Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1241 No Experience with Gliomas? Bringing Tao Guangzheng for a Consultation (Two Chapters Combined)
Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated by Lao Hu's words.

Said:

“He just got back, and I still need to discuss work arrangements with him. I can’t just grab him to go see a doctor right away. Besides, whether he has what I need is still a question mark.”

Lao Hu said:

"It's okay, I'll still go together."

"I don't want to rest right now."

Fang Yan nodded in agreement after hearing what he said.

Tell Anton to hurry up and get the car.

Fang Yan then changed out of her clothes, which were still smelling of alcohol, and put on a new set. She then washed her face and felt refreshed.

Then Anton drove his car over.

Fang Yan beckoned Lao Hu to get in the car, and the group headed straight for the research institute.

When they arrived at the door, they saw Zhao Xiwu preparing to leave, and Fang Yan greeted him.

"Why are you back again? Didn't you say you were taking a break this afternoon?" Zhao Xiwu asked Fang Yan curiously.

He said in dialect:

"XJ's people are here, I have to come and greet them."

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Zhao Xiwu realized what was happening and asked:
"Is he the director of the Xiangyang Hospital in Altay?"

Nodding in dialect:

"Yes, I just found out he's already reported for duty."

Zhao Xiwu said:
"Okay, then you go ahead with your work. Don't worry about the arrangements for the family members. Have someone come to me tomorrow morning, and I'll take care of everything."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble!" Fang Yan bowed to Zhao Xiwu.

The two then said goodbye, and Fang Yan, along with Lao Hu and An Dong, headed towards the Secret Formula Research Institute.

Fang Yan met Tao Guangzheng on the second floor of the research institute.

He looked much the same as before he took the postgraduate entrance exam last month. He was in his thirties, with a receding hairline, a thin upper lip and a thick lower lip, large ears with big earlobes, and a smiling face. He gave off a very Zen-like feeling.

According to Fang Yan, he was born in 1943 and is thirty-five years old this year.

She was twelve years older than me.

What's strange is that although he had luggage with him, he had no family members with him.

Upon seeing Fang Yan appear at the office door, Tao Guangzheng, who was chatting with Zeng Luquan, immediately stood up.

Then, smiling at Fang Yan, he said:

"Hahaha... Comrade Fangyan, heeding your call! I'm here!"

Fang Yan quickly stepped forward, took his hand, and said:
"Welcome, welcome, Comrade Guangzheng! You must be tired from your journey!"

"You must have had a tiring journey by car?" Fang Yan asked Tao Guangzheng.

Tao Guangzheng said with a smile:

"It wasn't too hard. I used my last bit of power to buy a sleeper berth."

He asked in dialect:

"Didn't the rest of your family come back with you?"

Tao Guangzheng said:
"No, my wife and children are over there and won't be coming over for the time being."

"They want to come over and reunite with me after I've settled down here."

Fang Yan glanced at Zeng Luquan, who immediately understood and said:

"Comrade Tao came back in a hurry, and there are still many things to deal with at home. His wife has to take care of the aftermath over there."

Fang Yan looked at Tao Guangzheng.

The latter said:
"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come back so quickly. After all, I've settled down there, and I would have had to take care of a lot of things if I left. I set off immediately after receiving the transfer order, leaving everything else to my wife."

Hearing about Tao Guangzheng's swift and decisive actions, and how he immediately resigned from his position as dean and returned upon receiving the notification, Fang Yan was deeply moved.

He said to Tao Guangzheng:
"Comrade Tao truly values ​​the cause of traditional Chinese medicine above all else."

“On behalf of all my colleagues at the institute, I thank you for your decisive return. We are in dire need of experienced and responsible individuals like you. With your addition, many of our problems can be solved.”

Tao Guangzheng said:
"Director Fang, you flatter me. During my years in Altay, I always felt that there are still many treasures of traditional Chinese medicine that have not been discovered, especially the therapies that are combined with local characteristics. The reason I came back to work with you this time is to organize my experience over the years and contribute to the development of traditional Chinese medicine. I would be content if I could do something for the development of traditional Chinese medicine."

Zeng Luquan, who was standing nearby, chimed in:
"Comrade Tao kept talking to me on the way, saying that he already knew what our Secret Formula Research Institute was doing, and that he had a lot of family recipes that might be able to contribute to our institute."

