Shadow of great britain

Arthur just shook his head when he heard Chadwick's inquiry.

"You also know that the so-called liberal tradition has been regarded as a top priority by Britain since the signing of the Magna Carta, and the strengthening of this tradition is also the current mainstream public opinion. In order to pass the Parliamentary Reform Act, the Prime Minister His Majesty has just been persuaded to reorganize Parliament. Those newly elected MPs know exactly why they are sitting in the green leather chairs in the Palace of Westminster. We may be able to persuade one of them to change their position. But we cannot reverse it. In the current political climate, because it is tantamount to going against the Prime Minister, MPs, especially Whig MPs, will not do such stupid things."

Although Chadwick knew this was an unsolvable problem early on, now that he had received confirmation from someone else, he still suffered a small mental blow.

His face was gloomy and he was pacing and leaning against the wall, as if he was thinking about something.

Upon seeing this, Arthur was about to take out the document sent from Paris not long ago from the small bag he carried. However, before he could take out the document, the seductive voice of the Red Devil came to his ears.

"Arthur, why bother? Why do you put so much thought into this matter? They will never consider changing their own prejudices without breaking their heads and bleeding. This is human beings. Human beings learn from history. The only lesson is that humans do not learn from history. As a result, history often repeats itself alarmingly.”

Arthur took out his pipe and held it in his mouth, and while he was lighting it, he asked: "Agares, you know that I hate Hegel, so you deliberately quoted his words to make me angry? Or is this just nonsense? Only the erudite devil’s trivial mistakes?”

"Oh..." Agares covered his mouth and snickered: "Arthur, I'm sorry, did I make you unhappy?"

Arthur threw away the match and took a puff of the flue.

"No. As far as what you said is concerned, Hegel is right. But if I don't make some resistance, it won't be long before I have to become a part of history. As for what I hate Hegel does not mean that I oppose all of his theories. I just simply hate him as a person.

Similarly, I use Hegel's other assertions as a reply to his own remarks: Only those who lie in the pit and never look up to the sky will not fall into the pit again. Errors themselves are a necessary step in reaching truth, and it is because of these errors that truth is discovered. So those who have never seen ugliness never understand what is beautiful. "

When the red devil heard this, the corners of his torn mouth almost reached the base of his ears, and a harsh sound like metal friction came from between the sharp teeth: "Oh? Those who think great will surely go astray? Arthur, I didn't expect you. He is actually a supporter of this argument.”

"There are many people who are astray, but their astral path may not be great. No one knows whether what they are doing is right or wrong until the veil of ignorance that is hidden in front of everyone is lifted. Human cognitive abilities cannot transcend their own experience or Within the scope of perception, it is naturally impossible to understand the nature and development laws of things.

This is also the fundamental reason why human beings cannot learn lessons from history, because everyone can only realize that their own existence, decades of time, is nothing more than the accumulation of historical documents after they have received enough painful lessons. Add one to the statistics. Or add two or subtract three. All in all, differences in statistical caliber will indeed cause some differences. "

The Red Devil put his arm on Arthur's shoulder and laughed loudly: "It's like Scotland Yard counting London prostitutes?"

"They are wandering warblers, or you can call them lost lambs."

Arthur glanced at him and took a puff of his cigarette: "Agares, if you were a London gangster, just by what you just said, I could have sent you to prison for six hours of criminal running every day. Machine. Have you ever seen the wheel of a mill waterwheel? The structure of the criminal treadmill is almost the same as that thing. But I think Sir William Cubitt was too unbusiness-minded to only use this thing in prison. He You should buy a separate store and charge customers two shillings a month for the use of treadmills. You will be rich soon. At least I think Alexander will definitely have this need. He can fight dueling if he is smaller. Good for him.”

"Alexander?" The red devil covered his mouth and sneered: "Arthur, it turns out you still remember your fat friend! But I don't think he needs to use the treadmill to lose weight."

Arthur was stunned when he heard this, and he suddenly said: "Where is he now?"

"Where else? In isolation in the hospital, of course."

Agares replied slowly while cutting his nails: "As you saw before, he and the sensitive and irritable German boy unfortunately encountered a patient getting sick while watching the show. So just to be on the safe side , all the guests in the theater were sent to the hospital for isolation and observation. If he is lucky, he should be able to come out in ten days. But if he is unlucky..."

Having said this, Agares paused, and his smile was full of malice: "Then you just wait to collect their bodies. Don't blame me for not reminding you, Cholera is one of Barr's gold-medal thugs. As long as you contract this disease, it will only take a few hours to kill you. The death of the fat man can be considered a relief, but for you, Arthur, I can only reiterate to you that the devil is here. There is no such thing as a debt being wiped out by death!"

