Since Florence Nightingale had already cut off the pumps belonging to the two water companies, there was nothing left for me to do for the moment.
However, the pumps had not been shut down through a particularly gentle or orderly procedure, so there was a fair chance that the companies might raise objections later.
After informing the committee that we would observe how the number of patients changed by tomorrow, I went out to the site myself to assess the situation.
And when I actually arrived there…
Ah, I really shouldn't laugh, but a snort kept slipping out of me.
"…She really smashed them?"
"I simply reported the facts as they were."
"No, I thought you were speaking figuratively. Or that you had merely broken the valve on the pump."
When I visited the locations where the pumps of the Southwark and Vauxhall Company and the Lambeth Company stood, I found that the pumps had been utterly demolished—so thoroughly that they could hardly have been more spectacularly destroyed.
At that moment, the director of the Southwark and Vauxhall Company, who had come to see the situation himself, approached me with a face full of discontent.
"Your Highness! We heard your request that the water supply should be cut off, and we clearly stated that we would examine the matter. But if you suddenly smash everything like this, do you realize how great the losses to our company will be?"
"So you feel wronged?"
"Of course we do!"
"Did these two not tell you that this pump was the main source spreading cholera?"
"That investigation of theirs is mistaken. Common sense tells us that drinking a little water from a pump cannot possibly spread such a dreadful disease throughout an entire city. And it is difficult for us to accept the claim that only the water supplied by our company is spreading illness."
To be fair, Florence Nightingale had charged ahead and carried out the measure immediately, skipping the formal procedures entirely. So the company did have grounds to protest.
Originally, I had intended to offer some words of consolation, perhaps compensate them reasonably, and persuade them to cooperate.
But hearing them stubbornly insist that their pump had nothing to do with cholera made that thought vanish instantly.
"Then tell me what it is you want."
"First, we would like a public apology from that madwoman who smashed our pump with a hammer. Too many people witnessed the scene, and our company's reputation has been severely damaged—"
"I was the one who ordered that this pump be smashed to pieces."
"…Pardon?"
Not only the director of the water company, but also John Snow and Nightingale, who were watching from behind, stared at me with wide eyes.
"Your Highness… I—"
"As a member of the royal family responsible for the safety of the citizens of the British Empire, and as the acting head of London's public health policy, how could I simply leave this pump untouched?"
"If that were the case, you could have merely shut it—"
"Did these two not come to explain the matter to you, only to be told not to speak such nonsense and be turned away? I ordered it smashed so that you might come to your senses. Legally speaking, during an epidemic the authorities have the right to enforce rather forceful measures if necessary. Do you have a complaint?"
"B-but there is no one hundred percent proof that this is the cause of cholera, is there? If it later turns out not to be the case…"
Then I would end up thoroughly humiliated and paying compensation for the companies' losses and damage to their reputation.
"Let me ask you the opposite. I cannot understand why you are being so obstinate. Do you even understand the situation we are facing?"
"…Pardon?"
"Do you think I would ask you to bear losses on a mere whim? More than five hundred people have already died in London, and over two thousand are ill. In the end, more than a thousand people may die. If the cause turns out to be the pumps of your company, should you not already be considering how you will deal with that?"
Ignorance, of course, is not a crime. Strictly speaking, those two companies were simply unlucky.
After all, every water company in London drew its supply in roughly the same way. The difference lay only in where the water was taken from.
But no matter how unfortunate they might be, the results that had already occurred would not simply disappear.
"Surely… if it turns out that cholera was caused by our pumps… you are saying we would bear responsibility?"
"I will not impose legal responsibility upon you. But if a thousand citizens die, and the cause becomes clear, the government will find it difficult to control the moral judgment of the public. Of course, if this proves not to be the case, I will compensate you for at least double the losses you have suffered, so do not worry about that."
If they had promised full cooperation, I might have even instructed Nightingale to offer an apology.
But things had turned out this way instead.
As I responded in a colder and firmer tone than they had expected, the representatives of the water company finally turned pale, bowed hastily, and fled.
They had likely gone to hold a meeting about how to prepare in case this truly proved to be the cause.
Somehow, I had ended up completely covering for Nightingale.
Still, certain matters had to be corrected now if we wanted to avoid trouble later.
After roughly sorting out the situation, I returned to the meeting room and summoned Nightingale and John Snow once again.
"I said what I said back there, but you both understand that what you did today was not entirely without problems, correct?"
"…Yes."
"…I am reflecting on it."
Oh? I expected that perhaps John Snow might admit fault, but I had assumed Nightingale would insist she had done nothing wrong.
That was unexpected.
"If you say you are reflecting on it, then tell me what you believe you did wrong. John Snow, you first."
"I failed to stop Miss Nightingale. Even after hearing that she had received Your Highness's permission, I should have confirmed it once more."
"No. Even if you had tried to confirm it, Nightingale would likely have smashed the pumps while you were doing so. Isn't that right?"
The moment I finished speaking, Nightingale nodded vigorously.
She said she was reflecting, but it was obvious she did not believe smashing the pump with a hammer had been wrong in the slightest.
"Look at that. Once Nightingale chose the pump as her target, there was no way you could have stopped her. So what should you have done instead?"
"…Reported it?"