"That's great!" Fang Yan's eyes lit up. He was after Tao Guangzheng's family secret recipe for treating glioma. Even in his previous life, in the information-saturated era, Fang Yan had only ever seen one case published by Tao Guangzheng in his later years.

So Fang Yan decided to start with him.

Fang Yan suppressed his excitement and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee:
"Comrade Guangzheng, what kind of illness does your family's prescription address?" He deliberately softened his tone, afraid of sounding too eager.

Tao Guangzheng's smile faded slightly, but his eyes brightened: "To be honest, my family has been practicing medicine in Hebei for nine generations, specializing in traditional Chinese internal medicine, infertility, hepatitis, ulcers, stones, and brain diseases, which are now called brain tumors. Our family's medical records contain many treatment methods using herbal combinations."

Hearing this, Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat, but he still pretended to be calm and asked:

"As expected, the medical records are still available? What type of brain tumor is it?"

"Here." Tao Guangzheng pulled a leather notebook from the side of his canvas bag; the cover was worn shiny.

Said:

"These are all fairly typical medical records."

Fang Yan took it and flipped through it. He saw that the medical records inside were extremely detailed, including descriptions of the patient's symptoms, pulse, and tongue coating, as well as the reactions and adjustment plans after taking the medicine.

The first case of "infertility due to liver stagnation" involved a patient who had been unable to conceive for five years after marriage. She was depressed and experienced premenstrual breast tenderness. The Tao family ancestors used a modified Xiaoyao San formula, supplemented with rose petals and Albizia bark to relieve her depression. Three months later, the patient successfully conceived.

This approach to regulating emotions is still relevant today. The dosage of medication is adjusted flexibly according to the patient's menstrual cycle, demonstrating a proper application of syndrome differentiation and treatment.

However, this is not what the dialect is looking for.

Continuing to flip through the dialect, I came across several medical cases related to brain diseases: A scholar suffered from "splitting headaches" due to excessive pressure from preparing for exams. The Tao family ancestor diagnosed it as "deficiency of both qi and blood, resulting in malnourishment of the brain," and prescribed Bazhen Decoction with the addition of Vitex trifolia and Ligusticum chuanxiong. He recovered in half a month. Another elderly farmer came to the clinic with "tinnitus like cicadas in his brain." The diagnosis was "insufficient kidney essence," and he was prescribed Liuwei Dihuang Pill with modifications, along with dietary therapy of black sesame seeds and walnuts. His symptoms disappeared after half a year.

The diagnostic reasoning in these medical cases was clear, and the medication was precise, which is indeed worth learning from. But the further Fang Yan read, the more disheartened he became—these brain diseases were either functional or benign tumors, and not a single one was the glioma he was looking for.

He turned to the last page and saw a case of "brain tumor". He had a sudden thought and took a closer look. It turned out that the patient had a lipoma in his brain, which had shrunk significantly after being treated with a formula to soften and disperse nodules. It was not a glioma.

No!

Fang Yan closed his notebook and said:

"Comrade Guangzheng, these medical records passed down in your family are truly invaluable, especially in the treatment of internal medicine ailments and some benign brain diseases. There are many things we can learn from them."

Tao Guangzheng said with a smile:

"Thank you for the compliment, Director Fang. I hope it will be helpful to our institute."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan no longer concealed anything and frankly said:

"To be honest, we are currently following up on a case of glioma. The condition is quite serious, and Western medicine doesn't have many good options. I heard that your family's medical records contain treatment methods for brain tumors, so I was hoping to find some ideas from them."

Upon hearing this, Tao Guangzheng's face showed an apologetic expression:

"To be honest, Director Fang, although there are some cases of brain tumors in my family's medical records, they are all benign tumors. I really have no experience in treating highly malignant tumors like gliomas."

Fang Yan frowned upon hearing this. Could it be that the time was not yet up and Tao Guangzheng had not yet figured it out?
Seeing Fang Yan frown and remain silent, Tao Guangzheng said:
"Director Fang, I also have some family medical records containing diagnostic approaches and medication principles for brain diseases, which might offer you some inspiration..."

He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"I'm really sorry I couldn't help."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan quickly realized what was happening and said:

"It's alright, Comrade Guangzheng. It's already very valuable to have these precious medical records for us to study."

