The Doctor and the Devils Page #2

You thought it was the femoral.

Good. The bleeding's stopped.

Start stitching.

You'll be all right now, Billy.

Smaller stitches, for God sake, Harry.

You're not repairing an old boot.

It's a human artery.

How the deuce did you discover that artery?

Knowledge, Harry.

You were taught anatomy

by self-satisfied pompous idiots,

who cared more about morality

than medicine.

Macklin is the most distinguished

professor of anatomy at the University.

He was senile before he reached puberty.

The whole medical reputation

of this city is consigned to a man

who reads his grandfather's

lectures for his own

and dissects

like a laborer with a pick ax.

Harry, do you realize the progress

that could be made in medicine

if we were to be given free access...

- To what?

- Teaching material. Bodies.

But the law says...

The law says that you as a surgeon

must possess a high degree of skill.

How are you to obtain that skill?

By mangling the living,

like we nearly did with Billy Bedlam?

Look at these hands, Harry.

Do you agree they're talented?

- Undoubtedly.

But what good are they handcuffed?

Bound by ridiculous laws

that shackle them?

I am only allowed, by law,

to dissect the corpses

of hanged criminals.

Do you know what my quota is

if I'm lucky? Five!

Apart from that, I have to make due

with desiccated, shriveled,

rotting cadavers that the maggots

find out more about than I ever will.

The law must be changed.

Hey, you, we've been here hours!

Nobody tells you a bloody thing

in this place.

We wanna know how Billy is!

- Billy's my brother.

- Yeah, and I'm a friend, Jennie Bailey.

Is Billy still alive?

What are they doing to him?

He's been very lucky.

He's been attended by Dr. Rock.

- Dr. Rock?

- Oh. Oh, God.

Dr. Rock's the one that cuts 'em up.

Billy's dead.

On the contrary. Dr. Rock not only saved

your brother's life, he saved his leg.

He didn't cut Billy's leg off?

But we thought for sure...

- Who are you, anyway?

- I'm Dr. Rock's assistant.

Come on, Alice, let's get out of here.

Let's go back to Pig's Lane

where we can breathe.

Thank you.

- Good evening, sir.

- Shh.

- Ms. Rock wishes to speak with you.

- Thank you, Molly.

Good evening, Thomas.

Thomas, can you spare me

a moment of your time?

A hundred, my dear Annabella.

All my time is at your disposal.

I've something important to discuss.

I'm arranging a small

dinner party for you.

For me?

It may very well be the last,

if what I hear in the city is true.

I smell vinegar in here tonight.

Will you look at these invitations?

Because I may have forgotten someone.

A fortunate someone.

There's no need to be contemptuous

of the celebration

that's been planned in your own honor.

I hear the medical faculty's

going to investigate you.

Your whole professional life

may be at stake.

Look, why aren't

Dr. and Mrs. Gordon invited?

Mrs. Gordon won't sit at table with her.

- My wife.

- I could never understand

why you didn't keep that girl

somewhere as your mistress,

instead of bringing her here to this house,

legalizing your shabby amours.

No self-respecting person would be

willing to sit in the presence

of a woman who draws

those... vile,

obscene drawings.

Elizabeth works for me

under my instructions.

They're filthy, disgusting.

Thomas.

Is this the place

where I can see nude drawings?

You've been speaking to your sister.

Now you're losing your temper again.

No. Society has been losing

its temper with me.

Society? That's a lot of people.

Be careful. They're your friends.

I don't need any friends. I prefer enemies.

They're better company, and their feelings

toward you are always genuine.

Thomas, don't be angry.

Thomas, what is it?

Have I drawn something incorrectly?

No.

It's just that it reminds me

of... someone I love.

Open that door, Rosie!

All right, all right. I'm coming.

Yes?

- Is this where Jennie Bailey lives?

- Who wants her?

- My name's Dr. Murray.

Oh, come in, come in.

Nice to see one of my girls

going up in the world.

Jennie? She might be busy.

Come in. Jennie?

Whatever you're doing, stop it.

There's a gentleman here to see you.

- I don't know any gentleman.

- Come on, girl.

Oh, he's no gentleman, he's a doctor.

There's no dead bodies here.

You left your shawl at the academy

last week.

Oh, we thought

someone had nicked it.

It's only half mine. The other half belongs

to Alice. We take turns wearing it.

- I hope tonight it's your turn.

- Yeah.

I'd like to thank you for it, know what I mean?

But Rosie's very strict.

Still, if you've got two bob

we can go in back.

- Good night.

- I didn't... I didn't come here to...

I just wanted to see you.

- My time costs you two bob.

She grabs nine pence,

but I'll take off all my clothes.

Here's a sovereign.

Sovereign?

How long do you want me for, a week?

I just want to talk to you.

- Just talk?

- Come on.

I'm paying for your time.

Wish I could find someone

that only wanted to talk.

Will you stop that coughing,

you miserable little swine?

Get up and pay us

the rent you owe us.

Seven sovereigns they give

for a corpse when its dug up new.

Seven sovereigns.

Seven sovereigns

for gin and pies, then?

You mad dog!

Nelly, eh, scrape up a penny

or two for a drop for us?

Huh? Come on.

There's plenty of ways, lovey.

Why don't you dig one up yourself?

You're frightened of the dark.

Fresh berries.

Fresh berries.

Knives to grind.

- You're still seeing that Dr. Murray, then?

- Yeah.

Why do you treat him so badly, Jen?

Oh, but, Alice, I'm so very fond of him.

I like him better than any man

in the whole world.

- Then why do you carry on in front of his eyes?

- I don't, I don't.

Letting him see you walk out

with any Tom, Dick, and Harry.

- I don't know any Harry.

- Oh, Jen.

- What do you want?

- Can we feel your tits for a penny?

Oh! Let's see the penny.

Go on! Go waste your money

on somebody else!

Look at those drunken sods,

not a penny to their names.

I warned 'em, I begged 'em.

If they'd bottled all the stars in heaven,

they'd piss it away in a night.

Nelly, Nelly.

Give us a kiss, darling.

Oh, your breath stinks of gin.

Where the hell did you get the money

to pay for that?

New lodgers, that's how.

Rents in advance, that's how!

Hey, you poxy cur, what about us?

- Seven sovereigns, he said.

- Yeah.

Seven sovereigns.

Fresh, he says.

Seven sovereigns for fresh.

Fresh in here, Fallon.

Now fresh in here.

Oh, Daniel.

Eh?

Have the rent you owe us, Daniel?

Eh? Five shillings you owe us now.

Do you have the money?

Ah, he's worth more to us dead.

Do you remember them days

in the war, Broom? And the militia?

Hospital orderlies Fallon and Broom, eh?

God, how I loved them days.

Hey, do you remember the boys

they brought in from the field

with their arms

and their legs shot away, huh?

Holes in their stomachs

the size of the moon.

Them surgeons

were kind, clever men, eh?

Wait, Fallon, wait. Wait, wait.

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