Nineteenth Century Medical Guide

Chapter 479 475. A fragile balance

The north wind swept across the European continent in the winter of 1870, especially in St. Petersburg, which is located in the north. It was only November, but the whole city became a bellows in the hands of God, blowing back and forth.

Several horse-drawn carriages were traveling on the main road of St. Petersburg State University, their wheels rolling over the snow, slowly moving towards the medical school building in the distance.

A girl was trying hard to shrink her neck, wishing she could wrap her head into the thick wool coat, leaving only a pair of light blue eyes exposed as she looked at the white world outside the window.

Suddenly, she blew a breath of hot air on the window glass, drew a few flowers with her fingers, then turned around and asked the old man who was reading a book next to her: "Grandpa Gore, why are your predictions so accurate?"

“That’s because I often read books and communicate with knowledgeable people. The less I understand something, the more I need to keep learning, thinking, and summarizing.”

The old man called Gore suddenly realized that what he said was a bit general, even dogmatic. The other party was just 16 years old and had just started to come into contact with the world and knowledge, so it was obviously inappropriate to say this.

He closed the book and asked seriously, "Is it about the fact that your mother didn't take you to southern Europe for the winter this year?"

"See, I told you that your predictions are very accurate. You even know what I'm thinking!" The girl was surprised and happy, waiting for the other party to give an answer that would satisfy her.

Gore smiled and said, "I have only seen you five times this year, and we only chatted that one time. Anyone can guess it."

"No, six times." The girl pointed to the present moment.

"Yes, yes, I am old and confused. It was six times, six times." Gore corrected himself and explained, "As for why the prediction was successful, it was because I suggested to the queen not to go to southern Europe, and she happened to accept my suggestion."

"what?"

The girl didn't expect the answer she had been waiting for would be like this. She looked incredulous, but the old man laughed at her: "Oh, it's you!!!"

The sudden increase in volume attracted the attention of the woman in black next to her.

She closed the car window curtains and gently pressed her hand on the back of the girl's hand, hoping to pull her out of her excitement: "Princess Maria, as a member of the royal family, you must always pay attention to etiquette and know your limits. You must not be presumptuous in front of the Prime Minister."

In the past, Maria would have simply responded and then done what she was told.

But now, she just ignored the words, and the only reaction was a restrained smile: "Anna, Grandpa Gore watched me grow up, he is not an outsider."

“You are a princess.”

"Okay, okay, I'm already sixteen!" Maria pulled her hand away and symbolically sat up straight, leaving the female officer who had taught her for more than ten years aside. "Grandpa Gore, you go ahead and say your thing."

As a court lady, Anna also watched the princess grow up, and saw her transform from an ignorant little girl into a girl full of rebellion.

It seems that there is no point in saying more now. I can only close my eyes and say no more.

"Your Highness, I am also concerned about your safety." Gore said helplessly, "The situation in Europe half a year ago was very complicated. Several countries in southern Europe were facing internal and external troubles. It was very unstable. It was very dangerous for you to go there."

Maria's expression turned serious: "You said it's not peaceful, are you going to fight a war?"

"Yes."

"I've been following the newspapers, but I haven't seen any reports of war breaking out?"

"Haha." Gore said with a smile, "So I am also a human being, and I can make wrong predictions. Look, I made a wrong prediction again this time, and I have to accompany your father to attend a lecture at the National University."

Maria's worldview seemed to have undergone a radical change. "Even you couldn't predict it successfully. It's incredible! You predicted the abdication of the Austrian emperor and the ascension of the new emperor. You also predicted that there would be a war between Prussia and Austria, and that the Paris World Expo would be a huge success."

“These are just what you see, and there are things you can’t see.”

"Can't see?"

Gore changed his sitting position to relax his tense waist muscles: "Although I predicted the Austro-Prussian War, I did not predict that Austria would be at a disadvantage. I predicted the success of the Paris World Expo, but I did not predict that the urgent French domestic affairs would also get a chance to breathe. Of course, this time, my prediction also failed."

"Predicting war in southern Europe?"

If someone else asked him this question, Gorchakov would nod and end the conversation. But the girl in front of him, like her father, was born into a political world, so the old man was willing to talk about some details:
"Your Highness, you must know that the small countries in southern Europe have limited power and cannot really change the situation. Sometimes they are not even qualified to be pawns. At most, they can become the fuse of some major event, and it will be over after lighting a fire."

Maria listened with great interest. She immediately erased the flowers she had just drawn on the glass and drew a map of Europe instead. Then, in the southwest corner, she emphasized the outline of Spain: "According to what you said before, Spain will be the fuse?"

"Yes."

Gorchakov still finds it strange: "I felt that there were too many things behind the internal strife in Spain, and the choice of the new king would intensify the conflict between Prussia and France. At that time, Austria, which had just fought a war with Prussia and was on good terms with France, would not sit idly by. Italy, which was thinking about taking back the land occupied by Austria, would also be likely to be involved, which would lead to a multinational war."