At this moment, Tao Guangzheng said:

"How about we go check on the patient?"

"Perhaps I'll have an idea after seeing the patient."

He paused after speaking, and then said:

"If all else fails, we can call my father-in-law over from our hometown. He's more experienced than I am!"

Fang Yan was taken aback. That's right! Xiao Tao won't do, but there's still Lao Tao. The medicine was passed down from Lao Tao. Xiao Tao is still young now, so he might not have passed it on to him yet.

Fang Yan immediately agreed, saying:

"Okay, let's go take a look right away."

He was still thinking to himself, "If it doesn't work, I'll call Comrade Lao Tao over right away."

After saying that, he called out to Zeng Luquan:

"Have Huang Li prepare daily necessities for Comrade Tao Guangzheng's accommodation so that he can move in immediately with just his bags."

"Understood!" Zeng Luquan nodded in agreement.

The phrase "move in with your luggage" sounds novel, but it's concise and easy to understand.

Tao Guang expressed his gratitude in the dialect:
"Director Fang, you're too kind. Thank you for your trouble."

He said in dialect:

“Comrade Guangzheng, you gave up your position as dean and came back immediately after receiving the transfer order. Just for this trust, I should resolve your worries.”

As she spoke, she patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Whether you like what you see or not, you'll have dinner at my house later."

Tao Guangzheng was quite moved when he heard Fang Yan's words. Earlier this month, when he went to Beijing to take the postgraduate entrance examination, Fang Yan had taken good care of him, sharing a lot of medical case experience and analyzing a lot of exam problem-solving methods, all of which had benefited Tao Guangzheng greatly.

Actually, he came back to develop his career in a different place. He couldn't stand staying in XJ anymore. As a result, Fang Yan directly fulfilled his wish and gave him such good treatment. Now he feels that he won't lose out by coming back.

It even feels like a huge windfall. The graduate school results haven't even been released yet, and I've already been admitted to a research institute under the research institute. Not everyone gets this kind of treatment.

Tao Guangzheng's eyes welled up slightly, and he gently tapped his fist on his knee:
"I, Tao Guangzheng, will always remember Director Fang's kindness. Putting everything else aside, from now on, the affairs of the research institute are my affairs. Even if I have to search through all the medical books back home, I will help you solve these difficult problems!"

Old Hu watched from the sidelines, thoroughly amused.
"That's right! We practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine need to stick together and support each other. I think this trip was worthwhile; we not only saw the precious medical records, but also witnessed a wonderful story."

Fang Yan waved his hand with a smile: "Say less." "Come on, let's go to the parking lot now."

After saying that, Anton was the first to run out.

Just as everyone was about to go downstairs, Tao Guangzheng suddenly remembered something, turned around and took out a small box wrapped in blue cloth from his canvas bag: "I almost forgot about this."

He opened the box, and inside were several dark, murky things that looked like dried tree roots.

"This is Cistanche deserticola that I brought from Altay. It's a wild product that herders dug up in the desert. It's been steamed with wine nine times and is most effective for treating kidney deficiency and lower back pain. If Director Fang doesn't mind, you can keep it to make soup."

Fang Yan was taken aback for a moment.

I'm not losing out!
But it's inconvenient to refuse local specialties that are given as gifts.

"You're being too polite," Fang Yan said with a smile, taking the meat and weighing it in her hand. "But this wild Cistanche deserticola is indeed a good thing. I'll have the cafeteria stew it for us, so we can all get some nourishment."

As they spoke, the group, led by Fang Yan, headed outside.

Tao Guangzheng's luggage was sent to his residence by Zeng Luquan's arrangement. He followed Fang Yan empty-handed, his steps light and quick.

Old Hu leaned closer to him and asked in a low voice:
"Comrade Tao, does your old man really have the ability to cure brain tumors? Let me tell you, this is a matter of life and death, you can't just make promises without knowing the truth."

Tao Guangzheng looked at Lao Hu; he had never seen this man before.

Let me introduce the dialect:
"This is Mr. Hu Daohu, an overseas Chinese businessman who provided us with funding and channels, as well as my junior fellow apprentice and good friend."

