Chapter 1486: Inadvertently Sparking Another Revolution in Surgery
"Yes, Your Highness."
Baudelocque was the picture of pride. "In fact, I am quite specialized in this procedure. My fastest record is completing a Cesarean section in under one minute and fifty-two seconds."
The more Joseph listened, the more unsettled he became. He narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain that such a short time is sufficient to complete the incision and the suturing?"
Baudelocque replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Your Highness, if I may be so bold, suturing is practically meaningless."
"Furthermore, the mother usually struggles so violently that suturing becomes impossible to perform..."
"Wait!" Joseph interrupted him immediately. "So, you're saying your surgical method involves cutting them open and completely ignoring the stitches?"
"Uh, you see, even if we were to force a suture, the mother would likely die of hemorrhaging or infection," Baudelocque explained with a professional air. "In many cases, the patient's heart simply stops during the procedure itself."
Joseph massaged his temples. "That is not the kind of Cesarean section I require."
Baudelocque froze for a moment before continuing. "Your Highness, if your goal is to save the mother during a difficult labor, that is also achievable. We have had mature techniques for over eighty years using craniotomy forceps and obstetric hooks to quickly 'reduce' the size of the fetus and remove it from the birth canal..."
"I want a Cesarean technique where both the mother and the infant survive."
Baudelocque lowered his head again. "This... Your Highness, with our current obstetric knowledge, I'm afraid that might be impossible..."
Joseph frowned deeply.
He knew nothing about modern midwifery techniques, and since he couldn't just use his 'overpowered' knowledge as a shortcut here, he had no clear starting point.
He thought for a moment and decided to offer Baudelocque some hints regarding the surgery, hoping to trigger a flash of inspiration.
"Alright, let's first address the most likely problem—excessive maternal bleeding."
Even without surgery, excessive blood loss was a common occurrence during normal childbirth.
Baudelocque immediately replied, "Your Highness, doctors perform vessel ligation in the shortest time possible. The hemostatic forceps you invented have played a critical role."
Joseph was about to praise the man's medical skill, but then he remembered the doctor's earlier definition of a Cesarean section. He cautiously inquired about this so-called vessel ligation technique.
The result did not disappoint—or rather, it met his low expectations. According to the doctor, current techniques only involved ligating major, easily located arteries. They completely ignored any smaller vessels.
Noticing the Prince Regent's clear dissatisfaction, Baudelocque hurried to add, "Your Highness, as the mother's uterus contracts, the bleeding will significantly decrease. If they are strong enough, it's possible for them to survive."
Joseph let out a long breath. "I want to ensure the mother survives, which means we need to replenish her blood."
"Replenish blood?"
"Yes. Extract blood from another person and infuse it into the mother's veins. With a few modifications to a syringe, we should be able to manage the task."
Baudelocque responded quickly, "Your Highness, in theory, that would indeed solve the blood loss issue. However, over the last century, many animal-to-animal blood transfusion experiments have been conducted, and the mortality rate is extremely high..."
Joseph interjected, "That is because the blood types did not match, leading to hemolysis."
The doctor leaned forward. "You mentioned 'blood types'... and what does 'hemolysis' mean?"
"The blood of two sheep might look identical, but the antibodies within are likely different... well, just think of it as different types," Joseph explained patiently. "When different types of blood are mixed, hemolysis occurs... it's..."
He couldn't quite remember the exact biological definition of hemolysis, so he glossed over it. "In short, things go wrong."
"But as long as the blood types are the same, they can be safely given to one another."
"Humans are the same way."
Baudelocque looked as if he had discovered a new continent. He pulled out a notebook, suddenly impatient for more information. "You're saying blood is divided into types? What are they? Why are there different types? Is it related to ethnicity or something else?"
"Humans have types A, B, O, and AB. As for why... that's not what we're here to discuss."
Baudelocque nodded repeatedly and then asked, "Then how do we distinguish between the different types?"
"That..." Joseph sighed again. "That is for you to research."
In his previous life, he had only glanced at health posters while waiting in line for physical exams. How could he know such specialized details?
Baudelocque nodded earnestly. "Yes, Your Highness! I will not let you down!"
Once the matter of blood transfusion was settled, Joseph continued, "Besides blood loss, there is another vital issue: infection."
Baudelocque replied, "Your Highness, since we began using phenol for disinfection, infections have significantly decreased."
"I want absolute safety," Joseph declared. "When the Crown Princess goes into labor, I will have a specific medicine brought to you. If any significant wounds occur, you are to inject it into her."
He was, of course, referring to Penicillin—the god-tier drug of the current era.
Baudelocque finally realized why the Prince Regent had summoned him in the middle of the night to discuss obstetrics; the Crown Princess was pregnant.
He bowed low. "Yes, Your Highness. I will keep this in the strictest confidence."
Joseph didn't care much about the secrecy, but another thought occurred to him. "By the way, tell me more about your current suturing techniques."
Baudelocque took a wooden box from his small leather medical case and unlatched it.
"Usually, we start by cleaning the wound, and then..."
"An assistant helps me thread the needle. I typically choose linen thread. Although many doctors recommend catgut—as you know, it doesn't require the removal of stitches—in my experience, catgut easily causes wound infections."
Joseph mused, "Perhaps it's because the sheep intestines weren't cleaned thoroughly. Moreover, protein is a breeding ground for bacteria. You could try disinfecting the catgut before use."
Baudelocque immediately nodded and took a note.
In truth, mature disinfection methods existed, but doctors had not yet developed the habit of disinfecting everything at all times.
As he spoke, he picked up several needles from the box. "You see, these are suture needles, Your Highness. They are very thin..."
Joseph frowned. "Are they straight?"
"Is there a problem with that, Your Highness?"
Joseph picked up a pen and paper and drew an arc, following the shape of the suture needles he had seen in the future. "You should try making the needles this shape. Oh, and make the sides flat."
"Very well, Your Highness."
As Joseph spoke, he caught sight of several dark iron instruments in the doctor's surgical kit. "What are those for?"
Baudelocque pulled the tools out one by one. "Oh, these are obstetric forceps, and this is a pelvimeter..."
Comments