always looking for ways to make your life more miserable."

  Gerhard grimaced. It was true. Franz Wilwartz, like many barber-surgeons in Cologne, was more barber than surgeon. He had always been jealous of Gerhard's skill in treating wounds and other ailments. Twice in the past five years he had threatened to file a complaint against Gerhard with the Beleidmeister about not following guild regulations. And now that his daughter had married one of the more prominent physicians in Cologne . . .

  "Oh, I'll be careful, Matthias. I just hope I can convince the guild of the need to change some of their regulations. I'll
need your help in that, of course."

  "You'll have it, Gerhard." Matthias said. "So what did you do with the Penicillium Notatum the Americans gave you?"

  Gerhard turned and slapped the box tied to his saddle. "On ice, as the Americans would say. Hopefully I can keep it relatively cool until we can get back to Cologne. And yours?"

  Matthias smiled. "Given the fact that the package was already out of date, I decided it was important to get it back to Cologne as soon as possible, so I hired a special courier. Gysbert should have it in four days, at the most, God willing."

  "Gysbert Schotten? The herbalist?"

  Matthias nodded and smiled again. "The greenest thumb in Cologne. If anyone can get the mold to grow, he can. I just wish I could see his face when the package arrives."

  * * *

  Insane, thought Gysbert Schotten, Matthias Wagener has been driven insane.

  How else to explain this enigmatic package on his desk and the fact that it had been delivered by special courier?

  For weeks he had been receiving letters and manuscripts from the praeceptor. His enthusiasm for the "new science" had been contagious. But this . . .

  Gysbert shook his head. He had done what he could to prepare a room for experimentation. But the documents he had received indicated that he would have to take extensive precautions to keep the cultures from being contaminated, and how was that going to be possible? He had no autoclaves, although perhaps a regular oven might work. Dry heat instead of steam. He had no microscopes, no thermometers, nothing.

  "Father, should we begin?"

  Gysbert looked at his assistant, Wolfram Muysgin. Wolf was a good boy. Eager, enthusiastic. Good instincts for many things. But now those instincts would have to be retrained for an environment very different from what they had assumed. No more "humors" or blood that was "too hot" or "too cold." Oh no. Disease caused by small animals called "bacteria." Or even smaller ones called "viruses." And a constant . . . what was the word? Ah yes, a constant "evolutionary" war fought between bacteria, yeasts, molds and fungi. An ongoing, ever-present need to keep things as sterile as possible. What was the phrase the praeceptor had stressed so emphatically? Ah, yes. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

  "Father?"

  Gysbert shook himself. "We'll start in a minute, Wolf. But first, I think we need to pray to God for success. If He has truly sent Grantville here from the future for benevolent reasons, perhaps He will bless our work if we ask him. Let us pray."

  Together Father Gysbert and Wolf Muysgin bowed their heads and prayed.

  Imperial Free City of Cologne,

  July 1633.

  Wolf Muysgin stopped once again to consider his new workplace. The new laboratory for the hospital was a two-story brick and stone building that had been built next to the Antonite's herbal garden. The laboratory had been built at an angle so that the winter sun would light up the windowed rooms of the second story as much as possible.

  Once inside Wolf removed his shoes and slipped on a pair of wool socks, then added a pair made of linen. He followed up with a fresh lab coat that stretched to his knees and waved to the laundress, Frau Hessler, as he entered the stairs leading to the second floor. The first floor of the laboratory was given over to the laundry and experiments that did not require the same decontamination protocols as the second story. There were two doors on the stairs, and after passing through the second he was surprised to find Father Schotten in the hallway.

  "Father, you're back! How was your trip to Grantville?"

  Gysbert smiled and motioned Wolf into his office.

  "Wonderful, Wolf. But also frustrating. And disappointing in some ways."

  "Wonderful I can understand, after all the stories the praeceptor told us. But frustrating and disappointing?"

  Gysbert nodded. "Frustrating because the Americans we have heard so much about are terribly busy, Wolf. They have little time for visitors with difficult questions. Doctor Nichols was especially busy dealing with outbreaks of disease. Nothing too serious, mostly dysentery and flu. But he was not very helpful."

