Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1324 A Shocking Appearance of a Patient with Rotting Throat and Scarlet Gum (Combined Chapter)
After coughing up the phlegm, the child's chest rose and fell more smoothly, and the tightness on his face dissipated considerably. He blinked his wet eyes, first glancing timidly at Fang Yan, then turning to look at his grandmother. His little lips moved, and a weak, hoarse sound escaped his throat: "Grandma..."

That single word, as light as a feather, instantly brought tears to Grandma's eyes. She hugged the child tightly, her voice choked with emotion: "Oh! Oh! My dear grandson! He can speak! He can speak!"

The surrounding villagers fell silent for a moment, then erupted in an even louder gasp of astonishment:

"It can really talk now! And it's only been a short while!"

"He hadn't made a sound for half a month, but this acupuncture worked immediately, it's amazing!"

"My husband's voice has been hoarse for several days, could you please take a look at him, Dr. Fang?"

Zhou Dahai grinned from ear to ear, giving the dialect a thumbs-up repeatedly:

"Dr. Fang! Your skills are absolutely amazing! Even more effective than the miracle doctors in operas! Now the villagers have nothing to complain about anymore, your consultation table is probably going to be overwhelmed with patients!"

Fang Yan waved his hand and said to the child's grandmother:

"You'll feel better once the phlegm is expelled. Remember to decoct the medicine according to the instructions, and add two rock sugar pieces. Don't give the child anything sweet, greasy, or spicy these next few days. Give him plenty of warm water, and it would be best to boil some pear water for him to soothe his throat."

"Yes! Yes! I remember everything!" Grandma nodded quickly, stood up with the child in her arms, and bowed deeply to Fang Yan. "Thank you, Dr. Fang! You are truly a great benefactor to our family!"

The child, imitating his grandmother, mumbled "Thank you..." in the local dialect.

Fang Yan rubbed his head and said:

"Don't be shy, don't say anything yet, you're not fully recovered."

He withdrew his hand from the top of the child's head and his gaze returned to the silver needles.

At this moment, the feeling of heaviness and tightness under the needle became more and more obvious. He gently placed his fingertips on the needle handle and made a very subtle adjustment to the angle. The silver needle next to the Tian Tu acupoint was slightly tilted inward by half a point, while the needle at the He Gu acupoint was gently rotated around once, with a movement so small that it was almost invisible.

"Little one, just bear with it, it'll be over soon."

The child, who had been looking up at him, shrank back into his grandmother's arms upon hearing this, but remained obediently still. His throat, still itchy from coughing up phlegm, couldn't help but purse his lips, letting out a soft "hmm" sound, no longer the muffled "hoarse" sound from before, but rather a clearer one.

Just over ten seconds later, the child coughed lightly twice, and with each cough, a small amount of thin, white phlegm came out, which his grandmother quickly caught with a handkerchief.

After coughing, the child sniffed, his little brows completely relaxed, and he even swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His previously chapped lips also became a little moist.

"How are you feeling? Is your throat still feeling congested?" Fang Yan gently placed the needle handle on the needle, feeling the feedback under the needle.

The child blinked, looked at his grandmother, then at Fang Yan, and moved his little lips. This time, without trying too hard, he uttered a slightly clearer "No...blocked".

Although her voice was still hoarse, it was much more coherent and powerful than the previous "milk".

Grandma patted the child on the back with delight:

"Did you hear that? It says the blockage is gone! Dr. Fang, your acupuncture is amazing! It's only been a short while, and you can already speak fluently again!"

The villagers around them began to admire the sight in hushed tones, and a few of the older folks couldn't help but move closer to get a better look.

Zhou Dahai stood to the side, his eyes crinkling with laughter, and whispered to Yang Yuanchao beside him:
"That's real skill, no ambiguity whatsoever!"

Yang Yuanchao almost rolled his eyes; Zhou Dahai hadn't believed the dialect at all just now.

Fang Yan saw that the child's breathing was steady and his eyes had regained some sparkle, so he knew that the time was almost right.

He pinched the needle handle, gently twisted and pulled, his movements quick and steady, and the two silver needles were removed from the acupoints one after the other.

He pressed an alcohol swab against the needle mark and said:

"Okay, the needle is out. Go home and take your medicine. Your voice will be clearer tomorrow."

Just then, Anton returned with the medicine and handed over the coarse cloth bag containing Chinese medicine and rock sugar, adding in dialect:
"When decocting the medicine, remember to soak it for 15 minutes first, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Don't simmer it for too long."

