Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Lamark’s Shock
Mr. Lamark immediately took a small knife and a copper basin out of his leather case and said to Perna, “Prepare to bleed the Crown Prince.”
Joseph firmly objected, “Stop! I strictly forbid you from bleeding him…”
Mr. Lamark, seeing his feeble expression, seriously said, “Your Highness, I must do this. If the fever lasts too long, it could lead to serious consequences!”
Joseph struggled to grab a bendable knife, but Mr. Lamark added, “If you refuse treatment, I will have to report this to Her Majesty the Queen.”
Joseph felt a headache coming on as he pondered how to convince the hardliner, when he saw Mr. Laseny enter, holding a glass bottle.
“Your Highness, here is the item you requested.” Mr. Laseny seemed somewhat guilty as he handed over the bottle, stammering, “It might be, slightly impure…”
Joseph glanced at the grey, viscous substance in the bottle. Upon opening the lid, he immediately smelled the scent of alcohol and thought bitterly, was this just “slightly” impure? Still, he consoled the doctor, “It’s your first attempt; this is already very good. Thank you very much.”
Joseph was about to take the Salicin when a thought struck him. He looked at Mr. Lamark and asked, “Mr. Lamark, if I accept your bloodletting treatment, how long before the fever breaks?”
Mr. Lamark pondered for a moment and replied, “Perhaps the body temperature could return to normal by tonight, or maybe by tomorrow morning.”
Joseph lifted the glass bottle as a sign, “With the medicine I’ve prepared, the fever will break within an hour.”
Mr. Lamark felt his professional dignity being challenged and immediately shook his head, “Your Highness, your pneumonia has not been controlled, and in my knowledge of medicine, there is nothing that can break a fever so quickly.”
He was a fellow of the French Academy of Sciences, a renowned European biologist and medical scientist, the first to propose theories of “biological evolution” and “natural selection,” and also among France’s top physicians; he had full confidence to make this claim.
Joseph smiled wearily, “Then let’s make a bet. If my fever breaks within an hour, you must never bleed me again.”
Mr. Lamark was momentarily taken aback, then confidently nodded, “Very well, Your Highness. If your medicine isn’t so effective, you must not refuse any treatment from a physician henceforth.”
“Deal!”
Joseph poured out a spoonful of Salicin, threw it back, and swallowed. The taste was very bitter, with a heavy alcohol bite that made him retch.
Mr. Lamark meticulously took out his pocket watch and indicated to Joseph, “Your Highness, it is now 4:21 pm.”
Joseph nodded. He wanted to sleep a bit more, but with three people, including a girl, standing by his bed, he felt awkward. So he got up instead and began discussing the purification of Salicin with Mr. Laseny.
Listening on the side, Mr. Lamark heard that the medicine was made from the bark of willow trees. He couldn’t help but shake his head. The British had researched the medicinal properties of willow bark more than ten years ago; while it did have antipyretic effects, it required continuous use for several days to be effective.
Moreover, the substance was not stomach-friendly. Many people gave up due to stomach pains before it could reduce their fever.
Nevertheless, he was extremely impressed with the Crown Prince’s experimental theoretical knowledge, which far surpassed that of his own students. If the Crown Prince devoted himself to pharmaceuticals or experimental science, he would certainly achieve great things.
In reality, Joseph was only modestly skilled in this area, having only been lightly influenced by a chemistry major roommate back in his university dormitory, but that made him seem quite professional in the eighteenth century.
“So, by precipitating, the cooling can be done faster…”
Joseph was in the midst of talking when he suddenly stopped, rubbed his forehead, and smilingly said to Mr. Lamark, “Mr. Lamark, I believe my fever has already subsided.”
Mr. Lamark was listening intently to him about the experiment, nearly forgetting the matter at hand. He rushed to look at his pocket watch, 4:58 p.m., just 37 minutes after the Crown Prince had taken the medicine.
He then looked at Joseph and noticed a gleam in his eyes. He quickly bowed slightly as a sign and reached out to touch his forehead. It was indeed no longer hot!
“Perna, the thermometer.”
Mr. Lamark took the thermometer, placed it in the Crown Prince’s mouth, waited for a while, then personally took it out to look. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
36.8 degrees Celsius!
His temperature had returned to normal!
“How, how is this possible?!” he murmured to himself, then suddenly grabbed Joseph’s shoulders excitedly, “Your Highness, was what you just drank really an extract of willow bark?”
Joseph smiled and nodded.
“I didn’t expect the purified effect to be this good!” Stars seemed to twinkle in Mr. Lamark’s eyes, “Your Highness, if the effects of the medicine are stable, this is definitely an epoch-making drug! May I try to produce this medicine?”
“Of course. Let Mr. Laseny explain the details to you.”
“I can hardly express my gratitude to you!” said Mr. Lamark, bowing deeply to Joseph, frantically pulling out his notebook to find Mr. Laseny, then turning back to ask, “Your Highness, did you invent this medicine?”
“This…” Joseph was taken aback, then casually replied, “Ah, surely it must have been Divine inspiration that led me to a flash of insight.”
Oh, my Lord! Mr. Lamark was shocked inwardly, could the Crown Prince truly be a God-favored son? To think of such a potion simply from a flash of insight!
But grounded in scientific rigor, he believed extensive experiments were still necessary to truly confirm the effects of the medicine. With that thought, he was immediately filled with fighting spirit, pulling Mr. Laseny toward the alchemy laboratory and leaving behind the message, “Perna, keep a close eye on His Highness’s condition and let me know immediately if anything arises.”
“Yes, doctor.”
…
Two days later.
After being treated with salicin, Joseph’s condition had stabilized considerably. Although he still had some coughing, there were no further instances of fever.
As he stepped into the golden doors of the east council hall in the Palace of Versailles, it wasn’t yet nine o’clock, a few minutes before the Cabinet meeting was to start.
All the Cabinet Ministers had already arrived, and when they saw the Crown Prince enter the room, they stood up to greet him.
The Minister of the Interior, Mono, even came to Joseph with a big smile, whispering, “Thank you, Your Highness. The decree dealing with Gizo was issued yesterday, making no mention of inciting riots.”
Joseph smiled, pulling him down to sit, as he had mentioned to the Queen over lunch yesterday to place all the blame solely on Gizo. Later, he had the Clerk draft a formal report, and thus the case was sealed.
While Joseph suspected that there might be more to Gizo’s case, he didn’t think it concerned Mono. Once his own intelligence agency was established, this would be the first matter to investigate.
Suddenly, Mono stood up, spread his arms, and said loudly to the crowd, “The Crown Prince’s leadership over police reform has achieved impressive results. As we all know, the criminals in the Saint Antoine District have been nearly completely eradicated! His Highness lives up to the name of a God-favored son! Let us all congratulate His Highness!”