Paměti osobního lékaře Františka Ferdinanda - Nejtěžší roky následníka trůnu – Eisenmenger Victor (2019)

The man who saved the life of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the future heir to the throne, was a modest scientist and doctor of medicine, Victor Eisenmenger. He entered the archduke's service as his personal physician at a time when tuberculosis threatened to kill Franz Ferdinand just as it had once killed his mother. Dr. Eisenmenger had to fight not only against the disease but also against the archduke's unyielding will, impatience, and temper. For more than two years, they lived on the road in a constant search for a favorable climate; the doctor got to know the heir to the throne like few others and remained in his service later on. He wrote memoirs about the years spent in daily contact with the seriously ill, about travel experiences, but also about the time after recovery when he could observe the archduke's private family and public life. At the time of the first publication, the book sparked debates about whether and to what extent the author violated discretion. However, the memoirs clearly reflect the doctor's heartfelt relationship with Franz Ferdinand and his knowledge of court affairs, which he describes with the detachment of an observer.