CHAPTER XIX
THE MEETING AT THE QUEEN'S HALL
The same night a vast meeting of medical men had been summoned at theQueen's Hall, with the object of discussing the nature of the strangevisitation, and the measures that should be adopted. Doctors came fromevery part of the country. The meeting began at eight o'clock, and SirJeremy Jones, the President of the Royal College of Physicians, openedthe discussion with a paper in which the most obvious features of thedisease were briefly tabulated.
The great Hall was packed. Sarakoff and I got seats in the front row ofthe gallery. Sir Jeremy Jones, a large bland man, with beautiful silvergrey hair, wearing evening dress, and pince-nez, stood up on theplatform amid a buzz of talk. The short outburst of clapping soon ceasedand Sir Jeremy began.
The beginnings of the disease were outlined, the symptoms described,and then the physician laid down his notes, and seemed to look directlyup at me.
"So far," he said, in suave and measured tones, "I have escaped the BlueDisease, but at any moment I may find myself a victim, and the fact doesnot disquiet me. For I am convinced that we are witnessing the suddenintrusion and the swift spread of an absolutely harmless organism--onethat has been, perhaps, dormant for centuries in the soil, or hasevolved to its present form in the deep waters of the Elan watershed bya process whose nature we can only dimly guess at. Some have suggested ameteoric origin, and it is true that some meteoric stones fell overWales recently. But that is far-fetched to my mind, for how could awhite-hot stone harbour living matter? Whatever its origin, it is, I amsure, a harmless thing, and though strange, and at first sight alarming,we need none of us alter our views of life or our way of living. Thesubject is now open for discussion, and I call on Professor Sarakoff, ofPetrograd, the eminent bacteriologist, to give us the benefit of hisviews, as I believe he has a statement to make."
A burst of applause filled the Hall.
"Good," muttered Sarakoff in my ear. "I will certainly give them myviews."
"Be careful," I said idly. Sir Jeremy was gazing round the Hall.Sarakoff stood up and there arose cries for silence. He made a strikingfigure with his giant stature, his black hair and beard and hisblue-stained eyes. Sir Jeremy sat down, smiling blandly.
"Mr. President and Gentlemen," began the Professor, in a voice thatcarried to every part of the Hall. "I, as an Immortal, desire to make afew simple and decisive statements to you to-night regarding the natureof the Blue Disease, the germ of which was prepared by myself and myfriend, Dr. Richard Harden. The germ--in future to be known as theSarakoff-Harden bacillus--is ultra-microscopical. It grows inpractically every medium with great ease. In the human body it finds anadmirable host, and owing to the fact that it destroys all otherorganisms, it confers immortality on the person who is infected by it.We are therefore on the threshold of a new era."
After this brief statement Sarakoff calmly sat down, and absolutesilence reigned. Sir Jeremy, still smiling blandly, stared up at him.Every face was turned in our direction. A murmur began, which quicklyincreased. A doctor behind me leaned over and touched my shoulder.
"Is he sane?" he asked in a whisper.
"Perfectly," I replied.
"But you don't believe him?"
"Of course I do."
"But it's ridiculous! Who is this Dr. Harden?"
"I am Dr. Harden."
The uproar in the Hall was now considerable. Sir Jeremy rose, and wavedhis hands in gestures of restraint. Finally he had recourse to a bellthat stood on the table.
"Gentlemen," he said, when silence was restored. "We have just heard aremarkable statement from Professor Sarakoff and I think I am justifiedin asking for proofs."
I instantly got up. I was quite calm.
"I can prove that Sarakoff's statement is perfectly correct," I said. "Iam Richard Harden. I discovered the method whereby the bacillus became apossibility. Every man in this Hall who has the Sarakoff-Hardenbacillus in his system is immortal. You, Mr. President, are not yet oneof the Immortals. But I fancy in a day or two you will join us." Ipaused and smiled easily at the concourse below and around me. "It isreally bad luck on the medical profession," I continued. "I'm afraidwe'll all have to find some other occupation. Of course you've allnoticed how the germ cuts short disease."
I sat down again. The smile on Sir Jeremy's face had weakened a little.
"Turn them out!" shouted an angry voice from the body of the Hall.
Sir Jeremy held up a protesting hand, and then took off his glasses andbegan to polish them. A buzz of talk arose. Men turned to one anotherand began to argue. The doctor behind me leaned forward again.
"Is this a joke?" he enquired rather loudly.
"No."
"But you two are speaking rubbish. What the devil do you mean by sayingyou're immortal?"
I turned and looked at him. My calmness enraged him. He was a shaggy,irritable, middle-aged practitioner.
"You've got the Blue Disease, but you're no more immortal than a bluemonkey." He looked fiercely round at his neighbours. "What do youthink?"
