It seems quite possible to me that the Baroness took actual medical training at some point. By the early to mid twentieth century women doctors were no longer such rarities. "Dr. Jurgen" could well be quite legitimate. We know that Nick has some level of medical training, for he passed as a doctor during the American Civil War (in "Unreality TV"). Vampires do use a lot of different cover stories, and at least some of them require a bit of background knowledge. So the Baroness might simply have become a doctor because she fancied the alias.
Once taking the training, though, Dr. Jurgen might well wonder about the nature and effects of vampirism, and do some of the same research that Natalie has done. In particular, given the importance of blood in vampire mystique, she might well be curious to see the effects of injections of vampire blood into live humans, as opposed to those drained to the point of death. And then try it out.
There are plenty of young women desperate to keep their youth. They pay a lot for "treatments" of other types, and the effects are often not immediately visible. Think of all those creams and potions that promise to reduce wrinkles and fade spots, but only over time.
I heard something on the radio recently that said that older women are far more cynical about the effects of such beauty products. Younger ones are more likely to believe the hype and buy them as a preventive measure.
So I can see Dr. Jurgen suspecting the likely effects, and picking out a woman to experiment on. It would presumably be someone she reasonably likes, since she's going to be creating a sort of "family" similar to LaCroix's, and will be seeing a lot of them. It would also be someone she thinks will be susceptible to the offer—someone who is acutely sensitive to the effects on her life that the loss of her looks will have as she ages. Having made her choice, Dr. Jurgen would offer this woman an "experimental preventive aging treatment".
She offers the same treatment to at least two others. There may, of course, have been yet more in the group at one time. We have no idea who might have dropped out after a while, before the youth-preserving effects became obvious, and simply returned to aging at a normal rate.
One thing is certain: none of the women knew the exact nature of their treatments. Dr. Jurgen was obviously being very careful that they not see that the liquid in the syringe was blood she drew from her own vein. So probably they just think she's giving herself the same experimental treatment she's giving them.
no subject
Once taking the training, though, Dr. Jurgen might well wonder about the nature and effects of vampirism, and do some of the same research that Natalie has done. In particular, given the importance of blood in vampire mystique, she might well be curious to see the effects of injections of vampire blood into live humans, as opposed to those drained to the point of death. And then try it out.
There are plenty of young women desperate to keep their youth. They pay a lot for "treatments" of other types, and the effects are often not immediately visible. Think of all those creams and potions that promise to reduce wrinkles and fade spots, but only over time.
I heard something on the radio recently that said that older women are far more cynical about the effects of such beauty products. Younger ones are more likely to believe the hype and buy them as a preventive measure.
So I can see Dr. Jurgen suspecting the likely effects, and picking out a woman to experiment on. It would presumably be someone she reasonably likes, since she's going to be creating a sort of "family" similar to LaCroix's, and will be seeing a lot of them. It would also be someone she thinks will be susceptible to the offer—someone who is acutely sensitive to the effects on her life that the loss of her looks will have as she ages. Having made her choice, Dr. Jurgen would offer this woman an "experimental preventive aging treatment".
She offers the same treatment to at least two others. There may, of course, have been yet more in the group at one time. We have no idea who might have dropped out after a while, before the youth-preserving effects became obvious, and simply returned to aging at a normal rate.
One thing is certain: none of the women knew the exact nature of their treatments. Dr. Jurgen was obviously being very careful that they not see that the liquid in the syringe was blood she drew from her own vein. So probably they just think she's giving herself the same experimental treatment she's giving them.