Mystery at Girton
Disclaimer: Lucy Pevensie and her siblings, together with all other characters and places from the Chronicles of Narnia are the creation of C. S. Lewis. Cambridge University and its associated colleges, including Girton are real places, but all the staff and students depicted herein are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 6: Brains and Cauliflower Cheese
Addenbrooke's Hospital in Trumpington Street was the largest hospital in Cambridge and the home of the University Medical School. It was a fairly spacious Victorian building that had quite a chequered history, the original building having been pulled down in the middle of the last century and the present edifice constructed on the same site. Although this present building was much larger than its earlier incarnation, its use in this new era of the National Health Service had already outgrown current space and plans were underway for a new hospital at a different location.
But neither the hospital's past or future concerned Lucy or Sumita as they went in through the Main Entrance and made their way to one of the Medical School's lecture theatres. They had already attended lectures here as part of their Anatomy and Physiology course, but today was of unusual significance. Today they would be watching a complete human dissection and Sumita was feeling nervous about it.
"I'm really not sure how I'll cope with this, Lucy," she said.
"Well you must have done dissections at school," Lucy reminded her. "It can't be that different."
"Yes, but they were animals, not human beings," Sumita replied. "That does make a difference. I'm worried I might be sick or faint, especially with Johnson there. He wouldn't hesitate to make a big thing out of that!"
"Try not to worry about it," Lucy advised her. "The more nervous you are, the more likely it is you'll react badly. Try to think about something nice."
"Like what?" Sumita asked. "And please don't say boys!"
Lucy laughed. "I wasn't going to! Try thinking about the Sunday after next, we're going to a Sung Eucharist at King's with Peter, remember?"
Sumita smiled. She had been excited when Lucy had arranged the trip with her brother and had cheerfully put up with her friend teasing her about fancying Peter.
"I'm looking forward to it," she admitted. "I think my uncle has some gramophone recordings by that choir. I've only heard snatches of them but they did sound lovely."
"It sounds even better when you're actually there," Lucy told her. "I don't think even the best gramophone recordings can properly capture a musical performance, especially with church music. The acoustic is such an important part of the experience."
The girl's discussion was cut short by the arrival of the other pharmacology students. Mark Lewisham greeted the two girls pleasantly, as did a few of the other boys. Lucy could not remember all their names, but it encouraged her that more of the male students were now accepting of them.
Mortimer Johnson was there as well of course, looking as immaculately dressed and as arrogant as ever. Lucy had not had much contact with him since that afternoon in the lab when he had been so rude to Sumita. He had been keeping out of her way and Lucy had been quite happy with that situation. When he addressed her though, she realised it had been too good to last.
"Here all bright and early, eh Pevensie?" he sneered. Apart from a brief contemptuous glance he completely ignored Sumita. "Should be interesting today, although it's bound to be a bit much for a girl. Don't worry though, I'll be ready to catch you when you swoon!"
"That's very gallant of you, Johnson!" Lucy's smile and tone of voice were positively mocking. "But you never know. Maybe you'll be the one who swoons into my arms!"
The other young men burst into laughter. Mark grinned and winked at her but Johnson turned a furious red, obviously not liking being made fun of like this.
"Oh very funny, Pevensie!" he snapped at her. "Just wait until the dissection starts then we'll see how you take it. You're just a …"
But Lucy never found out what she was because at that moment they were called to enter the lecture theatre.
They had never been in this room before and the first thing Lucy noticed was the strong smell of disinfectant. The next thing, which occasioned hushed whispering from the students, was the large table at the centre of the amphitheatre of benches. A large white sheet was spread over it, covering what was clearly a body. Surrounding the dissection table were smaller tables and trolleys holding trays of menacing looking instruments.
The students took their places on the benches; as usual Lucy sat near the front with Sumita on her left and Mark on her right. The lecturer, who Lucy remembered was called Professor Goldberg, was already in front of the dissection table, waiting for them to settle down.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" he said.
There was a murmur of response fro the assembled students.
"As you are probably aware, today you will be watching a human dissection. This is not something that is required for pharmacology students in some universities, but a basic knowledge of human anatomy is essential for any medical discipline, and I have always felt that actually observing the structure of the body at first hand is the best way of inculcating such understanding."
He looked over the assembled students and smiled before continuing. "Now I realise that most, if not all of you, will never have seen anything like this before and it could be upsetting for some people. For this reason a bucket has been placed outside the door. If you are going to be sick, try to be sick there rather than in the theatre and both I and the hospital cleaners will thank you!"
There was rather weak laughter from a few people. Lucy felt that he wasn't really trying that hard to reassure the more nervous students. She didn't have any real qualms about watching the dissection herself, but she knew Sumita was quite nervous, and Mark looked a little tense as well.