Grandma thanked her profusely as she took the bag, then squeezed through the crowd with the child in her arms and walked out. Every few steps, she would turn back to look at Fang Yan, muttering repeatedly, "Good people are rewarded."

As soon as she left, the villagers, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately swarmed around her, chattering and vying to speak:

"Dr. Fang, I have a herniated disc, and the pain is so bad I can't stand up straight. Could you please take a look?"

"Doctor, my wife is always dizzy, and no medicine seems to help!"

"I was here first! I was here first!"

Zhou Dahai quickly stepped forward to maintain order, shouting, "Everyone, don't rush! Line up! One at a time! Let the elderly and children come first!"

"Secretary, can my child be treated first?" At this moment, a woman holding a child asked Zhou Dahai.

Zhou Dahai glanced at the child and saw that he was only about two years old. He immediately waved his hand.

"come on!"

Seeing that Zhou Dahai had spoken, those who had wanted to line up earlier had no choice but to wait in the back.

Then the woman hurriedly squeezed to the front of the consultation table with her child in her arms. The two-year-old baby in her arms had a flushed face, closed his eyes and whimpered. His little head rested weakly on his mother's shoulder. The skin on his neck and chest was abnormally flushed, and upon closer inspection, it was covered with dense, tiny red dots, like a handful of fine sand.

"Dr. Fang, please take a look! This child has had a fever since yesterday afternoon, and the fever reducer hasn't helped. This morning, he woke up with these red spots all over his body, and he keeps complaining of a sore throat and can't even drink water!" The woman's voice trembled as she frantically tried to pull the child's collar down so that Fang Yan could see him more clearly.

Fang Yan had just put away the silver needles when he saw this situation and his expression immediately turned serious. He reached out and gently pressed the child's forehead, and the burning temperature made him frown.

"How is it?" Zhou Dahai leaned closer and asked Fang Yan.

"Don't rush, let the child open his mouth so I can see," Fang Yan said, taking a clean tongue depressor from his bag and gesturing for the woman to hold the child's chin.

The child was startled awake, crying and turning his head away, making hoarse cries. Fang Yan quickly seized the opportunity to press down his tongue with a tongue depressor.
The child's tongue was red, with prickles on the tip that looked like a bayberry. There was little tongue coating, and the throat mucosa was reddish-purple. The tonsils were so swollen that they almost blocked the throat, and there was a layer of grayish-white pseudomembrane on them. The child cried even harder when touched.

"Give me the child's wrist." Fang Yan's voice was a little deeper. The two-year-old child's pulse was thin and difficult to discern. He used the technique of "one finger to three points" to gently place his finger on the child's cun kou (radial artery). He felt the pulse was floating, rapid, and erratic, like the beat of a small drum.

I looked at the child's eyelids again, and the conjunctiva was also red.

Then Fang Yan began to lift up the child's clothes and examine various parts of the body, finding that the skin was covered in bright red rashes, especially dense in the neck, elbows, and armpits.

Fang Yan's fingertips traced the dense red rash on the inside of the child's elbow. The touch was delicate but carried an abnormal burning sensation. When he withdrew his hand, his expression had become completely serious: "It's scarlet fever, also known as erysipelas, and it's already in the rash stage."

“What rotten...scarlet fever?” The woman’s voice rose instantly, her arms holding the child trembling. “What kind of disease is this? We’ve never heard of it in our village before. Is it very serious?” She frantically tried to touch the child’s rash, but Fang Yan raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't touch it, this disease is highly contagious, we need to isolate it immediately." Fang spoke very quickly, pulling out disposable gloves from her bag and putting them on as she explained, "The child has a fever, pharyngitis, a diffuse rash all over the body, and a strawberry tongue, all of which are typical symptoms. If we delay any longer, it may lead to nephritis or myocarditis."

The other patients were also surprised by the commotion and looked at Fang Yan. Fang Yan waved his hand to signal them not to panic.

However, at this moment, the villagers around had already taken a big step back, and the previously crowded area in front of the examination table instantly became empty. Some people subconsciously covered their children's mouths and whispered among themselves: "Infectious disease? We have to stay away!" "No wonder the fever is so high and there's a rash, it's so scary!"

That's good, at least we don't have to greet everyone in dialect anymore.

Zhou Dahai's smile froze completely. He quickly shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, don't panic! Step back and keep your distance! Yang Wenshu, quickly clear out that empty canvas tent over there so that the mother and daughter can go and stay there. Don't let them have any contact with anyone!"

