signs of carrying the disease, he would put the two men in a lifeboat and set them adrift. Torres assured Allnut that Muñoz’s symptoms weren’t a sign of infection, but rather the result of an uncontrolled case of malaria. The lie seemed to satisfy the gruff first mate, but Muñoz knew the truth: the Luminal may have slowed its progress, but there was no doubt he was infected.
It was under these conditions that the two doctors hit upon an idea as to how to cure Muñoz. Using the Luminal, Muñoz would be placed in a deep state of unconsciousness, and then he would be alternatively immersed in hot and cold water for extended periods. It was hoped that the unconscious state would protect the brain from pain, while the hot and cold baths would act to kill whatever pathogen caused the disease, much like the process of pasteurization. It was a risky procedure, but one Torres thought he could handle on his own, using the equipment at hand.
What happened to Muñoz following the injection, Muñoz himself could not say, but Torres recorded the treatment in detail in his journal. After assuring himself that the subject was unconscious and failed to react to stimuli, Torres immersed the patient into a bath of seawater. Though not anywhere near freezing, the seawater was cold enough to slowly drop body temperature. After an hour, Muñoz’s body began to show the early signs of hypothermia, but Torres did nothing and let the body drop even colder, well below what was normally considered safe. Then he pulled the body from the tub and slid it into another tub, this one filled with water at extremely high temperatures, near boiling. While immersed in this bath, Muñoz’s head was wrapped with cool wet towels. After twenty minutes in the hot bath, Muñoz’s body temperature began to rise above a safe level, and Torres plunged him back into the cold water tub. This alternating process of cold and hot water treatments was repeated four times in about five hours. Afterwards, Torres wrapped the body in moist bandages and made sure the man remained unconscious for another twenty hours.
The next day, Muñoz awoke feeling tired but relatively pain-free. He had no fever and it appeared that the treatment, as radical as it was, had been successful. The only issue was a lingering odor of spoiled milk, which seemed to come directly from his skin. Torres theorized that the moist bandages had contributed to a dermal yeast infection. Regardless, there was no trace of infection, and Muñoz was soon up on deck and taking in the sea air.
A day later they were in Casablanca. There was some concern amongst authorities that they had come from Port Clarence. Apparently the entire city had been burned to the ground with all inhabitants lost. Captain Larsen eased these concerns with a forged log book showing that they had left a week earlier than the outbreak, and a hefty bribe to the port master. Young Englehorn had performed his duties with distinction and was offered a permanent berth on the Adventura which he happily accepted. Allnut, the gruff first mate, made arrangements for the two doctors on a freighter heading to Spain, at Captain Larsen’s expense. The two doctors spent one last night with the Adventura and then transferred their meager belongings to the Susan B. Jennings. Muñoz never saw Englehorn, Captain Bull Larsen, or Allnut ever again.
The trip to Spain was uneventful, though the doctors spent considerable funds preparing for their sudden return to Barcelona. Winter still gripped the region, and the two doctors had little in the way of protective clothing. Although, oddly, Muñoz seemed not to be bothered by the chilly breezes that blew across the Mediterranean Sea. Indeed, if anything, he was more comfortable at temperatures that would make other men shiver. This strange adaptation to a cooler climate, coupled with the milky odor, were the only discernable after-effects of the infection and subsequent treatment. Such aberrations seemed
It was under these conditions that the two doctors hit upon an idea as to how to cure Muñoz. Using the Luminal, Muñoz would be placed in a deep state of unconsciousness, and then he would be alternatively immersed in hot and cold water for extended periods. It was hoped that the unconscious state would protect the brain from pain, while the hot and cold baths would act to kill whatever pathogen caused the disease, much like the process of pasteurization. It was a risky procedure, but one Torres thought he could handle on his own, using the equipment at hand.
What happened to Muñoz following the injection, Muñoz himself could not say, but Torres recorded the treatment in detail in his journal. After assuring himself that the subject was unconscious and failed to react to stimuli, Torres immersed the patient into a bath of seawater. Though not anywhere near freezing, the seawater was cold enough to slowly drop body temperature. After an hour, Muñoz’s body began to show the early signs of hypothermia, but Torres did nothing and let the body drop even colder, well below what was normally considered safe. Then he pulled the body from the tub and slid it into another tub, this one filled with water at extremely high temperatures, near boiling. While immersed in this bath, Muñoz’s head was wrapped with cool wet towels. After twenty minutes in the hot bath, Muñoz’s body temperature began to rise above a safe level, and Torres plunged him back into the cold water tub. This alternating process of cold and hot water treatments was repeated four times in about five hours. Afterwards, Torres wrapped the body in moist bandages and made sure the man remained unconscious for another twenty hours.
The next day, Muñoz awoke feeling tired but relatively pain-free. He had no fever and it appeared that the treatment, as radical as it was, had been successful. The only issue was a lingering odor of spoiled milk, which seemed to come directly from his skin. Torres theorized that the moist bandages had contributed to a dermal yeast infection. Regardless, there was no trace of infection, and Muñoz was soon up on deck and taking in the sea air.
A day later they were in Casablanca. There was some concern amongst authorities that they had come from Port Clarence. Apparently the entire city had been burned to the ground with all inhabitants lost. Captain Larsen eased these concerns with a forged log book showing that they had left a week earlier than the outbreak, and a hefty bribe to the port master. Young Englehorn had performed his duties with distinction and was offered a permanent berth on the Adventura which he happily accepted. Allnut, the gruff first mate, made arrangements for the two doctors on a freighter heading to Spain, at Captain Larsen’s expense. The two doctors spent one last night with the Adventura and then transferred their meager belongings to the Susan B. Jennings. Muñoz never saw Englehorn, Captain Bull Larsen, or Allnut ever again.
The trip to Spain was uneventful, though the doctors spent considerable funds preparing for their sudden return to Barcelona. Winter still gripped the region, and the two doctors had little in the way of protective clothing. Although, oddly, Muñoz seemed not to be bothered by the chilly breezes that blew across the Mediterranean Sea. Indeed, if anything, he was more comfortable at temperatures that would make other men shiver. This strange adaptation to a cooler climate, coupled with the milky odor, were the only discernable after-effects of the infection and subsequent treatment. Such aberrations seemed
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