Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1070 A Physician Who Lived to 101 Despite Being Full of Illnesses (Part 2 Combined)
Mr. Ba Jin's original name was Li Yaotang, courtesy name Feigan, and he was from Chengdu, Sichuan.

Born on November 25, 1904, he will be 74 years old this year in a few months. In fact, he lived to be almost 101 years old, which is a very long life.

However, starting in 1965, he suffered from various health problems.

Hypertension, latent coronary heart disease, chronic bronchitis, sebaceous cysts on the back, fractures, Parkinson's disease, malignant mesothelioma...

He knows a whole host of illnesses just from his dialect alone; he has basically lived with diseases for most of his life.

As expected, upon hearing about the dialect issue, Ba Jin immediately said:

"I have quite a few flaws, which one should I tell you about first..."

Hearing this, Li Zhengji couldn't help but glance at Fang Yan, his eyes clearly saying, "See? I told you today wouldn't go smoothly, and here it is..."

Fang Yan remained calm and said to him:
"It's alright, just tell me one thing at a time. We're here today to solve this problem."

As Ba Jin spoke, he addressed Ye Shengtao, Zhou Jianren, and the others:
"Why don't you guys go first? I'll be first in line and take up your time."

The next second he was pressed back down onto the sofa.

"Stop thinking about this and quickly tell Dr. Fang what's going on," Ye Shengtao said to him.

Ba Jin could only nod at this point, then took out a small notebook from his pocket, flipped through it, and then cleared his throat and said to Fang Yan:

"Hello Mr. Fang, let me explain my situation to you in detail."

Fang Yan nodded, signaling him to continue.

Ba Jin said:

"I've had this abdominal bloating for seven or eight years, since back then..." He hesitated, then stopped.

Then he paused and said:

"Anyway, it's caused by the living conditions and environment back then. It's hard to explain in just a few words. This bloating is more pronounced after eating, and it's very uncomfortable."

He pointed to the small notebook and said:
“In 1973, a friend took me to the hospital for a barium meal examination. The doctor said that my stomach was prolapsed and that it was 6 centimeters lower than the line connecting the two iliac crests.”

Fang Yan nodded.

The stomach is mostly located in the upper left abdomen, with its lower edge usually above the line connecting the iliac crests.

Examining his condition now is like a bag (stomach) that was originally hanging high up, but now the hook has come loose, and the bag is falling down, even "falling out of the normal range".

Ba Jin continued:

“I think it was after my wife passed away in 72 and I started living alone that I started having stomach aches frequently. If my stomach got cold, the pain would be even worse. That should have started around that time. In recent years, I’ve been eating less and less, only about half a pound of food a day. As a result, I’ve been losing weight, often feeling dizzy, lacking energy, and getting tired very easily.”

Fang Yan interrupted at this point:
"Wait, when you say half a jin, do you mean cooked, or raw ingredients as they were before cooking?"

Ba Jin said:

"Raw."

Fang Yan nodded, understanding the situation, and then said to the old man:
"You continue."

Distracted by the dialect, Ba Jin picked up his notebook again and started reading. He said:
“I recently went to the hospital and had another barium meal. The results showed that my stomach was drooping on the lesser curvature, 7.8 centimeters lower than the line connecting the iliac crests.”

After he finished speaking, he paused, put down the notebook in his hand, adjusted his glasses, and said:
"It started about a year ago. My left chest and back have been hurting continuously, with pain coming and going, and each time it lasts about 20 minutes."

"It's more likely to happen when you're angry or when the weather suddenly changes."

"However, if I take some Guanxin Suhe Pills, the pain will be relieved in about 10 minutes. The hospital previously diagnosed me with gastroptosis and angina pectoris. What should I do now?"

Fang Yan nodded slightly. Ba Jin's wife, Xiao Shan, met him in 1936 and married him in 1944. The two were together for nearly 30 years.

During the turbulent period, Xiao Shan was implicated because of her connection to Ba Jin, and suffered immense physical and mental stress. In 1972, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually passed away.

Her passing was a heavy blow to Ba Jin. In his later essay "Remembering Xiao Shan," Ba Jin fondly recalled his wife's life, his words filled with grief and remembrance.