Upon hearing the introduction in dialect, Tao Guangzheng immediately said:

"So it's Mr. Hu. I've heard so much about you!"

After shaking hands with Lao Hu, he scratched his head and said, "My dad is a well-known 'brain surgeon' in our hometown in Hebei. He did cure many strange diseases when he was young. However, he is stubborn and rarely comes out of retirement, but if I call him, he will definitely come."

Old Hu's eyes lit up: "Then I'm relieved! I'll take care of the old man and let him stay in a hotel in Beijing."

Fang Yan knew that Lao Hu was eyeing the old man's business, and that they might make another advertisement for the medicine.

As they were talking, they arrived at the parking lot, and Anton drove the car over.

After everyone got into the car, Fang Yan gave them the address of the Ministry of Health compound in Xicheng District. An Dong stepped on the gas, and the car drove off, then smoothly merged into the traffic.

This was Tao Guangzheng's first time riding in a foreign car. Despite being a hospital director, he didn't receive much treatment in that remote hospital. Looking at the street scenes rushing past the window, he remarked with a sigh:
"The last time I came to Beijing was to take the postgraduate entrance exam. Back then, I was so focused on the exam that I didn't have time to enjoy the scenery. Now, I think Beijing is much better; there's a research atmosphere everywhere."

He said in dialect:

"That's true. More researchers will be coming tomorrow or the day after. They're from the Northeast. We'll get to know each other and have a meal together then."

"Okay!" Tao Guangzheng smiled and agreed.

Fang Yan sensed that Tao Guangzheng was somewhat reserved and didn't quite seem like a hospital director. Perhaps the directors he knew were all seasoned veterans, and he didn't know what the situation was like at his previous hospital. So, he couldn't help but ask Tao Guangzheng:
"By the way, what's the situation like at the hospital you managed in XJ?"

Tao Guangzheng smiled and said:

"To be honest, our hospital only had two rows of single-story buildings, about thirty beds, and not even a decent X-ray machine."

“In winter, we used coal stoves for heating, and the water pipes would freeze and make a loud noise. When the snow melted in the spring, moss would grow at the base of the walls.”

He smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes:
"There are only five doctors in the whole hospital. I am the director, and I also have to take on the roles of internal medicine and pediatrics. Sometimes, herders would come knocking on the door in the middle of the night, riding their horses from dozens of miles away, carrying frozen naan bread in their arms, just to get their children treated for a fever."

“It’s different from Beijing. There, shortages of medical care and medicine are common. Western medicine’s penicillin has to be used sparingly, and acupuncture needles have to be disinfected and reused repeatedly. Even medical alcohol has to be mixed with distilled water.”

"The most troublesome thing is the medicinal herbs," he said, glancing out the window.

“In the Chinese medicine pharmacy, the angelica root was three years old, and the astragalus slices were as thin as paper. We had no choice but to trade with the herders for snow lotus and cordyceps they had picked, and we would pay for their medicine by providing medical consultations.”

"Last winter, an elderly Kazakh man came carrying half a sack of Cynomorium songaricum, saying he wanted to exchange it for calcium tablets to treat his grandson's rickets. The Cynomorium songaricum was sun-dried and harder than a rock."

Fang Yan remained silent, while Lao Hu clicked his tongue twice from the side:
"Then how do you treat serious illnesses?"

"Relying on the old methods." Tao Guangzheng pointed to his head:

"If a herdsman breaks his leg, he will apply elderberry and sheep fat to the affected area and then fix it with a fir board; if a child gets measles, he will boil ephedra soup for a bath, and if the fever is high, he will mix antelope horn powder with milk. These are all folk remedies, but they can save lives in that place."

He suddenly laughed:

"But there are advantages too. The medicinal herbs there are truly wild. The Cistanche deserticola in the desert can grow as thick as an arm, and the Fritillaria cirrhosa at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains carries the chill of snowmelt. I often go into the mountains with the herdsmen to collect herbs. They know which licorice roots grow deep and which ephedra can treat colds. These are things you can't learn from books."

At this point, he suddenly slapped his thigh:
"By the way, last year I met an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who came from the inland areas to support the border regions in the 1960s. He had a handwritten copy of 'The Record of Herbal Medicines of the Western Regions,' which recorded the use of camel burdock to treat joint pain. I copied half of it and will find it later to show the research institute."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan smiled and agreed:
"Okay!"

