CHAPTER 553: CHAPTER 545: MILITARY DISTRICT HOSPITAL REFORM

"The France Envoy is at the Constantinople Military District Hospital? What’s he doing there?"

Marshal Saint Arno was a bit surprised to receive news of Envoy Valerovsky’s visit to the military hospital.

In Marshal Saint Arno’s opinion, Valerovsky had no real motive to visit the military hospital, so why would he go there?

Klein’s next words resolved Marshal Saint Arno’s confusion: "Two hours ago, a nursing and medical team arrived in Constantinople, and it is said that someone with close ties to His Majesty is also in the group."

"Related to His Majesty?" Marshal Saint Arno muttered to himself, pondering which lady could be associated with His Majesty in his mind.

Her Majesty the Empress? Impossible! How could Empress Augusta come to the military! If she were to come, it would be in the company of His Majesty the Emperor!

The Marchioness Aile? That is possible, but the Marchioness probably doesn’t have any knowledge of nursing, right!

Lady Eugenie?

...

After carefully thinking it over, Marshal Saint Arno really couldn’t figure out which lady would travel all this way to come here.

However, Klein’s credibility was quite high!

Because Marshal Saint Arno also couldn’t figure out why Valerovsky would visit the military hospital, it couldn’t possibly be to represent His Majesty the Emperor to console the wounded at the military hospital!\p

"Cough... cough" Suddenly, a sharp pain from Marshal Saint Arno’s abdomen traveled up to his central nervous system, causing him to stop thinking and cover his abdomen with his hand, coughing incessantly.

Klein and Brigadier General Troche, standing at the embassy gate, saw Marshal Saint Arno’s actions and quickly approached him, asking, "Marshal, what’s wrong? Do you need me to assist you to the hospital!"

"Ye... yes!" Marshal Saint Arno, pale-faced, responded intermittently.

Klein and Brigadier General Troche each supported one side to lift Marshal Saint Arno, then called out to the embassy staff to prepare a carriage to take Marshal Saint Arno to the military hospital.

The staff inside the embassy dared not slack at all and quickly went to the embassy’s backyard to bring out the carriage.

While the embassy carriage was being brought from the backyard to the front door, Klein asked Brigadier General Troche what exactly had happened.

Why did Marshal Saint Arno come rushing here from the Crimea Peninsula? Why did Marshal Saint Arno look so weak?

Brigadier General Troche sighed deeply and recounted to Klein the things that had happened to Marshal Saint Arno recently.

Upon hearing Brigadier General Troche’s words, Klein also let out a sigh.

"Secretary Klein, the carriage is ready!" the coachman shouted toward the inside of the embassy as he drove the carriage to the front door.

"Understood!" Klein hurriedly responded.

The two of them lifted Marshal Saint Arno onto the carriage, which slowly started moving toward the military hospital.

...

At this moment, at the military hospital on the south shore of Constantinople, the recently arrived nursing and medical team was being shown around the hospital by Valerovsky and the hospital’s chief administrator.

"Envoy Valerovsky! I can proudly guarantee you that on this land under our feet, no other hospital is better than ours!" The chief administrator of the military hospital boasted to Valerovsky as he pointed to the empty hospital bed before them.

Standing beside the chief administrator, Valerovsky ignored his boasts and respectfully turned to the leader of the nursing team, inquiring, "Lady Vierania, what do you think?"

Vierania furrowed her brows and walked straight to the nearby ventilated window, pointing to something in the distance and asking the chief administrator, "What’s going on over there?"

The chief administrator looked at Vierania, then at her again, puzzled by why Envoy Valerovsky would treat Lady Vierania with such an almost deferential attitude.

"I’m asking you a question, answer!" Valerovsky’s voice pulled the chief administrator back to reality.

He hurriedly came to Vierania’s side and followed the direction of her pointed finger, explaining, "Lady Vierania, that’s the outdoor latrine!"

"I know it’s the outdoor latrine, but why is it positioned so close to the hospital?" Vierania sternly inquired of the chief administrator before her.

"We’ve always done it this way!" The chief administrator of the military hospital replied to Vierania with a slightly wronged tone.

"From now on, there must not be any outdoor latrines near the hospital, especially near the wards!" Vierania replied firmly to the chief administrator.

"Yes!"

Though the chief administrator did not understand the purpose of doing so, he knew he just needed to follow orders.

Why? Because not even Envoy Valerovsky could afford to offend this lady standing before him!

Then, under Vierania’s request, the hospital’s chief administrator led Vierania and the others to the operating table.

Neatly laid white sheets covered the operating table, and beside it was a variety of equipment, including curved scalpels, amputation saws, gauze, chloroform (a toxic gas) for anesthesia, among others.

Looking at the operating table, Vierania recalled that during her time as a trainee, Professor Louis Pasteur had once told her that there are various bacteria in the natural world they live in, which are the key causative agents of illnesses. Thus, every doctor should sterilize the instruments they use to curb the proliferation of bacteria, preventing them from invading the body through surgical tools and worsening the condition of already gravely injured patients.

Thinking of this, Vierania immediately inquired of the chief administrator of the military hospital how often they usually sterilize their medical instruments.

"Sterilize?" The chief administrator of the military hospital was stunned for a few seconds before nodding and responding, "Sterilize! We often sterilize!"