Without any further introduction, the lecturer pulled the sheet away from the prone body, eliciting a few gasps from the audience. Lying on the slab was the nude body of a thin elderly woman who looked to have been in her early sixties.
"This is a sixty three year old woman who died recently from accidental poisoning." Reaching under the corpse he raised the body slightly to show the darkened colour of the back and thighs. "Notice the marked darkening of the skin, known as lividity, in the lower parts of the body. Blood cells, without the action of the heart, will naturally sink to the lowest areas. Notice also that the shoulders and buttocks are not affected, as the capillaries of areas in contact with a hard surface are compressed."
Turning to a nearby tray of instruments, he picked up a scalpel. "Now we will begin with dissection of the abdominal cavity."
He made a large incision, from the base of the sternum to the crotch. Taking hold of the edges, he pulled the incision open to reveal the glistening viscera.
The dissection proceeded, the lecturer removing organs for examination and weighing, commenting on their general condition and discussing their function and structure. Lucy found it fascinating and the gristly aspect of the proceedings did not disturb her in the least. She had seen enough blood and entrails on the battlefield in Narnia not to be affected by this demonstration, which in contrast was clinical and emotionless. Of course in Narnia she had little time for a scientific examination of dismembered corpses; in the middle of a battle you are mainly concerned with avoiding ending up in that condition yourself.
The only thing that disturbed her a little was the casual way Goldberg handled the woman's body. After removing the liver and commenting that it showed significant signs of cirrhosis he casually tossed it onto the weighing scales. Lucy couldn't help feeling he should be more respectful; although this woman was now dead this had still once been a human being.
Fascinating as the dissection was, Lucy found it difficult to focus her full attention on it, as the reactions of her fellow students were equally interesting. A couple had already rushed to the bucket outside the door and promptly lost their breakfasts. One young man had fainted and was slumped down in his seat. Looking to her left, Lucy saw that Sumita was very pale and swallowing repeatedly, trying to hold on to her own breakfast, but she was valiantly trying to keep her composure. On her right, Mark had turned a rather sickly green colour and was coughing harshly but he also appeared to be coping.
Having finished with the abdomen, Professor Goldberg began to dissect the chest, using a bone saw to cut through the sternum and reveal the heart and lungs. This proved to be too much for Johnson, who bolted from his seat and headed for the door. Judging by the sounds he made, he was being violently sick. Although she knew it was rather unkind, Lucy couldn't restrain the small chuckle that escaped her; she felt it wasn't really proper to take pleasure in someone else's distress, but Johnson had been so unpleasant it was impossible not to. She shared a brief smile with Sumita and Mark, noticing that both of them looked a bit more composed.
The final part of the dissection was an examination of the brain. After separating the scalp, the lecturer use a rotary saw to cut open the skull and reveal the brain, still covered with its tough protective membrane. Lucy had to admit this did make her a trifle queasy; she had seen brains before of course, but they had been splattered across a battlefield from someone's head being bashed in by a giant's club. The sight of a whole brain, cerebrospinal fluid glistening on its convolutions, being removed from someone's skull, was rather different and a little disturbing.
Picking up a scalpel, he neatly cut the brain in half, separating the two hemispheres. Sumita made a gagging noise at this, and a quick glance from Lucy showed that her friend's face had turned a horrible grey colour but she was still just managing to remain in control of herself. She turned her attention back to the lecturer, who was pointing out the arched structure of the corpus callosum and the location of the pituitary gland, as well as the frond like arrangement of white matter within the cerebellum.
After this the lecture ended. Lucy found she had produced eight pages of notes, and glancing round decided she had probably done better than most. The majority of students had trouble just sitting through the dissection without fainting and had little inclination to try and get anything on paper.
Together with Mark and Sumita she climbed the steps to the entrance. Just outside the lecture theatre they met Mortimer Johnson, who was looking pale and ill and reeked of vomit.
"Feeling better, are you?" Lucy inquired sweetly.
He glared at her but said nothing.
"Never mind Johnson, at least you didn't faint," Mark observed sarcastically.
Sumita couldn't resist joining in.
"Perhaps it was something you ate," she suggested. "Surely a little thing like a dissection couldn't have upset a superior Englishman like you. Whatever happened to the famous stiff upper lip?"
"You shut your mouth, you filthy wog whore!" Johnson snarled at her.
Lucy and Mark both started shouting angrily but Sumita did not get upset as she had done that previous time in the lab. Eyes blazing with fury she stepped forward and viciously slapped Johnson across the face.
The force of the blow sent him staggering against the wall, almost knocking him off his feet. He stared at her in disbelief, rubbing his stinging face for a moment before reacting.
"You little bitch!" he screamed. He flung himself at Sumita, but Mark was too quick for him.
Seizing hold of Johnson, he twisted an arm behind him and pushed him back, pinning him against the wall.