Then, Fang Yan continued to inquire about the local medical conditions, and the more he listened, the more alarmed he became. No wonder Comrade Xiao Tao wanted to come back.

Conditions are limited in many places across the country now.

The lack of medical care and medicine is the norm.

Many of these methods relied on traditional folk remedies or were performed by barefoot doctors.

Fang Yan recalled the "Survival Manual for Tropical Jungle Warfare in Southern Xinjiang" that he had previously co-produced with Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. That book was actually the most suitable for situations where medical care and medicine were scarce.

Perhaps I can contact traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Northwest China later to compile a handbook for the Northwest region?

They chatted casually along the way.

The street scene outside the car window gradually slowed down, and the red brick wall of the Ministry of Health compound came into view.

We've finally arrived at our destination.

Fang Yan greeted the gatekeeper and then directly called Secretary Huang from there.

To be precise, I called Vice Minister Li's office.

The call was quickly connected, and Secretary Huang answered.

He said in dialect:

"Secretary Huang is me, Fang Yan!"

"You were just..." Secretary Huang was clearly confused.

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Yan interrupted:
"I'm at the entrance of the family compound, and I want to see Comrade Wang Huiyuan. Could you please take us inside?"

Secretary Huang paused for a moment, then seemed to be communicating with Vice Minister Li before responding:

"Okay, I'll be right over!"

After hanging up the phone, Secretary Huang arrived shortly afterward.

He joked in the dialect:

"You really never have a moment's rest! You came to see a doctor right after finishing the meeting."

He said in dialect:

"The expert I was looking for has returned."

After he finished speaking, he introduced Tao Guangzheng, who was standing next to him:
"His name is Tao Guangzheng..."

Secretary Huang interrupted Fang Yan:

“I know, I was the one who issued his transfer order.”

Fang Yan nodded, then introduced to Tao Guangzheng:
"This is Secretary Huang from the Ministry of Health."

Tao Guangzheng immediately recognized this person as the leader's secretary, someone he rarely saw on a daily basis.

He greeted them respectfully:
"Hello, Secretary Huang!"

Secretary Huang nodded:
"Yeah, you got back pretty quickly!"

He said in dialect:

"I came right after I got off the train."

Secretary Huang said:
"Good, that's a good work attitude!"

Tao Guangzheng said with a smile:

"It's all as it should be..."

He didn't know how to answer. Although he was the dean, he was still a novice when it came to politics.

However, it's clear that Fang Yan is speaking up for him, trying to make a good impression on his superiors.

Secretary Huang then asked everyone to register first, and then led them inside.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, before even reaching the unit entrance, Secretary Huang warned Tao Guangzheng:

"Keep everything you see here a secret, and don't tell anyone, or the consequences will be severe!"

Tao Guangzheng quickly nodded; Lao Hu had reminded him of this on the way.

Then Secretary Huang said:
"Thanks to your and Master Hai Deng's treatment, Wang Huiyuan's condition has been quite good these past few days. She hasn't fallen into a coma or had any epileptic seizures. You should have brought her under control. And who is this today?"

The dialect responded:
"Come and see if it can be cured."

Secretary Huang suddenly realized.

Then he paused, turned back to look at Tao Guangzheng with a scrutinizing gaze, and said:
"But I've also consulted other doctors and learned about this disease..."

"Nothing is absolutely impossible in medicine," Fang Yan said.

Tao Guangzheng, who was standing to the side, also said:

"Even a long-standing illness can be cured. Those who say it is incurable have not yet found the right method. This is what is said in the 'Nine Needles and Twelve Origins' chapter of the 'Ling Shu,' and I think it makes sense."

At this moment, Tao Guangzheng, who was being questioned, expressed his attitude.

Secretary Huang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Good. If Director Fang can cure what Western medicine considers incurable diseases, and if another one can be cured this time, it will truly be a blessing for traditional Chinese medicine."

Then everyone entered the apartment building.

Just by looking at the decor, you can tell this isn't an ordinary place. It's the staff quarters of the Ministry of Health headquarters, and it's truly extraordinary.

Tao Guang was on edge when he followed Fang Yan and the others to a family's door and knocked.

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

(End of this chapter)