This is also a deeply moving masterpiece of modern Chinese literature.

Fang Yan composed herself and asked him:
"What are your daily bowel and bladder habits like? Is your stool formed? Do you have loose stools? What color is your urine? And how many times a day do you go to the toilet?"

Ba Jin thought for a moment and said:
"I haven't paid much attention to my urination, but it should be fine. As for my stool, it's a bit hard to say. Sometimes it feels whole, and sometimes it feels loose and unformed. Anyway, the main problem is that my stomach is bloated. I feel like I need to go to the toilet after eating. I go to the toilet at least three times a day to have a bowel movement. I haven't counted the number of times I have to urinate, but I think I do it several times. As you get older, you can't hold your urine like a young person."

Fang Yan said to him:
"Stick out your tongue so I can see it, and take my pulse with your hands."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xianlin, who was standing nearby, said to Ba Jin:

"Fang Yan is amazing. He can feel your pulse and examine your tongue, which is equivalent to having a full-body check-up done by a Western doctor."

Ba Jin smiled and nodded, saying:
"I know that. You already mentioned it when we arrived."

As he spoke, he began to use dialect to make the diagnosis.

Fang Yan noticed that his tongue had a slightly thick coating and looked somewhat dry. Normally, when a person sticks out their tongue, there is saliva on it, but there is no saliva on his tongue. In particular, the middle of his tongue looks like sandpaper, and the tongue body looks a bit pale red.

Then Fang Yan felt his pulse in both hands.

The pulse is wiry and weak.

Then, Fang Yan said to Ba Jin:

"Press on the left side of your own belly button and see."

"Huh?" Ba Jin looked at him with some confusion, not understanding what Fang Yan was trying to do.

Fang Yan demonstrated the pressing motion on his stomach, and Ba Jin followed suit.

As soon as he pressed it, everyone suddenly heard him cry out, "Ouch!"

"Hiss..." He gasped and asked Fang Yan:

Why does it hurt so much here?

Fang Yan asked him:
"What kind of pain is it? Is it a dull ache, a sharp pain, or some other kind of pain?"

Ba Jin said:

"It's just ordinary pain, like I've been hit and injured here."

He said in dialect:

"This is called tenderness on the left side of the navel."

After speaking in his dialect, he began writing medical records. He always carried a small notebook with him, and could quickly jot down notes with his pen.

"What's wrong with him?" Ji Xianlin, who was standing to the side, couldn't wait to ask Fang Yan.

Everyone else looked at Fang Yan, wondering what exactly was wrong with him.

This disease is actually a very typical case of mid-stage depression, but Mr. Ba Jin's case was a relatively severe one.

The stomach has been ptosis for quite some time, and there is severe sinking of Qi in the middle Jiao. There is also insufficient Yang Qi in the chest and stagnation in the heart vessels.

He had been taking Guanxin Suhe Pills before, and the effect was quite noticeable, but it didn't solve the root problem.

He said in dialect:

"Abdominal distension that worsens after eating, gastric prolapse, reduced appetite, gradual weight loss, dizziness, fatigue, and loose stools indicate insufficient Qi in the middle Jiao, impaired spleen function, and failure of clear Yang to ascend."

"In addition, his left chest and back pain radiates to anger and occurs when the weather is abnormal. Taking Guanxin Suhe Pill can relieve the pain, which is due to cold stagnation, qi stagnation and blood stasis."

"Looking at his tongue, it is pale red with a thick, dry coating, and his pulse is wiry and thin. A wiry pulse indicates pain, while a thin pulse indicates insufficient qi and blood."

"The stomach pain worsened due to cold, and the tongue coating was thick and dry. This indicates spleen deficiency with dampness, combined with internal heat damaging body fluids."

“Tenderness on the left side of the navel is also a manifestation of spleen and stomach weakness and qi stagnation.”

Hearing a string of questions uttered in dialect, everyone remarked that Ba Jin indeed had quite a few health problems.

"Then it should be curable, right?" Ba Jin asked somewhat nervously.

"Of course, it may sound complicated, but once you understand it, it's easy to treat. The main approach is to strengthen the spleen and replenish qi to lift the prolapsed stomach and solve the root cause of the problem. It's also to promote yang, invigorate blood circulation, relieve pain, and alleviate angina. Additionally, it's important to regulate and eliminate dampness, harmonize the stomach, and take care of body fluids."

