Herald of Steel



Pasha Farzah knew about Alexander's advanced medical procedures from back in Adhan, when Alexander had helped Laykash recover from his broken thigh.

And so was the man was curious to see how Alexander treated his patients in his clinic.

"I want to go take a look. Could we?" The burly man hence inquired.

And it made Alexander raise an eyebrow in concern.

"Are you sure? There are lots of sick people there" He pointed out.

To which Pasha Farzah simply waved his hand like it was nothing and said, "Bah! This old body is limping on its last legs anyway. Come on… let's go."

While the Queen mother represented the three ladies to bid the duo goodbye, "Then my lords please be safe. We will wait for you in the carriage."

After all, a dirty, diseased-ridden hospital was no place for a noble lady in her opinion.

And so taking a small contingent of guards, the two men went to see the ins and out of this, for the time, modern establishment.

The reason for it being modern is because in most cases when people fell sick in time period, they had the following options, none of which were going to a hospital.

First and foremost, were the home remedies and self-care, where peasants resorted to traditional methods passed down through generations to manage common ailments and injuries, which could include herbal remedies, poultices, hot or cold compresses, and basic wound care techniques.

As there was no formal healthcare, this method was the most preferred by peasants and would resort to the later options only if this failed.

So the second option was going to the local healers and herbalists within their communities.

These individuals possessed knowledge of traditional remedies and herbal medicines and would use herbs, plants, and natural substances to create remedies for various common illnesses and injuries.

Thirdly, they could visit the nearby temples, in which they would both pray to the gods to heal them and also receive tangible treatment from the establishment.

Temples usually had infirmaries with stocked herb gardens and many priests and priestesses would possess some degree of medicinal knowledge that allowed them to offer a slightly more advanced level of care.

This basic providence of medical treatment to the sick and injured was seen as a civic duty of the temples as well as being a major source of their income, all while also helping them cement their status as favored by the gods into the hearts of the masses.

This was one of the reasons attacking temples was so hard.

Because it tangibly affected the surrounding populace and would make them prone to revolt.

This was also why Alexander's clinic had many of Gaia temple's personnel working here, to provide the same, if not better services than the previous Ramuh temple.

All so that the people would forget the latter's existence.

Now back to the fourth option for the poor was to seek care from charitable institutions such as almshouses or hospices which would offer basic medical treatment to peasants who were unable to afford private healthcare, with them themselves relying on donations, endowments, or religious organizations for funding and support.

And the last option the people had, which was probably the worst one- Visiting the local barber or butcher.

This might seem a bit weird given that profession had no relation with human anatomy, but aren't humans just animals?

And butchers handled cows, which are similar to humans right?

This thought process let barbers act as surgeons, who would perform procedures such as bloodletting, wound dressings, tooth extractions, and bone setting.

Their medical knowledge was limited, and their practices were based on traditions and guild regulations rather than comprehensive medical training.

Meaning they were quakes, even among quacks.

But because of their cheap visiting cost and frequent interaction with the community, unfortunately, they were often the primary healthcare providers for peasants if they were unable to solve it themselves.

Alexander had wanted to ban these practices but knew if he did not provide an alternative, it was bound to fail.

Which was one of the reasons behind this clinic's establishment.

All these thoughts flashed inside his mind as he entered the building, which had been converted from a pleasure house, with its structure still reflecting some of its former vestiges.

Which was actually a boon for the clinic due to how it helped sort out the patients.

And as Alexander led Pasha Farzah through, he helped the man introduce how the clinic operated.

"This is the reception area," He said, pointing to the front area of the building whose layout was exactly like a modern hospital's, with rows and rows of chairs to sit on, then saying, "What people first do is register and provide information about their condition over there on the information desk."

"Once they have done that, the receptionist will then recommend them to a room over there where a doctor will look at them." Alexander afterward pointed to the door which led into a courtyard which branched out into many more buildings.

This was what Alexander meant by the structure of the clinic being a boon, as having a central courtyard not only allowed him to easily sort the waiting patients from the patients receiving treatment, but it also allowed natural light and ventilation to reach the various rooms surrounding the courtyard.

And without the presence of strong, artificial light, this was a massive advantage.

So while previously this courtyard was previously used for tired men to gaze into while they enjoyed their women, now it was helping save lives.

There was little else to see in the reception outside the waiting patients and male nurses running about talking, listening, and attending to them.

And so Alexander decided to move on to the inner courtyard where the real action happened.

And just as Alexander crossed into the central courtyard, a hurried and high-pitched voice came to him, "My lord! You are here!"

The voice was feminine, and familiar to Alexander, as he turned to look at a woman in her early forties, wearing a spot white apron, with her hair tied up in a bundle.

"It's nice to see you too, Jupetus" Alexander greeted with a frank smile, who was also Hiperteom's wife and among the best healers Alexander had in his mercenary group.

And then he proceeded to introduce her to Pasha Farzah, "This is Miss Jupetus. She is one of my best pupils and is in charge of this clinic."

And then introduced Pasha Farzah to the women. "This is Lord Farzah, He is the pasha of Matrak."

Which instantly initiated another great bow from the women.

"Greetings my lord." She said.

And got a heavy nod from Farzah.

As she then raised her head to offer, "So how may I help you, my lords?"

Before turning to Alexander and asking in concern, "Is your leg still hurting?"

This generated a curious look from Pasha Farzah, who was unaware of any injury Alexander had suffered.

And so Alexander filled in him on it.

"Hahaha, I got a spear attack on my thigh in the last battle, But don't worry it's all fine now" He chuckled breezily and got a simple nod from Pasha Farzah who saw injuries as part and parcels of battle and saw it as no big deal as he could see Alexander had recovered fully, which he did about a week ago.

Alexander was of a similar mindset, as he turned to Jupetus to reassure her everything was fine, saying, "No, we are for here for my leg." and then asking, "In fact, we came here because Pasha Farzah wanted to see the clinic. Could you give us the tour?"

"Of course, of course, right this way," Jupetus was more than ecstatic to show the two lords around, as so began the clinic tour.

First, she led them to a room attached to the reception area that was only accessible to the staff.

And inside, there were shelves upon shelves filled to the brim with scrolls, which she pointed to and said, "This is where all the patient's medical records are stored. To make sure the doctors can look at it whenever necessary."

Jupetus then led lead them upstairs through a staircase right next to the room, as she explained the purpose of the upper rooms on the way, "The clinics have special rooms for consultations and examinations. All these are located upstairs."

"The patients can meet with the attending physicians there and describe their symptoms. The doctors will then assess the patient's condition using observation, questioning, and physical examination techniques before offering a diagnosis."

As Jupetus said this, Alexander could see several of the rooms being used for precisely that, where a lot of men men, women, and children were being seen by a couple of doctors.

Following these rooms, at the back was a large hall, that now acted as the clinic's pharmacy, stocked with various jars and containers full of herbs and scales and pestle and mortals for measuring and compounding medicines.

Lot of men were seen here, with the patients buying the medicine recommended to them, and the doctors preparing the herbal concoctions to present to their patients, while the men manning the counters ran to and fro to fulfill the customer's requests.

It was a very busy part of the clinic, but the size and orderliness of it all impressed Pasha Farzah very much.

And it had to be remembered that they had seen just half the clinic, as Jupetus said, "This part of the clinic is for illnesses. While the other wing is for injuries."