Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1357 Another Detox, the Dust Settles (Two Chapters Combined)
Once rabies develops, it has an almost 100% fatality rate; this is basic common sense in Western medicine. Now, hearing people in dialects say that it can be cured seems like a fantasy.

Everyone looked at each other, hoping to find the answer in the faces of others.

Is it true that rabies can be cured after symptoms appear?

Fang Yan said to Cui Jingyi:
"Dean Cui, please don't worry. This patient has been suffering from blood stasis for almost eight months since being bitten in February. Today, after drinking the blood stasis soup, he has already expelled light red urine and jelly-like foul-smelling substances. His low-grade fever has subsided, and the tingling sensation on his hands has also disappeared. These are all signs that the blood stasis removal process is effective."

He paused, then added, "I also added half a pill of Zixue Dan to clear the toxins from the meridians. Now I'm just waiting for the afternoon's medicine to flush it out. Although I'm still afraid of water and noise, the symptoms are already lessening. As long as the stagnant toxins are cleared, I'm confident of a cure. If I switch to Western medicine at this point, the previous medicine's effects will wear off, and all my previous efforts will be wasted."

Lu Donghua chimed in, his tone resolute: "Dean Cui, we know what we're doing. This prescription is Zhang Zhongjing's Decoction for Removing Blood Stasis, and there are successful cases in Mr. Shen Zhanyao's medical records. It's not something we're using blindly. The patient is showing clear signs of improvement now. If we observe for another half day and clear out some more toxins after the blood stasis is expelled in the evening, the patient's fear of water might ease. We can't move the patient right now."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Fang Yan:

"By the way, where's the magazine?"

Fang Yan then realized that she still had the magazine with her.

He took it directly from his bag, turned to the page containing the medical records, and handed it to Cui Jingyi.

"Take a look, it's recorded in this book," Fang Yan said to Cui Jingyi, and waved to the others as well, urging them to look.

Cui Jingyi quickly took the magazine, and several vice deans also crowded around, their heads huddled together, staring at the page.

"There really is a record?" Cui Jingyi stared at the medical record, her tone less skeptical, then looked up at Fang Yan, "Is this medical record... reliable?"

Before the dialect could be answered, Vice Dean Gu said:

"Published by Zhejiang Science and Technology Press, it should be reliable."

When everyone turned to the cover, they indeed saw that it was published by this publisher.

Lu Donghua said:
“This magazine is an old publication in our TCM community. Shen Zhanyao’s medical cases can be published here, so they must have been verified. Moreover, after Fang Yan and I treated the patients, the reactions they showed matched the records in this magazine.”

Everyone looked at Lu Donghua; they hadn't really noticed this old man before.

I just realized I don't know any of them.

Fang Yan, of course, also noticed this and said to them:

"This is my master—Lu Donghua."

“He used to work at Xiyuan Hospital, and I only invited him to come here today to see patients.”

Upon hearing the dialect, everyone realized what was happening and quickly greeted him.

"So it's Elder Lu!" Cui Jingyi was taken aback at first, then quickly stepped forward, her tone filled with respect.

The other vice presidents quickly joined in the warm greeting. Although this doctor wasn't famous for treating illnesses, he was widely recognized as one of the most skilled in traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, he was also a teacher of Fangyan, so many people knew him.

Lu Donghua waved his hand and said:

"No need to be so polite. I'm just lending a hand because of my dialect. The key to rabies treatment is that the prescription is right and the patient is resilient. The fact that there was a blood stasis reaction right after starting the medication is a good sign. I don't think you need to worry. Let us continue the treatment."

"And if he recovers, that's a big deal worth publicizing, don't you think?"

How to cure rabies?
What a fresh and interesting word!
But it was actually recorded in the magazine.

Cui Jingyi lowered her head and flipped through two more pages of the magazine. After a moment's hesitation, she looked up at Fang Yan and Lu Donghua and said:
"Since Elder Lu has said so, and there are medical records to prove it, then let's proceed with the original plan! However, if there are any changes in the patient's condition, whether good or bad, report to me immediately."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely keep a close eye on it!" Fang Yan nodded in agreement, finally putting the leaders' concerns to rest.