After speaking in dialect, seeing their blank expressions, he patted the back of their hand and said in a relaxed tone:
"Don't worry, sir. To describe your problem, it's like old furniture. After a long time, the parts become a bit loose and the wiring gets a bit clogged. We can fix it slowly. Let me give you a few examples and you'll understand."

He gestured in dialect on his own body:
"Why does a prolapsed stomach cause bloating? It's because the stomach is like a balloon hanging from a roof beam. Its normal position is in the upper left abdomen. Now, the ropes that hold the balloon, that is, the ligaments and muscles, have loosened, and the balloon has fallen down."

“Each meal is like filling a balloon with water. If there’s too much water, the balloon will press down on the floor and become uncomfortable. Especially when you get cold, the balloon will contract when it gets cold, making it even more painful to squeeze.”

Then he gestured with his hand on his chest:
"The blood vessels around your heart are like pipes frozen in winter. When you get angry or the weather gets cold, the blood vessels constrict like frozen water pipes, and the blood flow is blocked, which causes pain. Guanxin Suhe Pills are like 'pipe defrosting agents' that can temporarily thaw the ice, but the fundamental problem of the rusted pipes is not solved, so the pain will recur."

He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Our solution now is to pull the string of the balloon upwards, slowly lifting the stomach upwards, and at the same time add something to make the stomach more motility-enhancing, so that digestion will be smooth."

"In addition, regarding the heart, we need to melt the 'ice' and 'rust' in the blood vessels and take good care of them to prevent them from getting blocked and to ensure smooth blood flow. Once the flow is smooth, there will be no pain. There is a saying that you may have heard: 'Where there is free flow, there is no pain; where there is pain, there is no free flow.'"

Upon hearing the dialect, Ba Jin nodded, now he understood.

The others also understood what was going on; the dialect explanation was quite detailed.

After finishing speaking, Fang Yan said to Ba Jin:

"I'll write you a prescription. If it's inconvenient for you to decoct the medicine yourself, you can go to a larger pharmacy. They can usually decoct it for you."

"Of course, if you're really worried, you can go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital yourself. I'm in charge of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine there. I'll sign a form for you, and you can stay there for a period of time. You won't have to worry about anything; your meals and medicine will be delivered to you on time."

Upon hearing the dialect, Ba Jin thought for a moment and said:

“Okay, let’s go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital then. I don’t have anyone at home. I’ve heard Lao Ye and Lao Shen talk about the conditions there. If I didn’t know it was a hospital, I would have thought they were talking about some fancy hotel.”

Ye Shengtao corrected him from the side:

"Hey, the conditions there are better than most big hotels."

From Ye Shengtao's perspective, his words were somewhat exaggerated. They stayed for a period of time before the Spring Festival and left after the Spring Festival. At that time, the hospital conditions were only average.

Now that so many overseas Chinese businessmen live here, the situation inside has changed a lot.

Everyone wants to make their accommodations more comfortable, so when they're staying there, they always think about adding things. They feel awkward adding things only to their own room, so they end up adding things to everyone's rooms. Of course, they don't lose out by doing this; they might even meet some strangers through this act, and maybe they can start a business after they leave.

So after a positive cycle was formed, everyone started crowdfunding for a TCM inpatient ward.

The current inpatient department is indeed excessively luxurious.

Fangyan hasn't been seeing any patients lately, and no new people have gone in. The "renovation" is currently on hold, but people from other parts of China who go in now are still quite startled.

Next, the prescription will be written in the local dialect.

He used a relatively safe approach, using Buzhong Yiqi Decoction combined with Gualou Xiebai Banxia Decoction, with modifications, to raise yang, lift prolapse, and disperse stagnation.

Astragalus 30g (strengthens the spleen and replenishes qi, raises yang and lifts prolapse, is the principal herb).

Codonopsis pilosula 15g (tonifies qi and strengthens the spleen).

Atractylodes macrocephala 12g (dries dampness and strengthens the spleen).

Prepared licorice root 6g (to harmonize the other herbs).

