Chapter 559 Who is still brewing traditional potions?
The great potionist and dog lover, Mr. Pavlov, once said: "With humans, there are medical activities."
This is true. Since the birth of human beings, various medical activities have been carried out. Among them, the search for a universal antidote that can resist all poisons has almost run through human history.
And shamans, after extensive research, discovered that bezoar, activated charcoal, and serpentine (fossilized shark teeth) have a wide range of detoxifying properties.
Of course, this kind of "extensive" is relative, and it cannot really solve all toxins.
The potion taught by Professor Snape is also a "universal" antidote with a certain limit.
However, after seeing the ingredients on the blackboard clearly, the little wizards were a little inexplicably afraid:
Mylabris, aconitum, bitter almonds, Agkistrodon venom, puffer fish liver, long-horned toad skin...all of them are poisonous substances, each of which can poison people to death.
If you only look at the formula, it's hard not to suspect that this is not brewing a universal antidote, but preparing an ultimate mixed poison!
Taking advantage of Snape's turning his back, McMillan moved his lips slightly, and said in a thin mosquito voice:
"Is he sure he didn't make a mistake in the formula?"
If Snape confused the poison with the antidote, and took it after everyone cooked it, wouldn't that be the end of it?
Justin hesitated, and whispered: "Could this be the legendary... fighting poison with poison?"
Snape obviously didn't turn around, but as if he had eyes behind his back, he said softly:
"Is there any word you two don't know, MacMillan, Fenriely?"
The two were startled, and stood up tremblingly. Justin stammered, "Professor, we can read."
"Then what are you whispering about?" Snape turned around, his cold black eyes gleaming with fear.
Justin was too scared to speak at all, and so was McMillan.
But he suddenly remembered the little Muggle story he heard from Rove:
The old professor temporarily changed the exam time, and only one student expressed doubts in class, saying that it would affect his review of other homework.
The old professor admired the courage of the student and gave him full marks without letting him take the exam.
Maybe Snape is the same way, he doesn't like submissive little wizards, but rather rebellious students?
When Rove was in the second grade, didn't he also change the ingredients of Snape's potion, but in the end he was manipulated by the extra points? !
Thinking of this, McMillan felt evil, his head became hot, and he said loudly:
"Professor Snape, I think you are wrong, what you gave is not an antidote, but a poison formula!"
As soon as these words came out, Shi Shi was shocked!
The students all took a breath, dare to say such a thing, McMillan is not dead?
Luo Fu couldn't help but touch his forehead. Did this silly boy drink fake wine, or did he drink too much poisonous chicken soup?
Snape walked towards McMillan slowly, he stared at him, and said coldly:
"So you're questioning the potion I invented?"
"No... I just think..." McMillan couldn't help shrinking, and said:
"These magic ingredients are highly poisonous. Can the brewed potion really be used as an antidote?"
"Good, good, good!" Snape said three good things in a row, and sneered:
"I never thought I'd run into a fourth-year student who didn't understand such a simple thing about pharmacology—Scamander!—and you would answer this stupid question for me."
Rove stood up helplessly, and said softly: "Before brewing the potion, we will attenuate and detoxify the poisonous magic materials."
"What are the ways to attenuate and detoxify?"
"Heating detoxification, adding auxiliary materials to detoxify, pressing to detoxify, soaking and bleaching to detoxify, and removing the poisonous parts - through these methods, the goal of reducing toxicity can be achieved." Rove said quickly.
Without Snape's reminder, the little wizards jotted down notes.
"Twenty points for contradicting Hufflepuff, stay after school to gut the toad, McMillan."
Snape's face was close to the weeping McMillan, showing his signature sarcasm:
"If I ever hear you question my potions again, I'll make you very sorry."
In the following classes, no student dared to question Snape again. After receiving the magic materials, everyone followed the steps on the blackboard and carefully brewed the antidote.
As Rove said, before brewing the antidote, the magic material needs to be detoxified. If this step is not handled properly, the potion will become poison.
Snape had talked about how to detoxify each material, but he never said it systematically, and he only mentioned it in passing when he encountered a certain material.
Like the treatment of puffer fish liver, which can even be traced back to the first grade, who the hell remembers this? !
The little wizards had no choice but to dig through the previous notes and start to look them up one by one.
Rove and Shirley were also handling magic materials, but they didn't detoxify according to the steps taught by Snape.
Of course Snape noticed this, and he immediately stood beside the cauldron, staring at the two with dead fish eyes.
When other students saw this scene, they all had infinite admiration for Rove and Shirley.
McMillan just defied the law, and the two of them dared to commit crimes against the wind, how brave they are!
McMillan is also happy, now someone will accompany him in confinement... Hehe!
Shirley, who was handling the horned toad, was instinctively a little nervous. Rove sat beside the girl and gently held her cool hand.
Although he let go quickly, Snape still noticed, and he twitched the corners of his mouth expressionlessly, revealing a sneer.
How dare you hold hands like this in front of me... Scamander and Swinton already have a way to die!
But Snape quickly froze.
When he detoxifies the aconitum, he will add licorice and honey, and then steam it for a long time...the steps are extremely cumbersome.
And Scamander just added a potion, rinsed for a while, and then threw the aconite into the cauldron.
There was a faintly flickering silver-white steam coming out of the cauldron, which meant that the detoxification was successful... How could Scamander be so fast? !
Snape couldn't help picking up the medicine bottle and sniffing it on his hooked nose. He frowned and said, "Alum?"
"Yes, professor, I joined the alum!" Rove nodded and said:
"Alum is a double salt, which can dissociate into aluminum ions in water and absorb toxic alkaloids and glycosides. Using alum to make aconitine can precipitate aconitine in aqueous solution and accelerate the elimination of toxic substances."
"..."
Snape was stunned, aluminum ions, aconitine, alkaloids... what are these things?
After a moment of silence, his eyes flickered and he said, "Who taught you how to handle aconitum like this?"
Rove couldn't be said to be his chemistry teacher in his previous life, he thought for a while and said, "Muggles always deal with it like this.
They also invented many other chemicals for processing various magical materials, which are much more convenient than traditional processing methods. "
Snape narrowed his eyes, it seems that Muggles still have some ways.
"Professor, I've written it all down here." Rove took out a notebook, handed it to Snape and said:
"You can ask me if you don't understand... I still know a little chemistry."
"..."
Snape hesitated, but took the notebook anyway.
The whole class was in an uproar.
...
...