Following his meaning, Maria had some ideas of her own: "Then we can participate in this war as an ally of one side."

"We don't have to join the war," Gorchakov explained. "As outsiders, we have many options, but at least we can offset the negative impact of the Crimean War."

“But the war did not happen.”

"Yes, my predictions are beginning to fail to keep up with the times." Gorchakov smiled bitterly. "The fact that I can sit here and talk to you for so long is the best proof of this."

This was said very tactfully, with some self-mockery in it.

Maria didn't react at first, she just thought Gorchakov meant something else.

After thinking for a while, she finally caught up with the old man's train of thought, and her face became more serious: "Grandpa Gore, you are the Prime Minister, and the most important helper in my father's governance of the country over the years. There must be other reasons why my father didn't let you ride in the same carriage with him. You can't be discouraged by such a small matter."

Gorchakov did not expect to be comforted by her and laughed out loud. Before he could say anything else, the carriage stopped.

"Are you there?"

The princess looked out the window and saw a four-story teaching building in front of her. With its white exterior and square shape, it looked no different from other buildings in the National University.

Compared to other buildings, this place is much more lively.

Firstly, the lecture itself was attractive enough that doctors and medical students came to attend. Secondly, Alexander II was visiting, with a large number of carriages, leaders of all levels and guards following him, making the place crowded.

Maria didn't care about these things, but her interest was interrupted: "How boring, another lecture."

"Now that we are with His Majesty the Emperor, we must show some spirit." Gorchakov put on his black tall hat and asked, "Do you remember what I said before?"

".You must study hard."

The princess nodded in agreement, but she still gossiped behind her back, but she finally got off the carriage. However, after getting off the carriage, she went straight to the carriage where her father was, held his hand and complained: "Dad, I'm tired, cold and hungry now, I want to go back."

"It's really late. Let's go back after visiting the last place." Alexander II pointed to the lecture notice board at the entrance of the medical school. "This lecture is very important. I have to go and see it."

The princess was bored and looked at her father resentfully. Knowing that he would not give in, she said, "I will go back to the carriage first."

It was against etiquette for a commoner to be invited to someone else's home, let alone the world's first Russian-speaking university. Facing the looks from all around, the father felt unhappy but could not say it clearly, so he could only wink at Gorchakov and the lady-in-waiting in the distance.

Anna looked embarrassed.

At this point, the Tsar's only daughter became as troublesome as the howling Siberian north wind. No matter how much she said, it would be blown everywhere and could not be heard at all.

The Prime Minister didn't have a good solution, but he knew the princess' temper better. He hurried forward and blocked Maria's way: "Your Highness, this is not an ordinary medical lecture."

"So what if I'm not ordinary? I'm not interested in medicine." "But you are interested in politics." Gorchakov looked at her.

“Politics?” Maria smiled innocently. “Grandpa Gore, this is a medical lecture, how can it be related to politics? It’s impossible that a doctor suddenly got possessed by a god and brought the dying old king back to life. Only a third-rate screenwriter would write such a cliché plot.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, leaving only the lecture program sheets in everyone's hands swinging in the north wind.

Maria still followed her father into the teaching building.

It looked no different from the previous two visits to other colleges, but deep down the princess was whetted by the silence just now.

The medical lecture had already started, and the large conference room on the third floor was packed with people.

They would squeeze into seats if they could, and if they couldn't squeeze in, they would sit on the armrests or stand in the aisles. At worst, the steps next to the podium or the narrow windowsills could also be their seats. Those who really couldn't squeeze in would simply stand outside the door and listen as much as they could.

Maria had attended many lectures, and it was considered good if the audience was full. She had never seen anything like this.

She once again took out the crumpled procedure sheet: "The difficulty of abdominal surgery and the abdominal artery. What is this called?"

"It's 'Detailed Analysis of Vascular Transplantation for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm', Your Highness." Gorchakov, who was standing beside her, explained softly.

"It is indeed a high-end lecture. I don't understand most of the native language in the title." The princess was very frank. "I admit that it is indeed "unusual", but Grandpa Gore, what does it have to do with politics?"

"It's not the surgery that matters, it's the person doing the surgery."

"people?"

Maria put her hands on her father's shoulders, stood on tiptoe and raised her eyes a few centimeters, barely able to see the speaker behind the podium: "Is it him? He does look experienced and his skills must be very strong, but..."

But she always felt a sense of disharmony.

Because in Maria's eyes, this middle-aged man who was over 50 and of the same generation as her father was just like the medical professors that could be seen everywhere in the medical school. He spoke in French, but the content was still full of medical professional terms, and the process of narration was also according to the procedure, nothing new.

