[headshake, as he leans more on his crutch] No, that's not right, that's a different illness, then. In the undercity, were I come from, before I moved to the topside, to the academy - there were gasses in the fissures, in short-- poisoneous gasses. Ones that damaged lungs, and other things.
[he says it matter of factly]
The Grey. This is what we call them - those gaseous substances. The sickness that's caused by them - that's, eh, just the undercity problem, or if a topsider was crazy and visited the undercity too much, perhaps- so, I even met a few doctors that haven't noticed at first sight that I'm a trencher, thought I was born topside, so, when they saw my lungs, they looked at me as if I was a madman who had a deathwish. But then they'd look at my leg and guess that I'm from the undercity.
[or said rather matter of factly, with only a bit of hidden sarcasm]
So, no, unfortunately, I don't think I suffer from tuberculosis. That's too bad.
['s too bad because that 'tuberculosis' seems to be more treatable]
Although... hrm. I might know a few people who are suffering from it. So I'll look into it and inform all the doctors I know - or at least the competent ones, which is like, ehh, ten percent of them - of possible symptoms and treatments, in case they have any patients with 'tuberculosis', ever.
[there's eagerness in his eyes at that. Viktor really wants to help people, to cure them - honestly, he'd cure everybody in the world, even the worst people, of their ailments, if it was just in his power to do so. it's no pretense, it's really something of a dream for him]
Anyway, if it's something unheard of in the universe I come from, there probably isn't much of a treatment, there, yet-- but you say it can be transmitted, that 'tuberculosis'? Hmm. Can animals catch it? I could, first, look around to see if anybody does, topside or in undercity, is afflicted with that illness - and if some people are, I could help find treatments. The treatments from this universe. I could transport-- can animals catch this sickness? Because it'd be easy enough to take some rats, infect them, take them back, to the laboratory, do some experiments on them - rats, or cats, or dogs, you know. Yes, and--
But this is probably a boring topic for you.
Anyway, back to my affliction - yes, everything is known, perfectly well. The cause, well, as I've said- gasous substances in the air. Consider it, ehhh, well - consider people like me to be suffering from a very, very slowly working poison, yes, that's the best way to describe it. Simple, isn't it? So, no, not any bacteria, unfortunately. Only poison. And, before you admonish me - yes, I am working on finding antidotes, so to speak. I'm not lazy.
Re: he makes me so sad
[he says it matter of factly]
The Grey. This is what we call them - those gaseous substances. The sickness that's caused by them - that's, eh, just the undercity problem, or if a topsider was crazy and visited the undercity too much, perhaps- so, I even met a few doctors that haven't noticed at first sight that I'm a trencher, thought I was born topside, so, when they saw my lungs, they looked at me as if I was a madman who had a deathwish. But then they'd look at my leg and guess that I'm from the undercity.
[or said rather matter of factly, with only a bit of hidden sarcasm]
So, no, unfortunately, I don't think I suffer from tuberculosis. That's too bad.
['s too bad because that 'tuberculosis' seems to be more treatable]
Although... hrm. I might know a few people who are suffering from it. So I'll look into it and inform all the doctors I know - or at least the competent ones, which is like, ehh, ten percent of them - of possible symptoms and treatments, in case they have any patients with 'tuberculosis', ever.
[there's eagerness in his eyes at that. Viktor really wants to help people, to cure them - honestly, he'd cure everybody in the world, even the worst people, of their ailments, if it was just in his power to do so. it's no pretense, it's really something of a dream for him]
Anyway, if it's something unheard of in the universe I come from, there probably isn't much of a treatment, there, yet-- but you say it can be transmitted, that 'tuberculosis'? Hmm. Can animals catch it? I could, first, look around to see if anybody does, topside or in undercity, is afflicted with that illness - and if some people are, I could help find treatments. The treatments from this universe. I could transport-- can animals catch this sickness? Because it'd be easy enough to take some rats, infect them, take them back, to the laboratory, do some experiments on them - rats, or cats, or dogs, you know. Yes, and--
But this is probably a boring topic for you.
Anyway, back to my affliction - yes, everything is known, perfectly well. The cause, well, as I've said- gasous substances in the air. Consider it, ehhh, well - consider people like me to be suffering from a very, very slowly working poison, yes, that's the best way to describe it. Simple, isn't it? So, no, not any bacteria, unfortunately. Only poison. And, before you admonish me - yes, I am working on finding antidotes, so to speak. I'm not lazy.