Arthur didn't care too much about the threat of the Red Devil. On the contrary, he was more concerned about the situation of Alexandre Dumas and Heine.

Although he had no medical education, he at least had the concepts of bacteria and viruses in his mind.

Therefore, even though he could not figure out what caused the various diseases that were rampant in the nineteenth century, his insistence on drinking hot tea, eating only cooked food, and washing clothes and bed sheets regularly still helped Arthur avoid danger. avoided most diseases.

But Alexandre Dumas, the original 19th century old Paris, is different. As a well-known gourmet, the French fat man's breadth of recipes is second only to the one who can taste exploding insects among Arthur's friends. Clever 'Darwin.

The most important thing is that this fat man's eating habits have always been uncooked. Since coming to London, the only change that this guy has been thankful for is that under the influence of Elder, he has turned into an old drunkard like a senior sailor in the Royal Navy.

Before the publication of The Count of Monte Cristo, the cash-strapped Alexandre Dumas lived mainly on strong porter beer.

After having a lot of money, the fat man's mouth naturally became a mouthful. He usually drank brandy and Scotch whiskey, and occasionally drank a little imperial stout beer, which was mainly exported, as a drink.

The hairs on Arthur's body stood up when he thought that Alexandre Dumas was being held in an isolation hospital at this time. With the coquettish character of the fat Frenchman, he might be able to create a love affair during the cholera period for him.

He quickly put out his pipe, held the document in his hand and found Chadwick who was in deep thought.

"Edwin, regarding the prevention and control measures during the cholera period, I received a letter from a friend in Paris a few days ago, which included some of the French government's prevention and control measures for cholera, as well as a copy of the "Cholera" issued by the Grand Paris Police Department. "Prevention and Treatment Manual". You also know that the Russian experience of the Central Health Committee may not be accepted by the parliament in a short time.

I estimate that once this report is submitted to Parliament, it will probably be rejected immediately. If Parliament demands changes in prevention and control measures, we might as well refer to the practices of some French people. Although the French standards were still too harsh compared to the traditional British approach, they were still easier for Parliament to accept than the Russian methods. "

"Documents from the Grand Paris Police Department?" Chadwick took the thick pamphlet from Arthur's hand: "Where did you get this?"

Arthur chuckled softly: "The head of the Paris Security Department - Mr. François Vidocq. Last year he came to London with Mr. Talleyrand and was responsible for protecting the French delegation during the London meeting. Safety. Since we are both police officers, I had a great time chatting with Mr. Vidocq. Since then, I have exchanged notes with him from time to time to exchange police experience in Britain and France. And as you know, due to the epidemic of cholera in Eastern Europe The outbreak was concentrated, and France, like Britain, entered a state of early warning. In the recent correspondence, Mr. Vidocq and I talked most about cholera."

When Chadwick heard this, he hurriedly opened the documents in his hand.

As the secretary in the Chancery Chamber who is mainly responsible for the health and medical field, he fully understands that the Central Health Commission, a temporary organization that has been established for only two months, has no authority at all in front of the parliament. Rather than hoping that MPs will give in to professional opinions, it is better to prepare a second plan in advance.

Although Britain and France often dislike each other, they are like conjoined twins in many matters.

For example, sending doctors to Russia to learn prevention and treatment experience happened almost simultaneously in Britain and France.

And compared with the slow development of British medicine, French medicine has experienced leaps and bounds in the past half century. Due to the occurrence of the French Revolution and the fact that all French regimes during this period were all anti-Church, French doctors neither lacked corpses nor had to consider the moral and legal risks of dissecting corpses.

And precisely because of France's leading position in the medical field, Chadwick, a public health affairs officer, naturally believed in the experience from Paris.

Nineteenth-century Britons believed that the French were good at handling corpses, whether they were hanging in ovens or lying on hospital beds.

The "Cholera Prevention and Treatment Manual" that Arthur submitted to Chadwick also illustrates the professionalism and comprehensiveness of French doctors.

1. To prevent risks caused by miasma accumulating indoors, citizens should keep doors and windows open as long as possible and keep their homes ventilated.

2. Keep warm, avoid catching cold, and wear more clothes made of wool or flannel. If you work in a physically strenuous job, please prioritize spending this week's salary on buying a new pair of shoes. Wearing holes in shoes and socks or walking barefoot will increase your risk of illness.

3. Empty the chamber pot frequently, do not accumulate urine and feces, and do not discharge domestic sewage into the street at will.