More importantly, the hand-drawn atlas hanging in the center is more child-friendly in terms of both its outline and internal logos.

"Why a child?"

"The patients in this surgery are children."

"Where is the old king who was supposed to be healed?" Maria felt deceived.

"The surgery used to treat the old king is very common and anyone can do it," Gorchakov explained before she could object, "but it is not so easy to get the suspicious old king to actually undergo the surgery."

"He is the doctor who performed the operation?"

"no."

"what?"

"That person is not French, but Austrian. He is also much younger than him, only five years older than you."

"How many years older than me?"

"Five years old."

"You must be kidding!!!" Maria looked at the conference room full of students and doctors. Not many of them looked that young. "He's only 21?"

"Indeed." Gorchakov was silent for a long time, and then couldn't help but add, "This is his current age, and he performed this operation three years ago."

In fact, just half a year ago, Kavey's surgery only caused a stir within the medical community. After so many years of shock, the medical community has long been accustomed to it, and it has not affected politics at all.

What really caught the attention of Alexander II and Gorchakov was the conflict between Prussia and France, which should have gone wrong long ago and was always hovering on the edge of danger. After a long time, there was no substantial progress.

After a careful review, they found that the political struggle between Prussia and France was everywhere, but the shadow of Cavi's operation was hidden everywhere.

Since 1867, the contradiction between popularization and law has become increasingly intensified.

First, there was the fight for Luxembourg, which ended with Luxembourg remaining neutral. Then there was the fight for Belgium, which also ended with neither side owing the other anything.

Then came the Pan-German Customs Union led by Bismarck, which had obvious expansionist intentions. After two years of struggle, due to the unexpected intervention of Austria, the three states of Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden remained intact and continued to be independent.

The results of several major events were inconsistent with history and did not fulfill Bismarck's wish, but they still stimulated the French people.

Liberals thought that the Third Reich was too conservative, while conservatives thought that the Third Reich was too liberal, and domestic conflicts were growing. Bismarck only needed to watch France collapse internally, and then he had to go to war with Prussia in order to divert his attention.

Perhaps only a few cunning guys in Europe could see through Bismarck's thoughts, including the current Russian Prime Minister Gorchakov.

He asserted that the battle between France and Popular Science was imminent, but no one expected that a minor operation that should not have appeared in history would greatly alleviate Na San's physical condition.

Of course, in the eyes of the surgeon, Dr. Kawi, bladder stone lithotripsy is not enough to restore the youth of Nasan, who is over 60 years old. But in fact, Nasan only needs to let the public know that his body has returned to its peak, and whether it is the peak in the true sense is not important.

Less than two weeks after the lithotripsy, he appeared in a public speech and announced that he was free of the disease.

The following month, he gave a public speech at the World Public Medicine Congress held in Paris, where he first praised Cavell for his contributions to the development of medicine and to humanity, and then secured a large budget for public medicine and the Red Cross, winning another wave of prestige.

In the third month, Na San appeared and attended an elaborate court carnival ball.

The party started at 11pm and lasted until dawn. When everyone was drunk in a pile of champagne bottles, Na San was still energetic, holding a wine glass and looking through the approval documents brought by the adjutant.

That night, he danced several cancans with a group of girls in front of the Prussian ambassador, secretary and military counselor in Paris, which gave everyone a little shock.

In fact, anyone with a little political acumen can see that Na San’s intention is just to put on a show.

The emperor's body represented the future of the empire, and such a strong physique was enough to calm the restless people, at least temporarily.

After several stimulations failed to achieve the expected results, Bismarck finally used his trump card.

He wanted to make Napoleon III feel that France was under attack from all sides by nominating the Spanish crown prince, and then make him declare war on Prussia.

As a result, Paris was indeed angry, and Napoleon III also protested. Seeing that the outbreak of war was imminent, Austria jumped out again and proposed that the controversial Prince Leopold be replaced by the Duke of Aosta of Savoy.

In fact, neither Na San nor Bismarck admitted their mistake and both wanted to start a war.

But there were many voices supporting the Duke of Aosta in Paris, Vienna, Madrid and even Berlin, especially in Madrid, who longed to have a long-lived, healthy and stable king.

As for why the Duke of Aosta is associated with longevity, the reason is that this seemingly unreliable duke once underwent Kavi's surgery and his health is definitely better than that of the skinny prince of the Hohenzollern family.

Finally, an Italian duke proposed by the Austrian emperor, after undergoing Cave's surgery, ascended the throne of Spain, thus reconciling the conflict between Prussia and France.

It seems strange, but we have to admit that he is effectively maintaining the fragile balance in Europe. As for how long the balance can be maintained, no one knows.

Kavi, who occasionally appeared in the whole contradiction, became the object of study for Russian politicians standing outside the situation. His surgery seemed to have a kind of magic, quietly changing Europe.