The carriage slowly set off.
Alexandra's large eyes were full of curiosity. "Darling, just using those iron tubes to tell whether someone might suffer a stroke—it's simply miraculous."
"That is the power of modern medicine." Joseph smiled. "And not only strokes. Through cross-testing with various instruments, we can identify Heart Failure, Arteriosclerosis, Polyuria, Fatty Liver, Pulmonary Edema, and many other illnesses."
"So many diseases can be detected!" Alexandra said in surprise. "But I remember there being only three or four instruments."
Remembering that they still had three hours before reaching Fontainebleau, Joseph began telling his wife about medical examinations to pass the time. "The human body is like a precision machine. When it falls ill, it is usually because some component has been damaged or malfunctioned.
"For example, a stroke is actually caused when cerebral blood vessels are blocked by impurities in the blood, or when a vessel ruptures, resulting in Cerebral Hypoperfusion and necrosis. These impurities are mainly excess Oils in the blood, though there can also be clotted blood and the like.
"When these substances begin gathering inside the blood vessels, the body senses that the blood supply is no longer flowing smoothly. It then raises the pressure on the heart, forcibly squeezing blood through narrowed vessels."
Alexandra asked instinctively, "Is that true?"
Back in Saint Petersburg, the most advanced medical theory she had heard of had been Mr. John Brown's Vitalism—that all bodily discomfort was caused by excessive excitation or insufficient excitation. It had rejected the earlier theory that illness stemmed from an imbalance among the four bodily humors.
Joseph nodded. "This can be verified through anatomy.
"So, when the body begins showing signs of a stroke, the first thing that happens is a rise in blood pressure—to force blood through narrowed vessels. This can be measured