Chapter 712: Rabbits and Camellia
The doctors, surprisingly, never mentioned how a syringe would reduce the patient's pain.
Joseph interrupted their admiration to ask, "Who can make this device?"
Lamarck considered. "A watchmaker, perhaps. They can craft very fine components."
"A jeweler," Perna suggested. "The most complex part is the hollow needle. I've seen the Queen's hairpins with tiny, hollow cannon barrels."
Joseph immediately recalled his mother's naval-themed hairpiece, whose cannon barrels were only slightly thicker than a toothpick.
He nodded. "Call the watchmakers and jewelers. Oh, and borrow two locksmiths from my father."
Thanks to Paris's developed rail system, seven royal artisans arrived at the pharmaceutical factory within an hour.
The finest craftsmen in France gathered around Joseph's revised schematic. After ten minutes of discussion, they divided the tasks and began working.
The Creation of the First Syringe
The jeweler rolled a piece of silver into a hollow tube, heating it until it glowed red before carefully stretching it. As the tube lengthened, its diameter thinned. However, when it reached half the thickness of a toothpick, it snapped in the middle.
The jeweler, undeterred, discarded the failure and immediately tried again.
Meanwhile, the locksmiths used brass to create the syringe body. Melting and casting proved too slow, so they switched to the more easily molded tin.
Although Joseph knew tin often contained traces of lead, he reasoned that a few injections wouldn't pose significant harm. Speed was paramount.
After two hours, a crude, thumb-thick silver syringe was placed before Joseph.
For simplicity, the needle was welded directly to the tin syringe body. The plunger and piston were carved from a single piece of oak—a practical solution to ensure a tight seal.
While the design seemed rough, the jeweler's precision with the needle was extraordinary. After dozens of attempts, the jeweler achieved a needle as fine as a modern intramuscular injection needle.
Joseph tested the syringe with water and confirmed it was functional. He handed it to Perna to sterilize by steaming.
The First Injection
Minutes later, Dr. Lamarck, following Joseph's suggestion, reduced the penicillin dose to 0.8 grams. Nervously holding the world's first syringe, he prepared to inject Camellia.
Joseph noticed Lamarck's assistant bringing a diluent for the penicillin. He cautiously asked,
"Dr. Lamarck, what is that?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness—it's distilled water."
For an 18th-century doctor, this was impressive. Most would have used ordinary water, or worse, water from the Seine. Lamarck, fortunately, had absorbed Joseph's lessons on medical sanitation.
Still, something felt off to Joseph, though he couldn't immediately identify the problem.
Lamarck diluted the penicillin, awkwardly drew it into the syringe, and expertly inserted the intimidatingly large needle into Camellia's inner elbow vein.
Despite the crude tools, Lamarck's skill was evident—precise and steady, befitting one of Europe's top surgeons.
As the medicine entered Camellia's bloodstream, Joseph suddenly slapped his forehead. "Stop! Stop! We forgot the skin test!"
Startled, Lamarck withdrew the needle.
Joseph checked the syringe plunger and estimated only a quarter of the dose had been administered—thankfully.
"What do you mean by 'skin test'?" Lamarck asked nervously.
"Penicillin might cause allergic reactions. We should test a small dose first."
"But we've injected it into rabbits many times without issues."
"That's just good luck…"
They observed Camellia for ten minutes. Seeing no signs of an allergic reaction, Joseph sighed in relief. He was about to let Lamarck continue the injection when Camellia, frowning, muttered weakly,
"It hurts… it hurts a lot."
Perna leaned closer to comfort her. "The Crown Prince has given you a special medicine. You'll recover soon. Is it your head or chest that hurts?"
"No…" Camellia shook her head faintly. "It's my arm… It hurts so much."
Perna gently massaged the area around the injection site. "It's just a small prick. Don't worry."
"No… my whole arm hurts."
Joseph frowned. This didn't resemble an allergic reaction, which typically involved rashes, swelling, or difficulty breathing.
Suddenly, he smacked his forehead again. "Dr. Lamarck, I think… we should have diluted the medicine with saline."
"Saline?"
"A 0.9% saltwater solution."
"Why?"
"Something about osmotic pressure…"
Joseph vaguely recalled that IV drugs were typically diluted with saline or glucose. He once asked a doctor why, and the answer was to maintain electrolyte balance—otherwise, it would cause severe pain.
Lamarck blinked in confusion. "But I've used distilled water for rabbit experiments, and the results were excellent."
If Camellia had the strength, she might have strongly objected to being compared to a "human-sized rabbit."
Joseph sighed. "Did the rabbits struggle a lot?"
"Now that you mention it… yes."
"That's because it hurt." Joseph gestured toward Camellia. "Just like her."
Lamarck's eyes widened in realization, though he didn't fully understand. Still, trusting the Crown Prince's medical insights, he nodded.
"Very well, Your Highness. I'll prepare 0.9% saline immediately."
"Be sure to thoroughly filter the salt."
"Understood, Your Highness."
The Outcome
Thanks to the lab's advanced equipment, a filtered saline solution was ready within minutes. Lamarck measured the necessary salt and mixed it into the distilled water.
The silver needle pierced Camellia's arm once more, delivering the full dose of penicillin.
Joseph, recalling that Camellia hadn't eaten properly in days, suggested,
"Dr. Lamarck, please prepare some glucose for injection as well."
"Glucose?"
Joseph frowned. Could glucose not have been discovered yet?
"It's a special sugar extracted from grapes. It doesn't taste sweet…"
Lamarck's eyes lit up. "Ah, you mean the compound discovered by Mr. Graff? I've read his paper. It requires multiple purifications from raisins."
"Please prepare it," Joseph urged.
By 4 p.m., Camellia awoke from a deep sleep, her complexion noticeably improved.
Perna measured her temperature and jubilantly announced, "Praise the Lord—38.3°C!"
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