Cimicifuga rhizome 6g, Bupleurum root 6g (to lift the middle qi and assist Astragalus root in raising yang).

Angelica sinensis 10g (nourishes and invigorates blood, combined with qi-tonifying herbs to "generate blood with qi").

Trichosanthes kirilowii 15g (to relieve chest congestion, dispel phlegm and turbidity).

Allium macrostemon 12g (to promote yang and dissipate nodules, and relieve chest pain).

Pinellia ternata 9g (dries dampness, resolves phlegm, relieves nausea and vomiting, and harmonizes the stomach).

Danshen 15g, Chuanxiong 10g (to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and relieve pain).

Sandalwood 6g (regulates qi and relieves pain, enhances the efficacy of Guanxin Suhe Pill).

9g of costus root and 6g of amomum villosum (added later to regulate qi, harmonize the stomach, and relieve bloating).

15g of Poria cocos and 30g of stir-fried Coix lacryma-jobi (to strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness).

12g of Ophiopogon japonicus and 10g of Dendrobium nobile (to nourish Yin and generate fluids, and prevent dryness and heat from damaging fluids).

One dose per day, decocted in 400ml of water, taken warm twice a day, morning and evening. Because this has been going on for a while, the local dialect directly wrote that he should take it for two weeks and then have a follow-up visit for adjustment.

After he finished writing, Fang Yan said to him:

“Guanxin Suhe Pills can be taken sublingually when chest and back pain occurs. After relief, it can be combined with decoction for conditioning to gradually reduce dependence on this treatment.”

After saying that, Fang Yan pointed at him again:
"When you experience bloating, in addition to taking medicine, you can also press acupoints. The first acupoint is called Neiguan, which is located 2 inches above the wrist crease, between the two tendons. There is also an acupoint called Zusanli, which is located 3 inches below the knee, 1 finger-width lateral to the tibia. Massage each acupoint for 3-5 minutes until you feel obvious soreness and distension, and you will feel much better."

As they spoke, Fang Yan began to massage him, and Mr. Ba Jin felt much better as Fang Yan massaged him.

Then Fang Yan said to him:
"This person's illness is largely related to their mood. You should talk to your friends more and not keep to yourself, as this can easily lead to a bad mood, and a bad mood can easily cause these kinds of problems."

"I know that you writers like to be alone in peace and quiet so that your inspiration won't be interrupted. But appropriate social activities are still very necessary, like this kind of occasion. Participating more often and being with so many friends will improve your mood and physical condition."

Principal Hu, who was treating Li Zhengji, said:
"Comrade Fang Yan is right. We people should look forward. Most of us here didn't have a good life in the past few years, but the darkness is only temporary. The light is coming. This conference is just the beginning."

Others nodded.

Mr. Ba Jin agreed, saying he would consider it, and then read the prescription he had written in dialect, preparing to go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for hospitalization.

Then he stood up and said to Zhou Jianren beside him:
"Alright, Comrade Zhou, it's your turn."

Zhou Jianren may look only in his seventies, but he is actually almost ninety years old.

He was born on November 12, 1888.

The ages of the three Zhou brothers were all added to his.

Historically, he also lived to be nearly a hundred years old.

His original name was Songshou, his childhood name was Asong, and he later changed his name to Jianren, with the courtesy name Qiaofeng.

Yes, that's right, his courtesy name was Qiao Feng.

I have a deep impression of his words from my past life.

That's all I'll remember.

This person is not just a simple scholar; he is also an expert in biology and holds several other positions.

It can be said that their social status is definitely not low, and may even be higher than that of most people here.

However, he was quite easygoing. A man in his nineties blended in with people in their seventies, eighties, or even fifties and sixties without looking out of place.

This person's mentality is the complete opposite of Mr. Ba Jin's.

Fang Yan asked him to sit down, then turned to him and asked:
"Where on your body are you feeling unwell?"

Just as Zhou Jianren sat down, the elevator doors of the Minzu Hotel opened.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw Jiao Shude leading a group of several people in white coats walking out of there.

A red Party emblem was pinned to his chest, and below the emblem, the words "Central Medical and Health Care Group" were written in red on his white coat.

