Naturellement, vous savez ce que c'est, Rieux ? - J'attends le résultat des analyses. - Moi, je le sais. Et je n'ai pas besoin d'analyses. You are a part of your career in China, and you are still in Paris, and you are still alive. After all, it's only a matter of time, so the moment... Et puis, comme disait un confrere: "It's impossible, but the world is the same as the accident." Allons, Rieux, vous savez also bien que moi ce que c'est... - Oui, Castel, dit-il, c'est à peine croyable. But the whole thing is still there.
In the dialogue between Rieux and Castel, concerns arise about a disease they suspect is the plague. Castel explains that he doesn't need laboratory tests to confirm the diagnosis because he's seen the disease before during his career in China and Paris. He points out that while it was generally assumed the plague had disappeared in the Western world, this wasn't the case for the victims who died from it. Rieux hesitantly confirms the shocking reality that the plague does indeed appear to be back.
This conversation offers a compelling glimpse into the moments of discovery and recognition in the medical world when the plague resurfaced, and raises questions about the trust in previous medical assumptions. Inner tension and fear are palpably presented in this exchange of knowledge and experience.