A babel of voices sounded in our ears.
Sir Jeremy Jones appeared perplexed. Someone stood up in the body of theHall and Sir Jeremy caught his eye and seemed relieved. It was my friendHammer, who had tended me after the accident that my black cat hadbrought about.
"Gentlemen," said Hammer, when silence had fallen. "Although thestatements of Professor Sarakoff and Dr. Harden appear fantastical, Ibelieve that they may be nearer the truth than we suppose." His manner,slow, impressive and calm, aroused general attention. Frowning slightly,he drew himself up and clasped the lapels of his coat. "This afternoon,"he continued, "I was at the bedside of a sick child who was at the pointof death. This child had been visited yesterday by a relative who, twohours after the visit, developed the Blue Disease. Now----" He pausedand looked slowly about him. "Now the child was suffering fromperitonitis, and there was no possible chance of recovery. Yet thatchild _did_ recover and is now well."
The whole audience was staring at him. Hammer took a deep breath andgrasped his coat more firmly.
"That child, I repeat, is now well. The recovery set in under my owneyes. I saw for myself the return of life to a body that was moribund.The return was swift. In one hour the transformation was complete, andit was _in that hour_ that the child developed the outward signs of theBlue Disease."
He paused. A murmur ran round the hall and then once more came silence.
"I am of the opinion," said Hammer deliberately, "that the cause of themiracle--for it was a miracle--was the Blue Disease. Think, Gentlemen,of a child in the last stages of septic peritonitis, practically dead.Think again of the same child, one hour later, alive, free from pain,smiling, interested--and stained with the Blue Disease. What conclusion,as honest men, are we to draw from that?"
He sat down. At once a man near him got to his feet.
"The point of view hinted at by the last speaker is correct," he said."I can corroborate it to a small extent. This morning I was confined tomy bed with the beginnings of a bad influenzal cold. At midday Ideveloped the Blue Disease, and now I am as well as I have ever been inthe whole of my life. I attribute my cure to the Blue Disease."
Scarcely had he taken his seat again when a grave scholarly man arose inthe gallery.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I come from Birmingham; and it is a city ofmiracles. The sick are being cured in thousands daily. The hospitals areemptying daily. I verily believe that the Blue Disease may prove to beall that Dr. Sarakoff and Dr. Harden claim it to be."
The effect of these speakers upon the meeting was remarkable. A thrillpassed over the crowded Hall. Hammer rose again.
"Let us accept for a moment that this new infection confers immortalityon humanity," he said, weighing each word carefully. "What are we, asmedical men, going to do? Look into the future--a future free fromdisease, from death, possibly from pain. Are we to accept such a futurepassively, or are we, as doctors, to strive to eradicate this new germas we strive to eradicate
other germs?"
Sir Jeremy Jones, with an expression of dismay, raised his hand.
"Surely, surely," he exclaimed shrilly, "we are going too far. That theBlue Disease may modify the course of illness is conceivable, and seemsto be supported by evidence. But to assume that it confersimmortality----"
"Why should we doubt it?" returned Hammer warmly. "We have been toldthat it does by two responsible men of science, and so far their claimis justified. You, Mr. Chairman, have not seen the miracle that I haveseen this afternoon. If the germ can bring a moribund child back to lifein an hour, why should it not banish disease from the world?"
"But if it does banish disease from the world, that does not mean itconfers immortality," objected Sir Jeremy. "Do you mean to say that weare to regard natural death as a disease?"
He gazed round the hall helplessly. Several men arose to speak, but wereunable to obtain a hearing, for excitement now ran high and every manwas discussing the situation with his neighbour. For a moment, astrange dread had gripped the meeting, paralysing thought, but itpassed, and while some remained perplexed the majority began to resentvehemently the suggestions of Hammer. I could hear those immediatelybehind me insisting that the view was sheer rubbish. It waspreposterous. It was pure lunacy. With these phrases, constantlyrepeated, they threw off the startling effect of Hammer's speech, andfortified themselves in the conviction that the Blue Disease was merelya new malady, similar to other maladies, and that life would proceed asbefore.
I turned to them.
"You are deliberately deceiving yourselves," I said. "You have heard theevidence. You are simply making as much noise as possible in order toshut out the truth."
My words enraged them. A sudden clamour arose around us. Several menshook their fists and there were angry cries. One of them made amovement towards us. In an instant calmness left us. The scene around usseemed to leap up to our senses as something terrible and dangerous.Sarakoff and I scrambled to our feet, pushed our way franticallythrough the throng, reached the corridor and dashed down it. Fear ofindescribable intensity had flamed in our souls, and in a moment wefound ourselves running violently down Regent Street.