November 3rd, 1655
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Capital City Hampi
In the House of Raghavendra Bhatt
"Sir, post!"
A loud sound reverberated outside the expansive residence of Raghavendra Bhatt, prompting one of his neatly dressed servants, with hair tied in a bun, to attend to the commotion. Upon reaching the door, the servant received a sealed letter from the postman, who swiftly departed after obtaining the servant’s signature.
Raghavendra Bhatt was in his study room, sorting out the data for the new schools and colleges to be constructed in the region of Gujarat. He was especially focused on deciding the teachers and staff required for the Bharathiya Institute of Technology, which was set to be opened in Gujarat in the near future.
*creak*
He heard the sound of the door opening and turned his head to see his assistant, who helped around the house, entering. The assistant, holding a letter in both hands, handed it over to Raghavendra before leaving the room. Raghavendra swiftly opened the letter, only to be surprised that it was addressed to his wife. It was actually from Her Majesty, the Empress.
Raghavendra had a thoughtful look on his face, pondering the intention behind His Majesty’s action. According to him, the reason for Her Majesty’s actions was nothing more than to follow the words of the Emperor.
"Savitri!"
Raghavendra called loudly to inform his wife of the news.
Similar cases unfolded across the empire, as individuals of high society and elevated social standing received letters from the Empress, summoning them to attend the event she was hosting.
At the same time, within the palace grounds, preparations were underway for the event Kavya was set to host. A stage was being meticulously arranged, signalling the grandeur of the occasion to come.
Meanwhile, not far from the palace grounds, inside the study room of the palace, Vijay went through the geological survey of the empire and decided on places where industrial production of Penicillin and morphine was possible. However, before that, he went on to finalize the production process of both these drugs.
For the production of morphine, opium poppy is required. Although this plant is not too difficult to grow, it requires specific conditions that are not often found in the southern region of the subcontinent. However, there are still several districts in the empire that meet those conditions.
For the cultivation of opium poppy, specific environmental conditions must be met. Firstly, a region with ample sunlight for most of the day is ideal. Secondly, the soil should be well-drained with a slightly alkaline to neutral pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Consistent and moderate watering is necessary to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Lastly, a warm and dry climate with minimal rainfall during the growing season is optimal.
Individually, these requirements are manageable, but finding areas where they all converge can be challenging. Nevertheless, several regions within the empire meet these criteria:
In the state of Satavahana, districts such as Dharashev (Osmanabad), Latur, Solapur, and Bhinar (Ahmednagar) offer suitable conditions for opium poppy cultivation.
In Vijayanagar, the northern parts of the state, particularly near the districts of Bijapur, Gulbarga, and Yadgiri, experience hot, dry weather and possess soils with the desired pH levels.
In the state of Kakatiya Puri, numerous regions are conducive to opium poppy growth. Districts like Edlawāḍa (Adilabad), Indirapuri (Nizamabad), Sabbiinadu (Karimnagar), and the Royal Seema region, including Anantapur, Kurnool, and Kadapa, all meet the necessary environmental conditions for the cultivation of opium poppy.
After reviewing this geographical survey, he immediately allocated 70% of these lands for the growth of opium poppy, while the remaining 30% is divided between cotton, pulses, and oil seeds, which thrive in the same conditions.
As for the industry responsible for producing morphine after extracting it from the opium poppy, it is located in all three states close to the source of raw material. This is because there aren’t very complex mechanisms needed for the production of morphine, and it can be produced without hydraulic power.
The first step is to collect the opium by harvesting the unripe poppy pods and collecting the latex sap oozing from the incisions.
Several tonnes of these pods are left to air dry in a warm and well-ventilated area, and the dried opium is ground into a fine powder with the help of a giant mortar operated by Bulls connected to a gear system, which in turn aids in the grinding of opium.
This powder is then placed in large earthenware pots, in batches of 50KG, after which hot water is added.
The opium particles dissolve in water; hence, strain the hot water solution through a clean cloth filter. Now, this filtered solution is put in shallow dishes and placed in a warm, ventilated area for evaporation. The remaining residue is the morphine required in this process, along with other opium alkaloids.
After finalizing the manufacturing process, Vijay immediately approved the construction of the factories across the three states. As for the opium poppy plants, they will soon be planted in the designated areas in a few days. Since the life cycle of the opium plants is only 120 days, Vijay could expect to have the first large-scale production of morphine in about four months.
Until then, Vijay had ordered for the harvesting of opium growing wild in the empire.
