Lamark continued, “Indeed, in the northeastern regions, such as Metz, Lorraine to Belzons, I have seen people plant potatoes, and some villages there even use potatoes as their staple food. As for other places… the people of Toulouse wouldn’t even use potatoes to feed pigs, claiming it would contaminate the pork.”
Joseph felt somewhat disheartened. Just as he had found a way to alleviate the great famine, it seemed that French people would rather starve than eat this thing.
Moreover, considering what Lamark implied, the nobility had accepted potatoes quite early, so why hadn’t they been able to influence the common people?
Using newspapers and pamphlets for widespread publicity, along with offering free tastings, might do some good.
He also remembered Lamark mentioning that some said potatoes were “the devil from the ground,” suggesting that perhaps superstition was the main reason people were refusing potatoes. If that was the case, then the support of the Church would be necessary for promotion…
Afterward, Joseph asked Lamark about the knowledge of potato cultivation. As they were discussing, the carriage had already arrived outside the pharmaceutical workshop.
“Your Highness, it seems you have great interest in potatoes,” Lamark steered the conversation, “I could compile this knowledge and copy it for you.”
Looking at his eager expression, Joseph could only nod and say, “I would appreciate that very much, Count Lamark. Now, let’s begin with the penicillin trial production.”
“You mean, penicillin? Is that the name of this miraculous medicine?” Lamark quickly pulled out pen and paper to begin taking notes.
“Yes,” Joseph said, pausing before reminding Lamark, “Even this name must not be divulged. From now on, we will refer to this medicine as type I antibiotic.”
The words “penicillin” and “penicillium” were too similar and could easily lead one to make the connection.
This strategic-level medicine absolutely could not have any information leaked.
The one who opened the door to the pharmaceutical workshop for Joseph was a Royal Family guard—the security at this location was now taken over by them.
Upon seeing the guard’s immaculate uniform and the muskets behind him, Joseph frowned slightly and instructed the guard captain, Kesode, to have these guards wear plain clothes to prevent drawing the attention of foreign spies.
As the carriage stopped in the open space in the middle of the workshop, Eman promptly opened the door for the Crown Prince.
“Thank you,” Joseph nodded to his attendant as he got out of the carriage and looked around to see that things had changed significantly since the last time.
Firstly, the ground was spotless. The workers’ clothes, as well as the equipment inside the workshop, were all remarkably clean, hardly reminiscent of the 18th century.
Under the shed to the right, there seemed to be drying racks, laden with various ingredients that needed to be air-dried.
The workers were bustling in and out of the workshop, either transporting materials or loading the prepared medicines onto the carriages.
Of course, many were busy in front of various instruments, occasionally shouting data to the scribes nearby, who would remind them about the timing of their operations. Now and then, faint steam wafted by, obscuring their silhouettes.
Joseph nodded silently to himself, it was clear Lamark had put a lot of effort into managing this place. He guessed that one couldn’t find a more professional pharmaceutical site in all of Paris.
After touring the laboratory, he was essentially certain that it had the capabilities to produce penicillin.
He turned to Lamark and said, “Let’s get started. First, please find some moldy substances for me, the blue-green kind.”
“`
Lamark was somewhat surprised, but still meticulously noted the information in his notebook before turning to leave the room.
Perhaps because the workshop was kept too clean, it took him more than half an hour to return with a few moldy ears of corn and a moldy towel.
Joseph lowered his voice and said, “Now, the most important thing I will tell you is that this type I antibiotic is actually a secretion of Penicillium, which can be extracted from these mold spots.”
Lamark’s eyes widened in astonishment, but the Crown Prince had shocked him more than once before, so he didn’t harbor the slightest doubt and simply kept recording.
Recalling documentaries about penicillin he had watched in the past, Joseph went on, “So first, we need to cultivate more mold. You can use things like corn, rice, and potatoes to make a thin paste and place the mold on it. Then control the temperature to a certain degree, which you’ll have to determine through experimentation, and in a few days, you’ll have a large amount of mold growth.
“Additionally, you need to cultivate the bacteria to test the drug’s effectiveness in advance. For example, take the sputum of pneumonia patients, put it into filtered meat broth or agar, control the temperature properly, and wait for them to multiply…”
“Wait!” Lamark spotted a blind spot, “Are you saying there are ‘germs’ in the sputum of pneumonia patients? Is this related to pneumonia?”
Joseph held his forehead, remembering that although the existence of bacteria was known to the medical community at this time, they had not yet managed to link bacteria to diseases.
He had no choice but to give Lamark a rough overview, “There are indeed pathogenic components in the sputum, specifically a type of bacteria.”
“Bacteria? Are you saying bacteria cause illness?!” Lamark appeared extremely agitated, “No, this is completely different from miasma theory, humoral theory, or acid-base theory. How do bacteria make people sick? How did you determine this? Is there a mature theoretical system…”
“Those theories you mentioned about miasma and bodily fluids are incorrect. And the answers you’re seeking are actually in the medicine you’re about to produce,” Joseph stopped the curious Lamark from asking further. These medical topics were quite verbose, and moreover, he didn’t know much about them.
It would be better to wait until penicillin was produced, so Lamark could see for himself that penicillin could “purify” the sputum culture, that is, Pneumococcus. Then, after observing penicillin cure pneumonia patients, he would naturally understand the relationship between germs and diseases.
Lamark’s hands trembled slightly. If what the Crown Prince said was true, then all the medical knowledge he had learned would be overturned! Or, to put it another way, the entire field of medicine would no longer exist!
And if what the Crown Prince said was wrong, then the miraculous type I antibiotic might just be a fantasy.
He didn’t want either outcome…
Suddenly, Lamark was struck by a philosophical question—if all previous medicine was erroneous, then was he still a doctor, or should he be considered a charlatan, or perhaps a spreader of rumors…
He shook his head, trying hard not to think about these maddening questions, and refocused his attention on the medicine, “Your Highness, what should we do next?”
Joseph looked at his pale face and sighed softly before continuing, “You need to carefully filter the Penicillium culture fluid. What exactly to use for filtration, you’ll also need to determine through experimentation.
“Since penicillin is water-soluble, we can use oil to extract other substances from the filtrate, leaving behind only the layer that is insoluble in oil.
“After that, you purify it using activated carbon…”
“What is activated carbon?” Another point of ignorance arose.
“Oh, activated carbon is created by dry burning wood pieces in a metal container…”
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