"That there are such tiny creatures," If germs could be called such. "That cause illness instead of imbalance of the body's own fluids or smelly air."

He wouldn't have believed it himself if he hadn't read the medical texts. "Such things would've been considered falsehoods in my world, simply because they wouldn't have been able to see the proof."

Rather good for the mind, he believed, especially an old one like is. The mind risked loosing everything if not for the chance to stretch or expand, and learning about new and elaborated medical practices.

It also likely proved a welcome distraction. "With them, we were lucky to save as many as we have."