Yang Yuanchao dared not delay, and immediately ran to the side after responding. Li Ping also came over, her face pale: "Dr. Fang, this illness... our clinic has never treated it before, do you have any medicine?"

Before the dialect could answer, Zhou Dahai said:
"Wait! Dr. Fang, aren't your silver needles incredibly effective? They cured Wei Laosi's deafness and that child's muteness with just one needle! This scarlet fever... can't we try a few needles on it too?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers nodded in agreement. Fang Yan's acupuncture skills had been truly astounding; in their eyes, it seemed there was no ailment that acupuncture needles couldn't cure. The woman holding her child clung to him like a lifeline, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Fang Yan: "Dr. Fang, please give my child a few acupuncture needles! Even just bringing down the fever would be helpful!"

Fang Yan paused as he opened the medicine box, looked up at Zhou Dahai, and said in a serious tone, "Secretary, this illness is different from deafness or hoarseness. The false membrane in the throat and the red rash all over the body are manifestations of excessive heat and toxins. Acupuncture can help clear the heat, but it cannot cure the root cause. In particular, the false membrane in the throat must be removed first, otherwise the child will not be able to swallow water or take medicine, which will only worsen the obstruction."

He pointed to the child's tightly closed mouth: "We need to use a medicine to blow the powder directly into the affected area of ​​the throat to quickly reduce swelling, remove the membrane, and relieve pain. Acupuncture cannot precisely target the pseudomembrane of the tonsils."

"Blowing through the throat? What's that for?" Zhou Dahai was taken aback and asked:
"Where can we find ready-made medicine powder around here?"

“I don’t have any, but I can make my own.” Fang Yan said, standing up and walking towards the medicine storage area. Scarlet fever is a rash-causing infectious disease. In addition to petechiae all over the body, it also causes a sore throat with festering sores, so in traditional Chinese medicine, this disease is called “rotten throat petechiae”.

This disease is caused by external pathogenic factors, which cause excessive internal heat that rises to the throat and then penetrates the skin.

I learned from my grandfather He Xiu's medical records that this disease needs to be differentiated from measles and rubella in clinical practice, and different treatment plans should be selected. Pulse diagnosis should be combined with other methods. The quickest way to treat this disease is to blow medicine into the throat.

However, Fang Yan doesn't have the habit of carrying ready-made medicines with him like his grandfather did, and he's not a full-time pediatrician, so he can only make them on-site now.

He had already arrived at the place where the medicine was kept. The other students had already heard the commotion and, seeing Fang Yan arrive, quickly asked him:
"Brother Fang, do you need our help?"

Without mincing words, he immediately said:
"need!"

Then he started talking about what he needed to get the medicine and how to make it.

He used a formula combining Tin-based Powder and Indigo Powder.

Fortunately, Lao Hu and Wang Jin are both wealthy and powerful, otherwise they really wouldn't have been able to gather the necessary prescriptions today. Fang Yan then said to them:

"Go and fetch that jar of bezoar. It needs to be finely ground powder. A third of it will be enough." Fang spoke very quickly, his eyes scanning the label on the medicine box, his finger pointing simultaneously to a dark brown porcelain jar.

The student who was assigned the task had just answered "Okay" when he suddenly stopped halfway through extending his hand, his eyes widening: "Brother Fang, bezoar? That stuff is more expensive than gold! We didn't bring much..."

"Stop talking so much, hurry up!" Fang Yan urged, feeling sorry for them even though she herself didn't care.

However, it's understandable that everyone was surprised, since the medicines used in the local dialect are not cheap. Several classmates also gathered around, and when they heard the word "bezoar," their faces were full of surprise. They came to the free clinic thinking that the medicines used were mostly common herbs like bupleurum, licorice, and honeysuckle. They thought that bezoar, a rare and precious medicine, was just something to show off. They didn't even have many grams in their medicine box, since they didn't expect to use it.

Fang Yan didn't turn around; he had already moved to another medicine box.
"Li Hui, find some pearl powder, preferably water-processed, two parts. Also get some borneol, one part will do, grind it finely."

"Pearl powder? And it has to be water-processed?" Li Hui's medicine spoon clattered against the porcelain bottle as she lowered her voice and said, "Brother Fang, these two together are worth more than all the herbs we brought today, right? Just for blowing air into the child's throat?"