"Let me go, Lewisham!" the blond boy yelled. "You saw what she did!"
"Yes, and I heard what you said!" Mark responded. "You bloody well deserved that slap Johnson, now back off!"
Johnson struggled to free himself but it was futile; Mark was too strong. After a moment he gave up and relaxed. Mark released him but was clearly poised to intervene again if necessary.
"We've had enough of you Johnson!" he said sternly. "Just clear off!"
Johnson glared at him resentfully but did not reply. He turned on his heel and strode off down the hospital corridor.
"Are you alright, Sumita?" Mark asked, turning back to the Indian girl.
She nodded and smiled at him. "I'm fine. Thanks Mark!"
"Oh it was nothing!" He shrugged modestly.
"I think you rather enjoyed that," Lucy said.
"Oh I did!" Mark admitted. "I've been itching for a chance to take that stuck up twit down a peg or two!"
"I think the dissection did that!" Sumita laughed.
Mark grinned. "True, although none of us were all that comfortable, apart from Lucy."
"That's right!" Sumita said. "It hardly seemed to bother you at all Lucy. It's as though you've seen it all before."
This put Lucy in rather a difficult position. Although she had not seen a human dissection before, she had seen equally grisly sights, but could hardly explain those circumstances to her friends.
"I suppose I must just have a strong stomach," she said uncomfortably.
"You're the best of us!" Mark said admiringly, making Lucy blush. "But I've got to be going now. I'll see you tomorrow girls."
He strode off down the corridor, turning round for a moment to wave at them. Lucy waved back then turning to Sumita found her friend smirking at her.
"What's so amusing?" she asked.
"I think Mark fancies you!"
"What?" Lucy stared at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am!" Sumita declared. "He's already started paying you compliments!"
There was a glint in Sumita's eye and Lucy suddenly realised she was getting her revenge for being teased about Peter.
"Oh I don't know," she said. "I think he might actually fancy you! I mean look how quickly he leapt to your defence!"
"He was just being a gentleman." Sumita said defensively.
"But surely that's every girl's fantasy," Lucy teased her. "A knight in shining armour, ready to protect her!"
She knew quite well she was being a bit hypocritical as it certainly wasn't her fantasy. If anyone had said she wanted such a thing she would have maintained – quite correctly of course- that she was more than capable of looking after herself. But teasing her friend was so much fun, Lucy was prepared to overlook that little detail.
"You're just twisting things around," Sumita said. "Mark obviously admires you and he's a really nice boy. You could do a lot worse, Lucy!"
"The last thing I need at the moment is a boyfriend," Lucy replied. A rather wicked idea suddenly came to her. Lucy knew she shouldn't but it was too tempting to resist. "Actually, what I need most at the moment is lunch."
Sumita grimaced. "I'm not sure I can face any food after that dissection!"
"Well we have to eat," Lucy said reasonably. "In fact there's a restaurant near here I've heard about that I wanted to go to. They have a special dish I wanted to try."
"What is it?" Sumita asked curiously.
Lucy grinned mischievously. "Calves brains in red wine!"
"Ugh!" Sumita's face twisted into an expression of revulsion. She raised her Anatomy textbook above her head threateningly. "Lucy!"
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Lucy said hurriedly, cowering in mock fear. "Don't kill me, please!"
"Oh you're just wicked, Lucy!" Sumita lowered the book, looking at her friend reproachfully.
"I do my best!" Lucy said innocently.
She caught Sumita's eye and a second later the two of them burst out laughing.
"Honestly though I really do want some lunch," Lucy said, after they had calmed down. "Something simple though, how about steak and kidney pudding?"
"Please, nothing with offal in it." Sumita looked distinctly queasy at the thought.
"Cauliflower cheese?" Lucy suggested, hoping something without meat would go down better.
"No! Not cauliflower!" Sumita protested. "The shape of cauliflower reminds me to much of… well of brains!"
"Oh dear!" Lucy said faintly, thinking she wasn't going to get any lunch at all at this rate. "Shepherd's Pie?" she suggested, without much hope.
To her surprise, Sumita seemed to consider this. "All right," she said at last. Noticing Lucy's surprise she explained, "well it might have got meat in it but there's no offal and no shape to remind me of anything!"
"Well thank goodness for that!" Lucy said in relief. "I was afraid for a bit we'd end up starving to death! Come on, it isn't far." She saw Sumita hesitate. "And don't worry, they don't actually serve brains!"
"I'm glad to hear it!" Sumita exclaimed. "Well, lead on McDuff!"
"It's lay on McDuff, actually," Lucy corrected her as they walked along the corridor. "Everyone gets that wrong."
"Pedant!" Sumita muttered under her breath.
But she was smiling affectionately at her best friend as she followed her out of the hospital and onto the streets of Cambridge.