I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Doctor Sanson

(132)

"Brother Sanson! Let's Work Together to Develop French Medicine!"

☆　☆　☆

March 10, 1772

I received a report on the progress of steam engine development and the smooth advancement of national development. However, Louis XVI, who walks a considerably different historical path from the actual events, is grappling with this situation. If this were to be discovered by historical accuracy enthusiasts, I might face a storm of online defamation and insults.

There's no "what if" in history! I deserve to have my head hanged in the streets for tampering with history with this bullshit!

(♪ The background music of a certain historical simulation game's declaration of war plays in my mind ♪)

...Some might say that, but since I've actually been reincarnated as Louis XVI, there's nothing I can do about it. I strive to be a good husband to Antoinette, and as a king, I work hard to be a good ruler in the eyes of the people.

The initial plans for reforms in science, agriculture, and various fields are progressing as intended. It's about time to address the medical field in this country. The medical practices of this era are... well, they don't even wash their hands before surgery. Let me emphasize again, they don't wash their hands. Without any disinfectants... well, they just lightly wipe if there's blood or something.

With such hygiene practices, it's only natural for infections to spread, right?

This kind of hygiene practice is not suitable. In reality, Louis XVI's firstborn son, Louis Joseph, who was expected to be his heir, was weak and suffered from tuberculosis. He passed away at the age of 7, just on the eve of the French Revolution when there was political turmoil. Louis XVI was so shocked by the loss of his beloved son that he couldn't even respond to parliamentary inquiries.

'I really don't want to experience such painful emotions... losing one's own son must have been incredibly heartbreaking...'

Especially with newborns, midwives just pick them up without washing their hands upon birth. So, the infant mortality rate in this era is ridiculously high compared to modern times. Moreover, even without disinfectants, using soap would improve hygiene. Surprisingly, it was the Jews who proved this.

The custom of washing hands before meals was a Jewish tradition, and even during the Middle Ages when hygiene was poor, they adhered to this handwashing practice, leading to lower disease rates, including the plague. However, they were often persecuted and accused of spreading diseases, even though they had lower disease rates due to their handwashing practices.

Wouldn't the post-surgery condition improve if proper handwashing with soap were done before surgery?

Not many seem to share this perspective... I don't have much specialized knowledge in medicine to explain, and I'm struggling to figure out how to present my ideas to the French medical society.

After all, during the surgery for congenital sexual dysfunction without anesthesia, they initially planned to use tools to perform the operation without proper sterilization! Even the attending physicians said, "Just a quick snip at the tip will do the job, haha!" but I sincerely hoped for thorough sterilization when dealing with instruments.

If I had proceeded with the surgery, the worst-case scenario would have been an infection, and I might have had to say goodbye to my precious Magnum... Well, I should stop talking about this. Just imagining it gives me shivers.