Semmelweis Ignaz Semmelweis discovered the effectiveness of "handwashing" and provided abundant scientific evidence showing that it could reduce mortality rates to under one percent. However, this method was not accepted by the medical establishment of the time; in fact, some doctors were angered and mocked him for it. In 1865, Semmelweis fell into a nervous breakdown and was committed to a psychiatric ward. There, he died of pyemia at the age of 47, as a result of injuries inflicted on him by a guard.
Scales This is a short story that was once published in a horror mystery manga magazine. I've forgotten the title and the author. A female university student whose hobby was scuba diving notices one day that she has scale-like growths on her skin. She consults a dermatologist, but the cause is unknown, and the scales continue to spread rapidly. They spread to areas she cannot hide with clothes—her toes, her fingertips, and even her face. Before she knows it, the protagonist's face has become that of an expressionless fish, and her legs have turned into a tail fin. She has transformed into a giant fish in her own bedroom. Sensing something is wrong, her parents rush into her room. Seeing their daughter (a fish) flopping about on the floor, the mother holds her face and cries, "Kanami! No, this can't be!" The father embraces the daughter who has turned into a fish, saying, "It's all right, calm down, Kanami!" The scene shifts, and the protagonist, now a fish, is inside a giant water tank. The parents are cheerful, saying, "You're safe now, Kanami," and "We can be together forever from now on." The protagonist herself feels no sadness at having turned into a fish; instead, she thinks: *(I'm so glad. Mom, Dad, and Kairi... we can live together forever from now on.)* *(I'm so happy... I am blessed.)* Her mind is filled with peace.
Movie "Crash" From a part of the movie "Crash" (spoilers ahead). Graham is an earnest man who rose up from poverty to become a Los Angeles Police Department detective. His younger brother has a bad reputation, repeatedly committing thefts and having three prior convictions, before running away from home and going missing. Their mother cares much more about the younger brother than her successful older son, Graham. She also suffers from dementia, and whenever they meet, all she asks is, "Have you found your younger brother yet?" Meanwhile, Graham investigates a murder scene, only to discover that the victim is his younger brother. Worn out with grief, Graham vows to his mother, "I promise I'll find the killer." The mother replies, "I already know who the killer is. You killed him, Graham. Because you didn't look for him."
Short-Shorts Plaza: The Itako Story A short story found in "Short-Shorts Plaza." A famous *itako* (a blind female spiritual medium) appears as a guest on a variety show. However, a talent who doesn't believe in unscientific things says to her, "If that's true, try summoning my old lady." The itako replies, "Are you sure you really want me to summon her?" Talent: "Yeah, I don't care." Itako: "Understood... It will take a little time... You unfilial wretch (muttering)." A few minutes later, the itako summons a spirit claiming to be the talent's mother. Talent: "Ha, you fell for it! My mother is alive and well!" Just at that moment, the director receives a phone call. It turns out that the show cast member's mother has just died in an accident.
There Was a Monster in the Forest A short animated film I saw a long time ago. Kind animals live in a peaceful forest. However, lately, they have been hearing rumors that humans are saying, "It sounds like there is a monster in this forest," and everyone is feeling uneasy. "What kind of thing is a monster, I wonder?" "It's probably huge! Much, much bigger than Mr. Bear!" "I know! If all of us pretend to be an even bigger monster, can't we chase the monster out of the forest?" Thinking this is a brilliant idea, all the animals in the forest decide to cooperate. A boar on top of a bear, a deer on top of the boar, rabbits on top of the deer, birds on top of the rabbits—piling on top of one another, the animals try to form a giant "monster." "Ugh, it's so heavy..." "But if we don't get bigger, the monster will get us..." From top to bottom, even more animals gather, forming a bizarre, gigantic body. "It hurts... It hurts..." "More... More... More..." A few days later. A hunter enters the forest in search of game, but what appears before him is not an animal, but a gigantic "monster" with countless, sanity-lopsided eyes glowing in the dark. With a terrifying roar, it swings its arm down toward the hunter. Against the backdrop of a distant view of the forest, the narrator speaks a single line: "There was a monster in the forest."
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