Chapter 714: A Win-Win Solution
"Me? The principal?" Perna sat up straight, visibly startled by Joseph's suggestion. She waved her hands nervously. "No, no, I couldn't possibly handle such an important role. I'd never do it well..."
Joseph smiled. "Have more confidence. You're the most suitable person for the job. At least when it comes to modern medical knowledge, you're ahead of 99% of French doctors."
He emphasized "modern medicine." Although Perna had only received her medical license last year—following the Medical Association's approval for women to practice medicine—Joseph's tutelage had made her medical knowledge far more advanced than most.
For instance, Perna was now accustomed to diagnosing and treating illnesses from the perspective of bacteria, cells, and immunology—concepts far beyond the comprehension of even her esteemed father.
Entrusting the military medical university to her was undoubtedly better than letting some old-fashioned medical luminaries, still obsessed with bloodletting and humoral balance, take charge.
Perna hesitated. "But I'm worried… You know, they won't take a young woman's opinions seriously."
Women's social status in this era was indeed low. Despite publishing several influential medical papers, such as The Importance of Double-Blind Trials in Drug Efficacy Testing, Perna was only 19. It was natural for some to doubt her authority.
Joseph considered her concern. "I'll assign an assistant from the General Staff to help you. What about Brigadier General Martinorat? I recall he worked as a military doctor in his early years. He can handle the administrative side of things."
Perna's eyes widened. "A brigadier general? Is… is that appropriate?"
"I believe he'd be happy to assist." Joseph nodded reassuringly. "Additionally, Dr. Lamarck has made tremendous contributions to the development of antibiotics. I'll petition His Majesty to elevate him to the rank of Count of Guéret."
Lamarck was already a count, but Guéret was a significant city in the province of La Marche. This territorial title was far more prestigious than his current robe nobility status.
Of course, under France's current nobility system, such titles no longer conferred control over the land. They merely symbolized elevated social rank.
Perna, deeply touched, clasped Joseph's arm and said earnestly, "Thank you for trusting me. I won't let you down!"
She understood clearly: if her father became a territorial noble, half of her detractors would immediately fall silent. Joseph was bolstering her authority in the most thoughtful way.
A Special Visitor
As the couple talked, their carriage rolled into the Versailles Palace grounds. The wooden tracks now extended directly into the palace courtyard, reducing the travel time from Paris's western outskirts to just 25 minutes.
As Joseph stepped down, he noticed Count Ségur, assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, hurrying toward him. After a polite bow, Ségur leaned in and spoke softly, "Your Highness, the Polish envoy, Mr. Radziwiłł, seeks an audience with you."
Ségur was cautious. France had yet to declare its stance on Eastern Europe, and any diplomatic engagement regarding Poland could trigger a ripple of international reactions.
Joseph nodded, instructed Perna to return to Versailles, and gestured for the envoy to follow him to the Royal Armory.
A short while later, in an office on the armory's second floor, Radziwiłł bowed deeply to Joseph. "Your Highness, I know my presence here may seem untimely. But my homeland is in grave peril, and only you and the great nation of France can help us."
Joseph, already well-informed about the situation in Eastern Europe, gestured toward a sofa. "Please, sit. I'll do my best to assist Poland."
"Thank you, Your Highness. You are truly God's emissary to Poland, bringing the light of hope to us!"
After another deep bow, Radziwiłł hesitated briefly, clasping his hands nervously. Finally, he spoke: "The Military Committee sincerely requests your support. We seek a loan of approximately 5 million francs."
Joseph raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, Warsaw's armory has enough raw materials to last until next April. Your food and manpower also seem sufficient. May I ask what this loan is for?"
Radziwiłł quickly explained, "The war has been devastating, and the number of wounded on the front lines is overwhelming.
"This money will primarily be used to purchase medical supplies, especially medical alcohol. The consumption rate is astonishingly high. Additionally, we're facing severe shortages of military tents and uniforms."
A Crisis of Medical Supplies
Before the war, Poland had adopted advanced battlefield medical techniques from France. Practices such as alcohol sterilization, steam-cleaning medical equipment, and providing boiled drinking water were introduced to their military.
Once the war began, Polish soldiers marveled at the effectiveness of these methods, which halved the mortality rate of their wounded.
Even though Poland's implementation of these practices was not yet comprehensive, the results were impressive enough to delight their military leaders. As a result, medical alcohol became indispensable for Polish field hospitals.
However, the substance was prohibitively expensive. With industrial alcohol production still in its infancy, medical-grade alcohol was made using the same distillation methods as drinking spirits. Producing 75% alcohol required multiple rounds of distillation, making it even costlier than premium liquors.
Currently, the Polish military was spending over 950,000 francs monthly on medical alcohol, all imported from France.
While Poland could produce some tents and uniforms, their output couldn't keep pace with the influx of new recruits.
A Win-Win Idea
Joseph pondered this carefully. Five million francs was an amount France could afford. However, providing wartime loans to Poland would effectively signal France's allegiance, a stance that could entangle the nation in Eastern Europe's diplomatic quagmire.
France was already on the brink of war with Britain. Another entanglement was out of the question.
Suddenly, Joseph remembered a recent report from Lavoisier. The Paris Gas Company had completed the technical development of phenol extraction from coal tar. Though the phenol's purity was currently insufficient for large-scale sales, it held immense potential.
Phenol was a groundbreaking disinfectant that revolutionized 19th-century medicine.
Extracted from coal tar—a waste product—phenol was dirt cheap compared to expensive medical alcohol.
Given Poland's dire circumstances, they likely wouldn't mind the phenol's impurities or smell. As long as it worked as a disinfectant, it could save lives.
Meanwhile, a major phenol order from Poland would enable the Paris Gas Company to fund further research, improve its production processes, and eventually achieve higher purity levels.
A perfect win-win.
Joseph turned to Radziwiłł. "I can provide your military with an alternative disinfectant. It's more effective than medical alcohol and costs only 6% as much."
Radziwiłł's eyes widened. "Oh, my God, that's incredibly cheap!"
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