Iron Dynasty

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“Your Majesty, this is what you asked for.”

In the glass workshop, the workshop supervisor handed a short glass rod to Xiao Ming. A clear white mark was visible in the middle of this glass rod.

This item was the reason Xiao Ming came here; it was a thermometer.

Historically, the earliest thermometer was invented in 1593 by the Italian scientist Galileo.

This thermometer had an open-ended glass tube at one end and a walnut-sized glass bulb at the other. When used, the glass bulb was first heated, then the glass tube was inserted into water.

At this point, as the temperature changed, the water level in the glass tube would move up and down. The change and level of the temperature could be determined by how much it moved.

It can be said that the thermometer at this stage contained water. Then, in the seventeenth century, France reduced the volume of the glass bulb and changed the temperature-measuring substance to mercury. This was the prototype of later thermometers.

Following this, the Dutchman Fahrenheit used alcohol in 1709 and then mercury in 1714 as the measuring substance, creating more precise thermometers. This was the development process of the thermometer.

And with the birth of the thermometer, the Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature standards also came into being.

Although the thermometer was only a small invention, this small invention was crucial, because only with a thermometer could specific temperature values be tested.

In fact, this glass mercury thermometer was not very precise or complex. The general steps were to first manufacture a hollow glass tube, which was not too difficult for the current glass workshop.

As for the mercury bulb and the small separating bubble in the thermometer, it was simply a matter of glass-blowing techniques.

After making the glass rod, mercury was injected, and then the glass tube was heated and sealed in a low-pressure environment, with only the seal needing heating.

At this time, the mercury part was at the other end, and glass did not conduct heat well, so it basically did not affect the mercury. After these steps were completed, the scale was marked. This work was also very simple because Xiao Ming had a ready-made standard reference; he only needed to follow the modern Celsius standard.

And he also planned to adopt Celsius as the Great Yu Empire’s future temperature standard.

The thermometer he held now was for measuring human body temperature. His purpose was to use the human body thermometer to establish the Great Yu Empire’s temperature standard, so that he could produce industrial thermometers and promote the temperature standard.

In his opinion, whether it was the steel industry or the smelting industry, the temperature control of the production process was very strict. Precise temperature control could improve the quality of industrial production.

Therefore, after the human body thermometer, what he wanted to produce was an industrial bimetallic thermometer. This bimetallic thermometer worked on the principle that two different metals expand to different degrees when the temperature changes, and could be used to detect the temperature during industrial production.

This type of thermometer usually had metal strips made into a spiral shape. When the temperature of the multi-layered metal strips changed, the layers of metal would expand or contract differently, causing the spiral to coil or uncoil.

Since one end of the spiral was fixed and the other end was connected to a freely rotating pointer, when the bimetallic strip sensed a temperature change, the pointer could indicate the temperature on a circular graduated scale.

For him, this type of thermometer could be produced by Qingzhou Province at its current stage. As for advanced resistance thermometers, they were still out of reach, but for him, this was sufficient. He only needed to give the structural diagram of the metal thermometer to a clockmaker. For a clockmaker who could manufacture pendulum clocks, this was not a difficult task.

“Oh, and besides that, what about the microscope?” Xiao Ming asked.

This time, he not only assigned the glass workshop the task of producing thermometers but also instructed them to manufacture microscopes.

Compared to telescopes, the microscope was the other extreme. He planned to have it manufactured and sent to the medical academy.

“Your Majesty, please wait. This microscope was made by another group of artisans, and it will be here immediately,” the workshop supervisor said. As his words fell, an artisan came towards him, carrying a microscope.

Like the monocular telescope, the microscope in the artisan’s hand had a rustic, 18th-century feel, with glass lenses and a metal body.

Having obtained these two items, Xiao Ming was very satisfied. He said to Qian Dafu, “Let’s go to the medical academy. It’s time to let this Huang Tingzhi understand my capabilities.”

Xiao Ming was happy, and Qian Dafu also became happy. Although he didn’t know what these two items were for, judging from Xiao Ming’s expression, they must be something formidable.

Leaving the glass workshop, the two went directly to the medical academy.

After splitting Bowen Academy, Xiao Ming found another location for the medical academy, not far from Bowen Academy, about the distance of two civilian neighborhoods.

The high mortality rate of injured soldiers in this northern war forced Xiao Ming to attach importance to the development of the medical academy. If medical technology could keep up, the reduction in soldiers would not have been so severe.

And in the future, the Great Yu Empire would face even more wars. At this time, cultivating a group of refined medical officers was very important.

Upon arriving at the medical academy, Xiao Ming went directly to the medical clinic established within the academy. On weekdays, Huang Tingzhi would teach students and also treat common people here.

“Your Majesty.” Xiao Ming’s arrival greatly surprised Huang Tingzhi. He immediately stood up and bowed.

Xiao Ming excused Huang Tingzhi from the formalities. He took out the thermometer and microscope and said to Huang Tingzhi, “Elder Huang, today I have come to give you two powerful tools.”

Huang Tingzhi was somewhat stunned. He looked at the glass rod in Xiao Ming’s hand, then at the microscope, and asked, confused, “Your Majesty, what are these?”

“A thermometer and a microscope,” Xiao Ming said. He wasn’t surprised that Huang Tingzhi didn’t recognize them, because Huang Tingzhi was currently diligently studying the medical classics he had given him and had not yet come into contact with Western concepts.

“This…” Huang Tingzhi was still somewhat confused.

Xiao Ming said, “How does Elder Huang usually determine if someone has a cold?”

“Naturally, through inspection, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking.”

Xiao Ming said seriously, “With this item, I do not need inspection, listening, questioning, or pulse-taking to know if this person is ill.”

“Your Majesty jests! Without inspection, listening, questioning, or pulse-taking, how could Your Majesty possibly know?” Huang Tingzhi suddenly burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Xiao Ming knew that Huang Tingzhi was very confident, and had always worried that he would disdain Western medicine, which was why he came personally this time to let Huang Tingzhi experience a different kind of medical skill.

Upon hearing this, he said, “Elder Huang only needs to use this item to measure the body temperature of the patients in the medical clinic, and you will know.”

Then Xiao Ming explained the principle of the thermometer and briefly mentioned knowledge about human body temperature.

Holding the thermometer, Huang Tingzhi’s expression was greatly shocked. He half-believingly tested the body temperature of every patient in the medical clinic.

When he saw the temperature readings of each patient, he was completely stunned.