"Exactly. Whether I had given permission or not, Nightingale is still your assistant. As the person supervising her, you should have reported to me what action your assistant took and how the pumps were destroyed. Of course, I know very well how overwhelmed you have been with work recently, so I will say only this much. From now on, whenever something happens, report it immediately."
"Yes! I will remember that."
In truth, Snow's only fault in this affair was a slight lapse in supervision as the responsible officer.
But if the person he was supposed to supervise was Nightingale, asking him to control her might well have been an impossible order.
So all I truly wanted was for him to report matters promptly in the future.
"Next, Miss Nightingale. You said earlier that you were reflecting. Could you tell me what exactly you are reflecting on?"
"Yes. Although I carried out the action first and intended to report afterward, my report was somewhat delayed. I believe that part was clearly my mistake."
"And why was the report delayed?"
"I became absorbed in preparing the materials Your Highness will use today. I intended to report afterward, but I misjudged the priorities. That was my fault. Next time, even if I take action first, I will make sure to report immediately."
She answered so cleanly that there was little left for me to criticize.
To be honest, even if she had smashed the pump with a hammer, I would probably have laughed it off if she had told me right away.
It was an extreme act, but that was the sort of person she was. And it was precisely that quality that had made her the historical figure whose name would endure.
I had no intention of forcibly altering that disposition.
I only hoped that, for the sake of my heart, she would at least report things quickly.
"Still, you managed to think of bringing a hammer and smashing the pumps entirely. Simply closing the valves would have sufficed. May I ask why you chose that method?"
"I believed the public required a form of shock therapy. According to the data Professor Snow and I compiled, the fact that the pumps of those two companies were spreading cholera was practically proven. Demanding scientific proof was nothing more than an excuse to evade responsibility. If someone eats spoiled food and suffers an upset stomach, and we say we should remove the spoiled food, asking for a scholarly paper proving that spoiled food causes illness would be absurd."
"So you smashed them out of anger?"
"No. If I had merely closed the valves, it would not have left much of an impression on people. If water simply stopped flowing from the pump, someone might reconnect it and continue using it. I believed it was necessary to show everyone clearly that these pumps were truly dangerous and must not be used."
So she had smashed them in broad daylight with a hammer, right before everyone's eyes.
If a graceful and beautiful young lady suddenly appeared with a hammer and began smashing a pump, it would naturally become the talk of the town.
People would inevitably begin asking why such a thing had happened, and the truth—that the water from those pumps spread cholera—would spread all the faster.
If the goal was to save even a single life, it might indeed be considered the most effective method.
"So if something similar happens again, you would not hesitate to do exactly the same thing?"
"Yes. But after causing the incident, I will report to Your Highness immediately."
"I understand your intentions, but you do realize that this country has laws and procedures, correct? Smashing a pump with a hammer could result in a fine. The court might decide that closing the valve would have been sufficient."
"Then I will pay the fine with my salary."
Nightingale nodded calmly, making it clear that she would repeat the same action as many times as necessary.
Watching this, John Snow shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead.
But what could he do?
Once a perfectly awakened zealot had emerged, a scholar like Snow had no means of restraining her.
Of course, unaware of that reality, he glanced nervously at me and tried desperately to dissuade Nightingale.
"No, no, Nightingale. I admire your dedication to saving lives as a fellow medical professional, but His Highness might be placed in a difficult position because of us. We should conduct ourselves carefully. Regarding the pumps, simply closing the valves would have been enough, or if we had waited just one more day, His Highness would surely have ordered their closure himself—"
"Professor, there is something I have not yet mentioned. One reason I did not close the valves was that the water company would likely have reconnected them immediately. And the reason I did not wait a day is that during that single day, at least several hundred people might have died."
"That is… true, but…"
"If my actions were excessive and I must pay a fine, so be it. But judging by the increasing number of patients, if the pumps had not been destroyed immediately, that single day would have resulted in at least two hundred additional deaths and over a thousand new patients. When placing two hundred lives on one side of the scale and the damaged reputation of a water company and a fine on the other, there is no need to think about which side outweighs the other. If anything stands in the way of saving lives, I will not hesitate to break it. If you believe that disqualifies me as a medical professional, you may dismiss me."
Overwhelmed by the conviction radiating from this pure white zealot, John Snow could only sigh.
But for me, seeing her true nature so clearly for the first time actually pleased me.
"Do not worry so much. Considering your noble purpose of saving lives, I can endure a little trouble on your behalf. However, this incident should serve as a lesson in the importance of reporting. Therefore I will impose a disciplinary measure appropriate to that purpose. You have no objections?"
"No."
"Understood."
"Good. Rewards and punishments must be clear. Those who achieve merit must be rewarded, and those who commit faults must be punished. In this case, both merit and fault are evident, so I will announce the appropriate measures afterward. But first, let us see how the number of cholera patients changes tomorrow."
If the results were good, some of the fault could be offset.
But it would also be dangerous to give the impression that good results alone justified everything.
Finding the proper balance between those two was essential.
And to determine that balance, how this incident ultimately concluded mattered more than anything else.
And as expected—
The very next day after the pumps of the two companies were shut down,
for the first time since cholera had begun spreading in earnest, the number of new patients was recorded as having decreased.