Fang Yan said to Li Zhengji beside him:
"The regular army has arrived."

Li Zhengji was writing a prescription for Principal Hu at that moment when he saw Jiao Shude arrive. He quickly finished writing it and then stood up to greet him.
"Master!"

Fang Yan also stood up and greeted them:

"Master!"

Jiao Shude probably hadn't expected that two of his apprentices were hidden among this group of old men. He was visibly taken aback when he saw Fang Yan and Li Zhengji before he reacted and said:
"Have you already seen a doctor?"

Fang Yan and Li Zhengji nodded.

Principal Hu said to him:
"They've all watched one episode each, and now they should all be watching the second one."

"Hey, Principal Hu!" Jiao Shude quickly greeted him.

He recognized many of the people there, and started greeting them one by one as he walked over.

After greeting them, they inquired about the two patients that Fang Yan and the others had just seen.

Fang Yan handed the medical record directly to Jiao Shude.

It's not that Jiao Shude doesn't trust them; it's just that he's the head of the medical team. Fang Yan and Li Zhengji were recruited by him, and the prescriptions they write have to be reviewed by him. Many of these people aren't just writers; they also hold some government positions.

This means he has to be even more responsible and absolutely cannot let anything go wrong. In principle, the prescriptions that Fang Yan and the others write should even require his signature.

But we didn't explain the rules to Fang Yan and the others before they were called over for a consultation, so we can't blame them.

"That's great. After Dr. Fang examined my condition, he even massaged it a couple of times, and my stomach doesn't feel as bloated anymore," Ba Jin praised Jiao Shude.

Jiao Shude looked at Fang Yan's entire medical record. It was written very clearly, and the thought process was also very clear. Even the prescriptions used were classical prescriptions. Just from this point alone, it can be seen that Fang Yan definitely considered the review of prescriptions when writing them.

If someone writes a prescription in a local dialect and can't find a corresponding one, then reviewing the prescription will be much more complicated.

After reviewing Fang Yan's entire medical record and prescription, Jiao Shude nodded.

However, he still said:
"The problem is that hospitalization at Peking Union Medical College Hospital isn't ideal, so we have our own designated sanatorium this time."

At this moment, Mr. Ba Jin stepped forward and said:

"I chose that Peking Union Medical College Hospital because it's close to my home and the facilities are good. Old Ye and Old Shen both agreed!"

Fearing blame for speaking in dialect, the old man decided to step forward and take the blame himself.

Jiao Shude was both amused and exasperated, and said:

“I didn’t say it was impossible. If you want to go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, that’s fine too. We respect your choice.”

After saying that, he turned to his other apprentice and asked:
"By the way, Zhengji, where are your medical records?"

Li Zhengji said somewhat awkwardly:

"I haven't written it yet..."

He actually brought a pen and a notebook, but although he saw patients at a similar speed as Fang Yan, he didn't have Fang Yan's habit of taking notes on the spot. He would only recall and review the case after seeing the patient to write down the medical records.

He couldn't guarantee that his first draft was correct; only dialects could be so unpredictable, writing so quickly that it was difficult to see him make any revisions afterward.

Moreover, he has reviewed the medical records in Fangyan and has not found any errors so far.

Li Zhengji knew then that this person's mind was different from that of ordinary people.

He once considered himself a genius, but after meeting Fang Yan, he realized that Fang Yan was the real genius. He was closer to an ordinary person.

Hearing that Li Zhengji hadn't written it, Jiao Shude didn't blame him, but said to him:
"Then describe it verbally."

Li Zhengji quickly recalled and then dictated it.

Fang Yan was staring at the other doctors in the Central Medical Care Group. They were all legitimate imperial physicians. Besides his master, the group leader, Fang Yan also recognized two characters from his textbooks from his previous life.

One is Wu Weiran, the vice president of Yanjing Hospital.

Another was Fang Heqian, who studied under Shi Jinmo, one of the four famous doctors in Beijing.

When Master Lu Donghua first met Fang Yan, he assumed she was someone in Fang Heqian's family. (See Chapter 14)
As for the others, they didn't recognize the dialect.

However, many of these people were also observing Fang Yan. They had already noticed his unusual nature from the medical case they had just seen.

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)