Just then, Vice Dean Chen stepped forward and said:
"But how come I've never heard of this before?"

Vice Dean Lin and Vice Dean Gu, who were standing nearby, also said:

"I haven't heard of it either."

"Indeed, the fact that traditional Chinese medicine can treat rabies after the onset of the disease is a huge achievement. Although it has been published in a journal, we had never even heard of it."

Cui Jingyi said:
"This is a magazine from out of town, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it."

“That’s not right!” Vice President Chen frowned, his tone still carrying a hint of doubt. “Even if it’s from an out-of-town journal, such a significant achievement—that can cure post-symptom rabies—should have been widely known in the medical community by now. How come none of the doctors at Peking Union Medical College Hospital who specialize in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine have heard of it?”

Upon hearing this, the other vice deans nodded in agreement. Vice Dean Gu added, "Yes, if there really is a reliable treatment, the National Health Commission would probably promote it. How could it be hidden in an old magazine where not many people know about it?"

Cui Jingyi also fell silent. She had been temporarily convinced by the medical case, but now, after being reminded by Vice President Chen, she started to have doubts again.

"This is no laughing matter," Vice Dean Lin reminded everyone.

"Pay attention to the date," Lu Donghua reminded them again.

"What date?" Vice Dean Chen was a little confused.

Then they suddenly realized what was going on when they saw the publication date written in the magazine.

Vice Dean Chen suddenly realized:

"Oh, it's...it's a publication from a few years ago. No wonder, who cared about this back then..."

Vice Dean Lin also said:
"That does... make sense."

Cui Jingyi went even further and said:

“A few years ago, our hospital’s TCM department wasn’t as valued as it is now, let alone the research results of TCM practitioners at the grassroots level. If this medical case had been published ten years later, catching up with the momentum of TCM promotion in the last two years, it would have been discovered long ago.”

"It's not that the results are unreliable, it's that the timing and environment weren't right. Now that we've encountered this situation, and with the local dialect here, let's treat it well. If it really works, it will be a powerful case study for the treatment of acute diseases with traditional Chinese medicine!"

After he finished speaking, he addressed the crowd:

"Alright, now no one has any questions, right?"

Several vice deans shook their heads.

Then Cui Jingyi said:
"Director Fang, Professor Lu, we'll have to trouble you with the follow-up work. Please let me and the vice deans know about any progress."

After a few more brief words of advice, everyone left. Once the corridor was quiet again, Old Hu leaned closer and whispered:

"They still don't believe it."

"How did you figure that out?" Lu Donghua asked.

Lao Hu said:

"Isn't it obvious? They said they had no doubts, but when they left, their eyes still held a hint of 'let's give it a try,' especially Vice Dean Chen."

He said in dialect:

“It’s normal not to believe it. After all, the idea that ‘rabies can be cured’ is too revolutionary. A few words of assurance from an old magazine are definitely not enough to convince them completely. They will only be truly at ease if Zhang Fu drinks the second bowl of medicine in the evening and can expel the stagnant toxins and his fear of water lessens.”

Actually, Fang Yan wasn't sure either, since Zhang Fu was still afraid of noise and water.

Master Lu Donghua nodded in agreement:

"Don't worry about whether they believe it or not, just focus on curing the disease. Once Zhang Fu can drink water normally and isn't afraid of noise, they will naturally accept it without us having to say anything. There's no use worrying about these things now. We should keep an eye on Zhang Fu's condition and not miss the crucial time for removing blood stasis."

Now we can only take it one step at a time, and Fang Yan can only continue treatment.

If he doesn't receive treatment and is transferred to Western medicine, it's uncertain whether he can maintain his cure rate, but Zhang Fu is definitely doomed.

If he were to go to a Western medicine hospital, they wouldn't have any other options besides symptomatic support. Zhang Fu's stagnant toxins would have nowhere to go, and he would still die in the end. At least now there are signs of improvement. The tingling sensation in his hands is gone, and he can even pass formed stools. It's better than just sitting and waiting to die.

