Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 1577: Chapter 1483: Emerging City

The carriage started slowly.

Alexandra’s large eyes were filled with curiosity: "Dear, it’s amazing that just those iron tubes can tell if someone might have a stroke."

"That’s the power of modern medicine," Joseph smiled, "and it’s not just stroke. Through cross-testing of various instruments, you can diagnose heart failure, arteriosclerosis, polyuria, fatty liver, pulmonary edema, and many other diseases."

"So many diseases can be detected!" Alexandra exclaimed, "But I recall only seeing three or four instruments."

Joseph thought there were still three hours before reaching Chateau de Fontainebleau, so he began discussing medical examinations to pass the time with his wife:

"The human body is like a precise machine, illness typically results from a part that has been damaged or malfunctioned.

"For example, a stroke is actually due to the cerebral blood vessels being blocked by impurities in the blood, or ruptured, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain and necrosis.

"These impurities are mainly excess fats in the blood, or coagulated clots and such.

"When these substances start accumulating inside the blood vessels, the body senses inadequate blood supply and increases heart pressure, forcing blood through the narrowed vessels."

Alexandra instinctively asked: "Is this true?"

In Saint Petersburg, she had heard about the latest medical achievements by Mr. John Brown and the ’vitality theory’—all physical discomforts were caused by excessive excitement or lack thereof, negating the previous theory that imbalances in the four humors caused illness.

Joseph nodded: "This can be verified through anatomy.

"So when the body begins to show signs of a stroke, the first indication is a rising blood pressure—as it’s trying to push blood through narrowed vessels.

"This can be measured with the blood pressure monitor jointly made by Doctor Bisha and Mr. Coulomb.

"Also, blood lipids are a significant factor. Oh, it refers to the fat content in the patient’s blood. The more fat in the blood, the easier it is to coagulate into clots inside the vessels.

"Abnormalities in these two indicators can help foresee the trend of stroke many years in advance."

Alexandra repeatedly inquired about concepts like "blood pressure," "blood lipids," "insufficient cerebral blood supply," until she finally grasped the concept of a stroke.

She felt a touch of bitterness in her heart.

Back then, when Grandma suffered a stroke, the doctors placed leeches by her ears to suck blood, administered large doses of opium tincture and camphor, and even had priests and sages perform rites to repel evil.

If there had been something like a blood pressure monitor, Grandma might still be alive today.

She quickly understood why the King of Baden traveled all the way to Chateau de Fontainebleau for a check-up. It could very well save his life.

Joseph saw her expression and guessed she might have been reminded of Catherine, gently stroking her hair to comfort her, and then spoke of heart health assessments to divert her attention.

Soon, the steam railroad car ceased its rumbling, and Joseph turned to look outside, seeing Chateau de Fontainebleau’s surroundings transformed into a vast "construction site," with stone and timber scattered everywhere, countless craftsmen busily moving among buildings of varying degrees of completion, extending to the horizon.

Before he arrived, he had heard about the influx of people here, nobles flocking daily to the sanatorium, but he hadn’t expected it to be so bustling.

Once the carriage door opened, Carl Friedrich Von Zailingen quickly approached from among hundreds of welcoming French nobles, first greeting Joseph: "Regent, it’s such a delightful surprise to see you here. May Jesus always protect you."

Joseph hurriedly returned the greeting, exchanged some pleasantries with him, and then said: "I’ll make sure the sanatorium assigns the top doctors for your examination."

Carl Friedrich chuckled: "That’s very kind of you. But, could you help me cut in line? Waiting five days is too long..."

"Cut in line?"

Joseph was a bit puzzled, and upon further inquiry, learned that due to the sheer number of people seeking check-ups, even though the King of Baden had bought a top VIP card, he still had to wait five days for examination.

Yes, the proud French nobles seemed to completely dismiss the small kingdom of Southern Germany.

Joseph rubbed his forehead: "I’ll try to arrange something for you."

The chief steward of Chateau de Fontainebleau approached, bowing in greeting to Joseph: "Regent, the banquet is ready."

Joseph then walked with Carl Friedrich towards Chateau de Fontainebleau, the latter pointing out a small villa not far to the north, excitedly speaking of the cottage he had just purchased.

When Joseph heard the price of that house was as high as 170,000 francs, he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Indeed, since Chateau de Fontainebleau Sanatorium officially opened just months ago, there were few good houses available around.

With nobles from all over the world wanting to buy houses nearby for convenient check-ups, housing prices naturally soared.

Even ordinary farmhouses on the outskirts of Chateau de Fontainebleau now cost two to three thousand francs.

Merchants, craftsmen, servants following the nobles, along with family members of doctors and nurses, pushed Chateau de Fontainebleau’s resident population beyond ten thousand, and it continued to grow rapidly.

It’s foreseeable that, centered around Chateau de Fontainebleau, a bustling city will soon emerge.

At the banquet, Carl Friedrich was eager to propose to Joseph, hoping France could provide chemical technology to help Baden develop the salt brine mines at Bad Nauheim and build a wood tar refining factory.

Baden, thriving by transshipping French goods into Southern Germany, planned to use its earnings to develop its own industry.

As France’s most reliable ally, Carl Friedrich had thoroughly researched beforehand, knowing salt brine and wood tar were industries France disregarded or lacked resources for.

Joseph was willing to support this vassal state, and after years of operating the common market, it was time to plan the integration of industries between the Germanic region and France.

While pondering whether to charge directly or take shares, he heard Carl Friedrich whisper: "Regent, I’ve heard Vienna has increased its troops in northern Switzerland.

"If the war continues, do you think Baden should declare war on Austria? I can manage to persuade Würzburg and Mainz to adopt the same stance."

Joseph looked to the King of Baden with some surprise.

No wonder a small country like Baden could rise quickly in over a decade, his political acumen wasn’t ordinary!

He smiled: "You can wait for Bavaria to express its position first."

"As you wish, Regent."

The next afternoon, after all diplomatic affairs were concluded, Joseph and Alexandra went to the sanatorium’s examination center to undergo a comprehensive check-up themselves.