4. Keep your home hygienic and flush gutters and toilets with chlorine water every day. Make good use of the gutters and eaves near your home to drain rainwater as quickly as possible. We have reason to believe that they are rich in some disease-causing little things.

5. The daily routine must be regular. It is necessary to balance work and rest to avoid overexertion. It is also necessary to exercise moderation in diet and avoid overeating.

6. Try to eat more cooked and easily digested meat products, eggs, bread, and ripe fruits.

7. Drinking water should be clean, preferably filtered water. Don't drink alcohol, soju, beer, or apple cider vinegar, but you can drink a small amount of high-quality wine.

Chadwick glanced at the pamphlet. As Arthur said, this manual was obviously much easier to accept than the Russian experience.

Chadwick was ecstatic to find a treasure and said: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with what is said here. I even think that we can submit it to the Health Committee today, and after revision, it will be distributed directly to various parishes by Scotland Yard."

Seeing his expression, Arthur knew that the manual matter should be settled, but it was just an appetizer.

Although the power of the Grand Paris Police Department is not as great as that of the Third Office of the Russian Imperial Palace, it is still a world away compared to Scotland Yard. How could they possibly do something as simple as handing out manuals?

Arthur handed over another document in his hand: "Of course it is important to publicize prevention and control, but the Paris Police Department is also very important for the organization of environmental sanitation work. Maybe you don't know, they are the leaders of Paris' sanitation work Institution. In order to deal with the cholera that may strike at any time, the French government also authorized the establishment of a Central Health Commission. The only difference is that, unlike Britain, their commission does not accept the leadership of the Privy Council, but works under the arrangements of the Grand Paris Police Department. .

As far as I know, they divided Paris into 12 regional health committees and 48 street health committees, which are responsible for overseeing the health status of the entire Paris. The function of the Central Health Committee is to provide recommendations to the government, receive and discuss reports submitted by the health committees of various districts and blocks, and propose necessary corrective measures.

The district health committee acts as an intermediary between the central health committee and the neighborhood health committee, responsible for uploading and distributing information, and has no actual authority. Each neighborhood health committee not only reports to the Central Health Committee, but also reports to the Grand Paris Police Department.

Moreover, the Grand Paris Police Department also requires the establishment of at least one medical aid station based on the police station in each neighborhood. Medical aid stations should be staffed with at least 6 doctors, 1 pharmacist, 6 medical students, 6 caregivers and 2 nurses every day.

In addition, the Grand Paris Police Department last week required strict inspections of guesthouses, hotels, and rental houses, including but not limited to verifying guests’ passports, visas, and residence permits, registering their names, ages, permanent addresses, and occupations, and conducting business operations. The offender is obliged to report to the neighborhood police chief within the prescribed time limit. Ordinary citizens who receive guests for free must also abide by the same regulations. As for those foreigners or tourists without documents, they must apply for a residence permit from the police station within 3 days of arriving in Paris, otherwise they will be handed over to the court for processing. "

As soon as Chadwick heard these words, he immediately understood what Arthur meant.

Whether it is the Central Health Commission's plan or the French plan just submitted by Arthur, it is inevitable to expand government power.

Although Arthur's French plan sounds like it would be much less powerful than the Central Health Commission's plan, if Parliament really decides to choose the French plan, then...

Because, although they both expand government power, the subjects of power in the two plans are completely different.

The Central Health Commission's plan advocates decentralizing power to local parishes, with police action assisting local councils in their work.

Once Arthur's French plan is passed, Scotland Yard will instantly become the absolute center of power in the London area's health and medical undertakings. They will have substantial decision-making power in the prevention and treatment of cholera.

Chadwick held the document and stared directly at Arthur: "Arthur, do you know what you just said?"

Arthur nodded slightly: "Of course I know, but now is not the time to quarrel. There is always a plan that needs to be passed, either Russia's or France's. We don't have time to draft another set of Britain's own now, we must at least get it now Come up with a temporary plan and use it first, right?"

Chadwick looked at it for a while, then suddenly smiled and extended his hand to him: "I agree. You may not know that everyone calls me the Prussian official of the Chancery. Since they don't want the Chancery to have too much power, Then leave it to the head office of a secondary department like Scotland Yard, right? I'll take these documents first, and I can handle them from the Lord Chancellor. But before that, I have a request. If you don't agree, the Lord Chancellor may not make it. Be willing to let go.”

Arthur asked: "Please speak."

Chadwick said: "The Chancery Chamber will select several people to join the Health Committee of Scotland Yard, and the top leadership positions must be held by our people. You and Director Rowan must agree to this."