Chapter 1397: Mother Falls Ill
Chapter 1397: Mother Falls Ill
Mark Antoine Pertti, the imperial physician accompanying them, wiped Queen Mary's face with a wet towel in the tent at the eastern resting area of the royal hunting grounds, and she soon regained consciousness.
Joseph hurriedly knelt by the stretcher and gently asked his mother, "How are you feeling?"
Queen Mary weakly managed a smile. "I'm fine, my dear. I'm probably just tired from hunting. Oh, could I please have a glass of water? I feel very thirsty."
The Countess of Debeninac quickly brought a glass of water.
Queen Mary drank three glasses in a row before letting out a long sigh. "I feel much better now, don't worry."
Doctor Pertti leaned closer and said, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen is very weak. I need to administer glucose to her now. Please, you and His Majesty the King should step aside for a moment."
Currently, the entire European medical community regarded glucose as a "miracle cure." No matter the patient's symptoms, a doctor administering an injection of it was rarely wrong — provided the patient could afford the expensive cost.
Especially for cases of weakness and fainting like the Queen's, glucose was considered particularly effective.
Charles, however, couldn't calm down at all and kept asking the doctor, "Mr. Pertti, what exactly is wrong with Mother? She was perfectly fine this morning..."
Seeing his assistant still preparing the syringe, the imperial physician bowed to him. "Your Highness, based on the preliminary examination I just performed, there are many possibilities. Conditions such as stroke, gout, angina, fluid imbalance, kidney hardening, excessive fluid loss, and so on, could all lead to Her Majesty's current state."
Listening to these terms, laden with "ancient medical" concepts, Joseph couldn't help but frown. Although most doctors in France were now beginning to study modern medicine, a great many ailments were still treated according to traditional methods.
He also began to analyze the situation inwardly.
First, heatstroke could definitely be ruled out; it was only around twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius outside.
Second, hypoglycemia was unlikely; he had personally seen his mother eat at least two large pieces of cake that morning...
What he feared most were conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure, which were difficult to diagnose in this era and for which effective medications were sorely lacking.
He shook his head, a hint of frustration surfacing, and his gaze happened to fall upon the wooden picnic table outside the tent.
On it sat a large assortment of strawberry pudding, cocoa cake, and "polite lions"...
A possibility suddenly struck him, and he quickly raised a hand to stop the doctor who was about to inject Queen Mary with glucose. "Wait, Mr. Pertti!"
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
"If Mother fainted because of diabetes, then injecting glucose would kill her."
Pertti asked, bewildered, "Are you saying... sugar... urine disease?"
Joseph surmised that diabetes hadn't yet been discovered in this era and had no time to explain it to him. Instead, he looked at the Queen's maid and asked, "Countess of Debeninac, has Mother been frequently thirsty recently, often needing to 'attend to private matters,' and has her physical strength also been worse than before?"
In truth, because Queen Mary was excessively fond of sweets, he had previously worried she might develop diabetes. However, over the past decade or so, he hadn't noticed anything amiss with her health. He figured it might be due to her frequent dancing, which consumed the sugar, and so he had become complacent.
The Countess nodded almost immediately. "Yes, Your Highness. Her Majesty has indeed experienced these symptoms you described for the past six months or so."
"Damn it," Joseph's heart clenched instantly. 'It's very likely diabetes...'
Doctor Pertti interjected from the side, "Your Highness, this 'sugar urine disease' you mentioned, could it be polyuria?"
"Polyuria?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Severe thirst, polyuria, and weakness—these symptoms all fit. Oh, that's right, the urine of polyuria patients is sweet. No wonder you call it 'sugar urine disease.'"
Joseph, hearing "sweet urine," immediately nodded. "Perhaps it is what you call polyuria."
Pertti bowed. "Your Highness, I believe your judgment might not be entirely accurate, as polyuria does not cause fainting..."
Indeed, as early as the beginning of the 18th century, several doctors had already identified what they called "polyuria," which was essentially diabetes. Some Englishmen had even determined, through dissection, that the condition was related to damage to the pancreas.
Joseph did not argue with him. Instead, he again asked the Countess of Debeninac, "Has Mother not drunk any water today?"
"Yes, Your Highness." The latter nodded. "Because Her Majesty was in the hunting grounds, she only had one glass of water early in the morning."
Joseph looked at Pertti. "Diabetes causes a rapid increase in blood sugar concentration. If there isn't enough water to dilute it, this will lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain. Furthermore, Mother has been riding horseback, expending a great deal of energy, so it's very easy for her to experience dizziness."
In his previous life, his homeroom teacher had suffered from diabetes, and he often heard him complain about various health issues, so he was quite familiar with the symptoms of the disease.
As the two were speaking, Marie François Bisha, Chief Imperial Physician of Versailles, quickly entered the tent. He hastily bowed to the King and the others, then looked at Pertti. "What is Her Majesty the Queen's condition?"
"Thank goodness you're here." Pertti quickly recounted the symptoms, concluding, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince believes Her Majesty might be suffering from polyuria."
Bisha frowned. "But polyuria doesn't cause fainting..."
Before he could finish, Pertti explained the new knowledge he had just learned about "blood sugar concentration causing dizziness."
Bisha glanced at the Crown Prince, chose to trust his judgment, and then, recalling the method for diagnosing polyuria, instructed the Countess of Debeninac to bring some of Her Majesty the Queen's urine.
Shortly after, the Queen's maid handed him a small cup of urine.
Bisha "prepared" himself for a moment, then grimaced as he scooped out a small spoonful, closed his eyes, and put it into his mouth.
Indeed, all medical texts related to polyuria at the time documented various diagnostic methods.
Pertti anxiously asked, "Well?"
Bisha rinsed his mouth and shook his head. "It seems to have a faint sweetness... but I'm not entirely sure."
Joseph frowned. The urine of a diabetic contains glucose with a very low sweetness, and the concentrations are measured in milligrams. It would indeed be difficult for human taste buds to detect.
He saw Doctor Pertti also pick up a spoon with a pained expression, but then he suddenly recalled a book he had read in his past life that documented a method for analyzing sugar content.
He quickly stopped Pertti. "Have you ever encountered the urine of a polyuria patient before?"
"No, Your Highness."
Since diabetes was relatively rare in this era, both he and Bisha had only read about the disease in medical treatises and had no practical experience in its diagnosis or treatment.
Joseph waved his hand. "Then it would likely be difficult for you to confirm either."
He then gestured to Eman. "Please find some ants and bring them here."
"You mean, ants?"
"Yes."
More than ten minutes later, Eman returned carrying a small wooden box. "Your Highness, are forty enough?"
"That should be about right."
Joseph then carefully dripped three freshly prepared glucose solutions and Queen Mary's urine onto different spots on the table.
Next, he opened the small wooden box and released the ants inside.
The ants quickly scattered but soon picked up the scent of sugar.
They meandered among the different droplets for a few turns, eventually almost all settling beside the urine, excitedly beginning to feast.
Joseph's brow furrowed deeply. Of the three sugar solutions he had just prepared, the highest concentration had reached 4 grams per liter.
If the ants preferred the urine, it indicated that its sugar content already exceeded that level.
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