At last, with a resounding cry, Franz and Olga's first child was born.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. It's a healthy boy."
The doctor said excitedly. Dr. Melissa was the first female court physician in the history of the Austrian Empire. This had nothing to do with her being a woman or with her family background—otherwise, Franz would never have allowed her to deliver Olga's child.
Dr. Melissa had earned the recognition of the Austrian Empire Physicians Association entirely through her professional expertise. To date, she was also the only female doctor in the Austrian Empire to have obtained this qualification.
Physicians in the Austrian Empire were ranked as follows: rural doctors, also known as assistant physicians, served rural areas and usually worked part-time as veterinarians. Their positions could be inherited or passed down through apprenticeship, and they were licensed by local governments.
Surgeons needed to graduate from a specialized surgical school and pass an assessment by the local Physicians Association. They could perform minor operations, had no prescription rights, and were forbidden from taking part in internal medicine treatment.
Licensed physicians needed to graduate from a university, pass reviews by the local Physicians Association, and pass state-organized examinations. They could independently open clinics, had prescription rights, could keep restricted drugs such as laudanum and ether, and were permitted to use the title Dr. med.
Provincial medical officers were nominated by local governors and personally appointed by the Emperor. They could issue plague quarantine orders and possessed the rights to conduct autopsies and forensic examinations.
They needed recognition from the national Physicians Association, as well as either outstanding contributions in their field or at least twenty years of service to the state.
In theory, aside from royal physicians, this was the highest rank a doctor could attain. The military surgeon general and