"What do you usually use for sterilization?" Vierania pressed for more details.

"Using... using..." The chief administrator fumbled for words, unable to answer.

After a few seconds, the person in charge said to Lady Vierania, dejectedly, that their military district hospital had not implemented any disinfection at all! The head of the military district hospital also told Lady Vierania that the entire group of military doctors unanimously believed that the so-called germ theory was nothing but nonsense!

"Nonsense? It’s utterly preposterous!" Lady Vierania said with a stern face, pointing at one of the doctors in the medical team, "You, come over here!"

The doctor pointed at by Lady Vierania walked up to her.

"Tell him! You tell him whether the germ theory is nonsense!" Lady Vierania responded to the doctor.

The doctor, who had also interned at Louis Pasteur’s laboratory, relayed the knowledge imparted by Louis Pasteur to the head of the military district hospital, reiterating the necessity of high-temperature sterilization.

Finally, the doctor added, "These theories are conclusions drawn from experiments personally conducted by Professor Louis Pasteur! If you still refuse to believe it, I can compile and provide the experimental process and data to your hospital!!"

"I will sterilize on time!" The head of the military district hospital did not know who Louis Pasteur was, but he understood that Louis was not someone he should provoke, so he nodded in agreement that high-temperature sterilization would be performed regularly.

"Also, chloroform is best replaced with ether!" Lady Vierania also added, "Experiments have shown that ether is less harmful than chloroform!"

"Yes!" The head of the military district hospital nodded once more.

After inspecting the operating table, Lady Vierania once again expressed the desire to examine the hospital’s water supply system, and the hospital head led them to the water pipeline.

Following the water pipeline, Lady Vierania and the others finally arrived at the water pipeline’s source.

Fortunately, in terms of water supply, the military district hospital maintained a rigorous attitude, and the drinking water supplied to the hospital showed no significant problems.

Even so, Lady Vierania still emphasized the need for strict control over drinking water, requiring that all hospital water must be uniformly treated and undergo high-temperature sterilization.

"I recommend establishing a boiler room for uniform treatment of drinking water next to the hospital!" Lady Vierania said to the head of the military district hospital.

"Yes!" The hospital head quickly responded.

...

Having basically inspected all the major facilities of the military district hospital, Lady Vierania and the others returned to the military district hospital, and once again standing at the hospital gate, she heard the sound of wheels behind her.

Lady Vierania turned around to look, and Valerovsky also turned his head to look.

"Marshal Arnau?!!!"

The person being helped off the carriage was none other than Marshal Saint Arno.

Seeing the Marshal Saint Arno, who needed assistance, Valerovsky hurriedly called out to the doctors and nurses beside him, "Quick! Go help!"

The surrounding doctors and nurses quickly rushed to Marshal Saint Arno to carefully move him, leading a grand procession to a private ward.

Everyone cautiously placed Marshal Saint Arno onto the hospital bed, and about half a minute later, a doctor holding a stethoscope entered the ward and placed the stethoscope on Marshal Saint Arno’s chest, everyone holding their breath and waiting quietly for the doctor’s reply.

"Marshal, can you hear me?" the doctor softly asked Marshal Saint Arno while moving the stethoscope around his chest.

"I can hear you!" Marshal Saint Arno weakly replied.

"How do you feel now?" the doctor asked again.

"It hurts!" Marshal Saint Arno said.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My stomach!"

"How long has it been hurting?"

"It’s been hurting since last year. At that time, it only caused brief pains, but recently the pain not only intensified but also persisted constantly!"

"Does it feel like you don’t want to eat?"

"That’s right, sometimes it hurts so much I feel like dying right away!"

"Alright! I understand!"

The doctor lowered the stethoscope and led everyone out, where Valerovsky inquired about the doctor’s assessment.

"Alas!" the doctor shook his head and replied to Valerovsky, "The Marshal’s heartbeat is far below normal, and I’m afraid he might have already contracted an incurable disease!"

"How could this be?" Valerovsky was greatly astounded, glancing at Brigadier General Troche, he asked, "Troche, what on earth is going on?"

Brigadier General Troche began to recount to everyone present about Marshal Saint Arno’s condition after landing on the Crimea Peninsula in a low voice.

"Are you saying that since landing on Crimea, the Marshal has been enduring his injuries and fighting on?" Valerovsky asked Brigadier General Troche.

"That’s correct!" Brigadier General Troche nodded in agreement and responded to Valerovsky, "If it weren’t for the Allies capturing Sevastopol, perhaps the Marshal might..."

"When did the Allies capture Sevastopol?" Valerovsky asked Brigadier General Troche urgently.

"Just two days ago! Under the command of Marshal Saint Arno and with the assistance of General Pelissey, the Allied Forces took Sevastopol in less than a week! Vice Admiral Kornilov and Nasimov of the Russian Empire Navy were killed in action!" Brigadier General Troche replied to Valerovsky, "The Marshal’s purpose for this trip is to report this news to His Majesty!"

"Klein!" Valerovsky looked at his deputy secretary.

"Present!" Klein hastily responded.

"You must return to the embassy immediately, and use the telegraph there to report the news of Sevastopol’s capture to Paris!"