Lu Donghua saw through his thoughts and patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't overthink it. Let's follow the medical record and adjust the medication according to the symptoms. As long as no unexpected problems arise, we'll continue the medication. Zhang Fu can now expel blood stasis and reduce fever, so what's there to worry about?"

Fang Yan nodded.

Fang Yan and the others then waited. Zhang Fu went to the toilet several times throughout the afternoon, but it was only for urination. Every time Zhang Fu's brother came out, he told Fang Yan that his urine was red.

Lu Donghua, who was listening nearby, nodded and said, "The fact that the light red urine hasn't stopped means that the toxins are still being expelled, which is a good thing. If it suddenly becomes clear, we should worry that the toxins haven't been completely expelled and are still accumulating inside."

Old Hu chimed in, "So, it's okay if I didn't poop this afternoon? I thought I'd have to keep expelling foul stuff."

“No need to rush,” Fang Yan explained. “This morning, the body expelled jelly-like toxins, so the intestines need a break. This afternoon, the body only had light red urine, which means the medicine is still working and is still going into the meridians and internal organs to help clear the deep toxins. Tonight, the body may have a bowel movement, and then we’ll see if there are any remaining toxins.”

Zhang Fu hasn't eaten anything since he arrived this morning. When his brother asked him if he was hungry, he said he wasn't hungry at all after taking his medicine.

Fang Yan said to Zhang Fu:

“It’s normal that he’s not hungry. The medicine is still working in his body. Right now, his spleen and stomach are mainly focused on ‘transforming the medicine’s power,’ so he doesn’t have the mind to worry about whether he’s hungry or not. Once the toxins are cleared a bit more tomorrow and the medicine’s effects have eased up a bit, he will naturally have an appetite. There’s no need to force him to eat now.”

"As mentioned in Mr. Shen Zhanyao's medical records, most patients have no appetite in the first two days after taking the medicine. This is mainly because blood stasis is blocking the spleen and stomach's qi mechanism. Once the urine color becomes lighter and the blood stasis is almost eliminated, the appetite will gradually return. Now we should focus on the changes in blood stasis elimination and fear of water and sound. Whether or not they eat is secondary."

It was past 5 p.m., which was already closing time. Some of the patients were due to take their medicine. After Mr. Sima took his medicine, Fang Yan went to check on him again. His voice was much clearer now, but he had been sick for more than five years, so his recovery wouldn't be quick. However, his family was quite happy.

They had never encountered such a significant change abroad.

That is to say, we can now clearly see an improvement.

In their excitement, they started giving out red envelopes. Medical staff who were about to leave work that day, as well as those who came on duty that night, all received red envelopes from them.

This is also why it has such a reputation; many of its rules were established by those who came before it.

The medical staff here haven't received such unexpected windfalls in a long time. It seems that they can only make money when overseas Chinese businessmen are hospitalized!
After the money-spraying was finished, Zhang Fu's medicine was also ready, the same as the medicine he had in the morning, with no changes made.

"Director, the medicine is at the perfect temperature. The Purple Snow Pill has dissolved in half of what you instructed, and the yellow wine is ready as well," the pharmacist delivering the medicine said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan took the medicine bowl, first bringing it to his nose to smell it. The medicine smelled pure and had no burnt smell. The amount of yellow wine was a bit more than at noon, but that was what he had requested.

Next, he planned to follow the normal procedure: first drink the rice wine, then administer the medicine. The midday routine was reversed; Fang Yan wanted to see if following the order would be more effective. "Okay, go in and administer the medicine," Fang Yan called to everyone, then carried the medicine into Zhang Fu's ward.

At this point, they no longer needed to speak in dialect. Zhang Fu's brother immediately grabbed a towel and covered Zhang Fu's eyes. After an afternoon, Zhang Fu was still afraid of noise and water, and he trembled like a leaf when he urinated.

Fang Yan first handed a small cup of warm rice wine to Zhang Fu's lips, lowering his voice: "Drink some of this first, it's warm, it will help the medicine go down."

Zhang Fu, blindfolded, hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth and taking small sips of the rice wine.

