Today, Joseph witnessed firsthand the appalling medical and rescue conditions of the Guard Corps – the medics were actually washing the bandages with river water; the scalpel was scraped on the trousers before being used on a wound; and with hands stained with the blood of Patient A, they would proceed to treat Patient B’s injuries – it was then that he thought of establishing something like a field hospital.
He looked at the female doctor’s questioning, light green eyes and grabbed a chair nearby for her to sit down, “First of all, as you already know, many diseases, including wound infections, are caused by bacteria.”
He spread his hands and gestured towards the air, “Bacteria are everywhere in our surroundings, in bedding, clothes, hands, bandages, and more. Normally, skin acts as a barrier to bacteria, preventing them from entering the body, but once an injury occurs, the barrier disappears.
“At that moment, if a wounded person is allowed to lie on the ground, their wound may rub against the ground or clothes, leading to a large number of bacteria entering the wound. Even the bandages used to dress their wounds will bring a lot of bacteria.”
“Next, as you usually see, the wound becomes ulcerated and the patient develops a fever. Eventually, except for a few individuals with very strong constitutions, most will die.”
Captured by the call of her medical duties, Perna grabbed the paper and pen from the adjutant’s hand, ignoring his astonished look, and quickly bent her head to jot down notes, “Bacteria… wounds… Right, Your Highness, how should we avoid this situation then?”
“We should try to prevent the wounded from being contaminated with bacteria as much as possible,” Joseph reassured the adjutant with a gesture and continued to advise Perna, “For instance, use strong alcohol to clean the wounds. Oh, alcohol with a 75% concentration works best. Alcohol is very efficient at killing bacteria.”
Perna nodded subconsciously, “75%… That requires repeated distillation to achieve.”
“The cost might be relatively high, but the amount needed isn’t much, and it’s definitely worth it,” Joseph continued, “Also, everything used in the medical process must be disinfected, including the doctor’s hands, as well as the operating table, scalpel, bandages, etc.
“Doctors must wash their hands repeatedly before performing surgery, using water that has been boiled and then cooled. Everything else must be steamed and boiled to kill the bacteria on them.”
“After such treatment, wound ulceration should significantly decrease.”
“And to achieve all this, we need specialized equipment and to prevent people who have not been disinfected from getting close.”
“Hence, we need a hospital. Here, things can be disinfected at any time, and various medications and medical equipment can be provided. Doctors would concentrate here to perform surgeries on the wounded, and unrelated persons would not be allowed to enter at will.”
“Usually, the contents of the field hospital are loaded onto wagons and move with the troops. After a battle occurs, tents are immediately erected in the camp, and hospital tools are brought in and disinfected. After that, treatment of the injured can begin.”
Perna’s eyes lit up as she listened. She imagined herself busy in such a hospital, where the wounded, one by one, avoided death through her treatment and smiled gratefully at her…
“Your Highness, I will build this field hospital as quickly as possible!”
She held the paper and pen firmly, declaring very seriously and in a loud voice.
“That will be tough work for you,” Joseph went on to explain some more about disinfection and then said, “You also need to compile these procedures into a manual to teach the other military doctors. As for the necessary expenses, give me an estimate and I will allocate it to you immediately.”
Perna, who was trained under Doctor Lamark and possessed superb medical skills, was highly respected by the medics of the Guard Corps.
Perna nodded and then asked, “Your Highness, did you also mention ‘nurses’ earlier?”
“Yes, that’s an important profession,” Joseph thought for a moment and explained, “Actually, many medical operations that are not complicated, such as stopping bleeding, bandaging wounds, administering medication, disinfecting, and transporting the injured, can in fact be mastered after simple training.
“It would be a waste of their significant energy for doctors to perform these menial tasks.”
“Therefore, we need a profession akin to ‘doctor’s assistant,’ which I call nurses.”
He silently apologized to Nightingale in his heart and continued, “This way, doctors can concentrate on complex surgeries or analyzing medical conditions.”
“Of course, even if nurse training is simple, someone still has to do it.”
Perna immediately volunteered, “Leave it to me, Your Highness. I guarantee to train nurses that will satisfy you!”
“Then I’m counting on you,” Joseph stood up, placed a hand on his chest, and bowed to her, “Our angel in white.”
If Perna truly could establish a sanitary system for the Guard Corps, it would certainly be a contribution worthy of the Golden Irish Medal.
Consider, after all, that just the modern nursing system established by Nightingale over half a century later reduced the death rate of British Army wounded in the Crimean War to less than one tenth!
And the wounded who recovered and returned to their units could basically be considered veterans.
This was no small improvement to the military’s combat effectiveness.
Perna only heard the words “angel in white” and felt her cheeks flush with color.
Ah, His Highness praised me as an angel!
A holy angel!!
Could His Highness be hinting at something…
She didn’t dare let her thoughts wander any further, blushing, she emerged from the officer’s tent in a daze, taking deep breaths for a long while before calming down.
After thinking it over, she didn’t rush to sort out the field hospital but instead gathered the medics and had them set up a row of pots, boiling all the bandages and the sheets from the stretchers.