Zhou Dahai, who had come along, also heard this and leaned over to ask in a low voice, "Dr. Fang, this medicine must cost a lot of money, right? If it's not enough, I'll get it from the commune's account!"

Fang Yan waved his hand and said:

"You don't need to worry about the money; the company and the fund will cover it all."

Then he stopped what he was doing, rummaged through his medicine box and took out indigo and calcined clam shells, explaining to everyone:

"Medicine is for patients. The key to treating 'sore throat' is 'heat toxin rotting the throat,' and ordinary medicines cannot clear such a heavy toxicity. Bezoar can clear heat and detoxify, and open the orifices to refresh the mind, so it is a medicine guide for this kind of acute condition; pearl powder can dissolve putrefaction and promote tissue regeneration, which can remove the false membrane in the throat; borneol can open the orifices and clear heat, allowing the medicine powder to take effect quickly. If any of these ingredients are missing, the effect will be reduced."

He paused, then picked up the indigo: "Take six fen of indigo and one mace of calcined clam shell, grind them together into a fine powder, and mix it with the bezoar and pearl powder from before. This is the method of combining tin powder with indigo and clam shell powder, which is most effective for treating erysipelas."

“A qian of calcined clam shell is fine, but bezoar, pearl powder…” Li Hui is in charge of the medicinal materials and knows best how precious these rare items are. Brother Fang is really willing to spend money.

There was only one mace of bezoar in total, and this time 30% of it was used up.

"Saving the child is the priority." Fang Yan's tone left no room for doubt, and she had already picked up the agate mortar and pestle. "We can always replenish the medicinal herbs, but we can't let the child's throat get blocked. Quickly bring the bezoar, grind it as finely as possible, and make sure there are no granules in the powder we blow into the throat."

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, the classmate turned around to fetch the ox gall bladder. Fang Yan was known for his temperament; if he said he would use medicine, it was definitely going to be effective.

Li Hui quickly found pearl powder and borneol, and carefully poured them onto paper to weigh them.

Zhou Dahai and Yang Yuanchao remained silent, watching Fang Yan's actions. Their surprise turned into admiration. Their confidence and determination in using such precious medicinal herbs to save a child from the countryside were unmatched by anyone else.

At the same time, Zhou Dahai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Yang Yuanchao, "Fortunately, Doctor Fang is knowledgeable. If it were us, we would never have known that there were so many tricks in this inconspicuous powder."

Before long, all the medicinal herbs were gathered. Fang Yan first poured the bezoar, pearl powder, and borneol into the mortar and ground them finely for a full five minutes until the powder was fine enough to float in the air. Then he added indigo and calcined clam shell powder and continued to grind them evenly.

No one spoke during the entire process; the only sound was the "shush-shush" of the pestle rubbing against the mortar. Even the villagers waiting for their turn in the distance quieted down, staring at the clump of powder that was gradually turning bluish-black with curiosity in their eyes.

"It's done." Fang Yan poured the powder into the ox horn-shaped blowpipe, shook it, and said to everyone, "Keep the rest of the herbs safe. We'll need them if there are any more cases."

The students looked at the small cow horn blowpipe, and then thought about the bezoar and pearl powder they had just used. They couldn't help but gasp. This was no ordinary throat lozenge; it was practically a "life-saving elixir."

As Fang Yan turned around, blowing his horn, Yang Yuanchao was leading another middle-aged man toward them. The man was also carrying a child in his arms. The child's face was also flushed, and there were faint patches of red rashes on his neck. His crying was hoarse and terribly loud.

"Dr. Fang! Take a look! This child looks exactly like the one from before!" Yang Yuanchao ran up quickly, his forehead covered in sweat. "He's from the third team next door. He also developed a rash this morning and has a fever of almost 40 degrees!"

Zhou Dahai's face turned pale instantly:

"Damn it, another one? This thing spreads so fast?"

Fang Yan didn't respond, so he quickly went to meet him. At a glance, he frowned. The child's tongue tip was bright red, showing signs of "strawberry tongue," and there were occasional "hoarse" sounds coming from his throat.

"Isolate them first, put them in the same shed as that mother and daughter from before." He instructed Yang Yuanchao, then turned to Li Hui, "Prepare another dose of throat spray according to the previous prescription, and hurry up."

As soon as Li Hui responded, the man holding the child nearly knelt down with a thud: "Dr. Fang, please save my child! I heard you use expensive medicines, we'll sell everything we own to buy them!"