  Gysbert sighed and sat back in his chair. "My search of their books and encyclopedias was the disappointing part. Essentially nothing beyond what we were already told."

  "So we are on our own, Father?"

  Gysbert nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so Wolf. If we want a medium to produce higher levels of penicillin, we will have to experiment ourselves. Corn steep liquor of the type and purity suggested in the literature is too expensive for us. So let's investigate various kinds of vegetable extracts, I think. You can start working on that. For myself, I will attempt to find an answer to the contamination problem. It does us no good to produce penicillin in quantity if it lasts only a few days because of bacterial or other contamination."

  Gysbert suddenly smiled. "But enough of that. Frau Hessler seems to think you have made a breakthrough with your yeast cultures. True?"

  Wolf nodded enthusiastically. The brewer's and baker's guilds of Cologne had helped finance the Antonite laboratory when they had been told about the possibility of improved strains of yeast. "True Father. Come, let me show you!"

  Imperial Free City of Cologne,

  April 1634

  To Gerhard Eichhorn, the gloom in Steel Mountain House was as palpable as a cold north wind along the Rhine.

  Deservedly so, he thought, when the family's only son is about to die. For four days Simon von Hardenrat had become weaker and sicker. Gerhard had been called in on the second day when the family became alarmed at Simon's high fever. Nothing Gerhard had attempted had seemed to work, despite the new medical knowledge he had gained thanks to his trip to Grantville in 1632.

  What good is knowledge if it only informs your own helplessness?

  "Any change?" Gerhard asked as he entered Simon's bedroom. Peter von Hardenrat, Simon's father, shook his head wearily. Peter had relieved his wife at his son's sickbed sometime in the early morning.

  "No major change, Herr Eichhorn. The fever is no worse, but no better, either. We keep bathing him with cool distilled water, as per your instructions. But I fear the infection is spreading. And his neck is starting to bulge."

  Gerhard Eichhorn sighed. "It is as I feared. He may have either diphtheria or a very severe bacterial infection. Something the Americans called Staphylococcus aureus."

  Peter nodded. "Is there anything we can do? Besides pray?"

  Was it time to try again? thought Gerhard.

  The first experiments had not been very successful, leading Gerhard to suspect that the Americans had been right about the need for purification. But the Antonite monks had been working for almost two years with the Penicillium Notatum cultures. Maybe they had had better fortune.

  "Perhaps." Gerhard said. "How well do you know the praeceptor of the Antonites in the hospital on Schildergasse?"

  * * *

  "Surely you're jesting, Father. Could it really be that simple?"

  Gysbert nodded. "It seems so, Wolf. Borax is the solution to our contamination problem. And not only does it limit most contaminants at only two-tenths of one percent, but in combination with the pressed pea juice you discovered as a medium, the yields are thirty to forty percent above baseline. Clearly borax not only lowers contaminant levels. It also acts like a fertilizer to improve production. We can start thinking about experiments with people soon."

  Wolf cocked his head. "Is that wise, Father? I thought the literature said the penicillin had to be purified to be effective."

  Gysbert smiled. "I think the literature may be wrong, Wolf. Remember that cut I had last week? It became a bit infected. So I decided to do a little experimentation on myself. What do you think?" Gysbert held up his finger for inspection. Clearly the cut had healed well, with no sign of redness.

  "But . . . I thought the Americans said . . ."

  Gysbert smiled again. "Perhaps the Americans don't know everything, Wolf."

  "Father Gysbert?"

  Gysbert and Wolf looked at the door. Dietrich T
ils, the praeceptor's secretary, was standing in the doorway.

  "Yes, Dietrich?"

  "The praeceptor wishes to see you. Immediately."

  * * *

  "And if Hardenrat's son dies, Gerhard, what then?"

  Gerhard shrugged. "He is a fair man, Gysbert. And one of Cologne's most prominent citizens. If you save his son, the Antonites will gain a powerful friend indeed. Isn't that so, Praeceptor?"

  Matthias Wagener nodded. "And he is indeed a fair man, Gysbert. If we try and do not save his son, he will not hold it against us. But if he discovers we could have done something and did not try . . ."

  "Fine. Let us try then. But we must remember that penicillin leaves the body very quickly. The boy will have to have additional doses of the juice every three hours. How should we administer it?"