Next, for the production of Penicillin, despite being a fungus, specific conditions are crucial for its growth. It thrives best at temperatures between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius and a pH range of 3.0 to 4.5. Adequate moisture, with humidity levels at least 70% or higher, along with sufficient oxygen and nutrients, is also necessary for optimal fungal growth.
After careful consideration, Vijay opted to cultivate the mould in a natural environment rather than in a greenhouse. The reason was simple: cultivating it outdoors was cost-effective, quick to scale up, and didn’t require the controlled environment of a greenhouse, which couldn’t yet be mass-produced anyway due to material constraints.
Following a geographical survey, Vijay discovered that the most suitable locations for growing penicillin mould were primarily in the state of Charanadu (Kerala), particularly in coastal regions like Alleppey, Kollam, Kannur, and Kasargod, known for their backwaters and high humidity. Additionally, hilly regions with abundant rainfall, such as Idukki and Wayanad, were also suitable.
The entire production process of penicillin typically spanned between 7 and 10 days.
For industrial production, a large fermentation tank, capable of holding several tonnes, is filled with an adequate amount of organic matter like bread or other starchy material. The tank is kept in a damp and cool environment to promote mould growth. Once the mould with a greenish-blue colour develops, it is selected for further production.
The top layer of the mould is scraped off and then submerged in batches of several tonnes, in large containers of water that have been cooled after boiling. This process allows some penicillin to diffuse into the water.
The mixture is then filtered through a clean cloth to remove the bread particles. The filtered liquid is collected in a shallow dish and allowed to evaporate slowly in a warm, ventilated area. This process yields a concentrated residue containing penicillin along with various mould products.
The resulting product isn’t completely pure since it may be mixed with other particles. However, in a time when no other drugs exist, this impure solution is already quite effective.
While Vijay was sorting out the production of morphine and penicillin, Kavya was also occupied. She was currently jotting down her thoughts and intentions on paper, preparing to convey them to the people properly when the time came.
Additionally, she was setting up the organizational structure of her new proposed unit in the military, which would be wholly responsible for saving soldiers from certain death and healing the injuries of the wounded, helping them get back on their feet.
It was a daunting task, as she had to consider many factors. However, to her surprise, the moment Kavya started designing the medical personnel structure, inspiration descended upon her like a torrential waterfall. Her eyes sparkled, and her hands moved swiftly as she scribbled her ideas on paper, ensuring they were not forgotten.
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After a few hours, Kavya finally came up with a simple organizational structure for this new branch in the military. According to her design, the branch would be headed by a Chief Medical Officer, for whom Kavya already had a candidate in mind. Following the Chief Medical Officer would be the Chief Surgeon, who would oversee surgeries on wounded soldiers.
Next in line would be the physicians, tasked with handling emergency diseases, sickness, and outbreaks of Plague’s in the barracks.
Moving on to the support staff, Kavya introduced a new profession called nurse, who would be solely responsible for administering first aid to wounded soldiers and assisting senior doctors in the military hospital.
Following the nurses would be the medical technicians or corpsmen, who would serve as the hospital’s heavy hands, responsible for moving and arranging whatever is needed within the hospital.
Additionally, Kavya proposed the inclusion of a pharmacist, who would be responsible for maintaining a stock of all medicines and herbs in the barracks and dispensing them as needed based on individual doctors’ prescriptions. Finally, she envisioned a flexible unit of support staff who could be utilized in multiple roles as required.
Kavya had not yet determined the actual numbers for each of these different professions, as she was unsure of the demand within the military or the availability of so many professionals in the empire. Hence, Taking a division headed by a major general as a basic unit , she came up with a ratio of 1:20 upward of up to 1:50 or more.
This meant that the number of medical staff, including all the aforementioned professionals, could range from 240 to 600, since she did not understand if so many medical professionals were available. She decided to leave this matter to Vijay to handle.
Taking the lowest number of personnel with the ratio 1:50, which was 240 individuals for 12,000 Soldiers, Kavya came up with these numbers: the head of this unit, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), would be one, and the surgeons along with physicians would make up 12.5% to 16.7% of the workforce, equating to anywhere from 30 to 40 people.
Nurses would form the majority of the workforce, accounting for 41.7% to 50%, which translates to around 100 to 120 people. Kavya had already decided to allocate all nursing positions to the women of the empire.
Next, the medical technicians or corpsmen would take up anywhere from 20.8% to 25% of the workforce, which is about 50 to 60 people. One or two pharmacists would be sufficient, making up around 0.4% to 0.8% of the workforce. Lastly, the support staff, comprising 12.5% to 16.7% of the workforce, would consist of 30 to 40 people.
Satisfied with the structure, she quickly closed the document and left to meet Vijay, to see if he had any problem with the planning she did.