“Oh, you don’t need to spend any money, we have the medicinal herbs.” Fang Yan helped him up, her tone calm and steady. “Go to the isolation shed first, I’ll go and handle it right away.”

As he spoke, he took the first prepared throat spray and walked towards the canvas shed where the mother and daughter had been.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the two-year-old child had stopped crying and was nestled in his mother's arms, whimpering. When the woman saw Fang Yan enter, she quickly stood up and said, "Dr. Fang, you've arrived!"

The dialect gesture indicated that she should hold the child and have him tilt his head back and open his mouth.

This time, the child didn't struggle much, perhaps because the burning sensation in his throat had lessened. Fang Yan gripped the horn-shaped blowpipe tightly, aimed it at the child's throat, and gently pushed it in. The bluish-black powder evenly landed on the swollen tonsils. As soon as the powder touched the affected area, the child made a "hmm" sound, instinctively licking it with his little tongue, but didn't cry anymore.

"Blow it every hour, and don't drink water right after you blow it." Fang Yan handed the blowpipe to the woman, and then touched the child's forehead. "The fever hasn't gone down yet. I'll write another prescription, brew the medicine on the spot, and then you can drink it immediately."

Speaking in a dialect, he pulled a prescription from his pocket, quickly scribbled on the paper with a pen, and simultaneously shouted towards the outside of the shed:
"Comrade Li Ping, would you please trouble your clinic to bring over a stove to decoct the medicine?"

"Okay!" Li Ping, who was outside the shed, immediately responded and hurried towards the clinic.

"Anton! Prepare the medicine!" Fang Yan shouted, his voice carrying through the curtain. "Three qian of honeysuckle, three qian of forsythia, five qian of isatis root, three qian of scrophularia, two qian of ophiopogon, five qian of gypsum (decoct first), two qian of burdock seed, two qian of platycodon root, and one qian of licorice root!"

Each ingredient was reported precisely and efficiently. Anton, standing beside the pile of herbs, responded with "Received," his hand already gripping the medicine scale to begin weighing. Zhou Dahai leaned over to glance at the prescription and couldn't help but ask, "Dr. Fang, are the oral medications and the throat ointments used for different purposes?"

"Hmm." Fang Yan folded the prescription and handed it to him, pointing her fingertip out of the curtain. "The throat medicine treats the symptoms, specifically clearing away the heat toxins and rotting membranes in the throat, so that the child can swallow and breathe again; this decoction treats the root cause, to expel the heat toxins from the body from the inside out, so that the high fever and rash can be truly suppressed."

He paused, recalling the child's chapped lips and rapid breathing during the examination, and added, "Adding Scrophularia and Ophiopogon japonicus nourishes Yin and generates fluids. The child had a fever all day, and his body fluids were severely depleted. Gypsum should be decocted for ten minutes first. It is most effective in clearing stomach fire and reducing high fever. When these herbs are combined, they can clear heat and toxins and protect body fluids, which is suitable for the child's constitution."

Zhou Dahai opened his mouth, then nodded as if he understood but not quite.

As they were talking, Li Ping led two colleagues from the clinic to bring over a small coal stove and a brand-new earthenware jar. The rim of the jar was clean, indicating that it had been specially found.

"Dr. Fang, the stove is set up! The water is boiling!" Li Ping wiped her hands, her tone a little nervous. It was the first time she had seen such an urgent illness, and the first time she had seen so many precious medicinal herbs used in the prescription.

Just then, Anton ran over carrying the weighed medicinal herbs, categorizing them neatly on a piece of parchment: "Master, all the medicines are here! The gypsum is kept separately!"

Fang Yan nodded and took charge himself: "Put the raw gypsum into the pot first, add three bowls of water, bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer for ten minutes." He watched the gypsum block tumbling in the boiling water, with wisps of white steam rising, and then instructed, "After ten minutes, add the other medicines, and simmer for another fifteen minutes. Only take the first decoction, about half a bowl is enough."

Li Ping took over the job.

Fang Yan then went to prepare the second dose of the throat-inhaling medicine, and said to Zhou Dahai at the same time:
"Secretary Zhou, why don't you ask? Maybe there are still some left!"

At this moment, Wang Yuchuan also said:
"Yes, this disease is contagious. We must find out if anyone else is infected. You'd better announce it over the loudspeaker!"

Hearing what Wang Yuchuan and Fang Yan said, Zhou Dahai finally realized what was happening and quickly nodded, saying:

"Okay! I'll announce it over the loudspeaker right away!"

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

(End of this chapter)