This time, the amount of rice wine was larger, and Zhang Fu quickly became slightly tipsy after drinking it.

He clearly has a low alcohol tolerance and isn't the type of person who drinks normally.

After he finished drinking, Fang Yan brought over the medicine and fed it to him spoonful by spoonful.

Zhang Fu drank it spoonful after spoonful, even more smoothly than in the morning and afternoon, and soon the medicine bowl was empty.

Zhang Fu's older brother quickly handed him warm water to help him rinse his mouth. This time, Zhang Fu wasn't as nervous as before when rinsing his mouth, and after rinsing, he even said, "My mouth doesn't taste bitter anymore."

Fang Yan felt his pulse, which was more steady than before, and said with a smile, "Drink the yellow wine first. It will not only ease the bitterness of the medicine, but also help the Purple Snow Pill penetrate your meridians. Do you feel heavy now?"

"No, I just feel warm all over, which is quite comfortable." Zhang Fu leaned against the pillow while pulling the towel off his eyes.

He spoke in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, I'd like to lie down and sleep more; I'm a little tired from leaning against something."

Zhang Fu quickly adjusted his pillow, moving so gently that he was afraid of touching him.

Fang Yan took the opportunity to observe his reaction. He used to get nervous at the slightest movement, but now that he was making requests, he was obviously much more relaxed.

"Do you still find it noisy when we talk now?" Fang Yan asked him.

"It's not noisy, but I'm still a little uneasy," Zhang Fu said.

He paused and said:

"But it is indeed better than before."

Old Hu said from the side:
"Could it be because he drank rice wine?"

After all, alcohol can numb some of the senses.

"That's a factor, but it's probably not the whole story." Lu Donghua shook his head, reached out to straighten the corner of Zhang Fu's blanket, and said:
"The rice wine can indeed soothe a tense nerve, but the main reason is that the medicinal effects have penetrated the meridians. Previously, the stagnant toxins were blocked inside, and the slightest sound would cause palpitations. Now that the toxins have dissipated a bit, the nerves are not so sensitive, and that is the root cause."

"Alcohol numbs you up temporarily. If the medication doesn't work, you'll still panic even after drinking rice wine. Look at him now, he dares to pull up the towel and make requests. This is because he's relaxed from the inside out, which is different from simply numbing his senses."

Zhang Fu's eyelids began to droop after a short while, and his voice became softer:
"I think I'm getting sleepy..."

"Go to sleep if you're tired, don't force yourself." Fang Yan lowered his voice. "If you need to go to the bathroom at night, or if you feel uncomfortable, just call your brother. We'll be right outside, ready to come whenever you call."

Zhang Fu grunted in response, and soon began to snore softly.

Seeing that he was sleeping peacefully, Zhang Fu breathed a sigh of relief, made a "shh" gesture to Fang Yan and Lu Donghua, and quietly followed them out of the ward.

Once in the corridor, he whispered, "Whether it's rice wine or medicine, as long as it works, that's fine. I was really worried he wouldn't be able to sleep at night, but I didn't expect him to be able to sleep so soundly now."

Fang Yan said to him:
"I don't know how long he can sleep. He might have some detox reactions later. You and the nurse on duty keep an eye on him. If he wakes up late and there are any changes in his body, tell the nurse. They'll call me then, and I'll come over."

Zhang Fu nodded quickly, his voice full of gratitude: "Okay! I'll keep a close eye on things and call the nurse as soon as there's any movement. I don't want to trouble you to make the trip." He glanced at the ward door again and added in a low voice, "This is the first time he's slept so soundly since he's been sick for so long. It's all thanks to you."

Fang Yan patted his arm: "Don't mention it, it's what we should do. Don't push yourself too hard, if you're tired, take a rest on the sofa."

Fang Yan then gave the on-duty nurse a few more instructions, telling her to keep a close eye on Zhang Fu's condition, before slowly walking towards the end of the corridor.

As he walked, Lao Hu said, "If I can get a good night's sleep tonight until dawn, I won't need to trouble you."

“I actually hope he has a detox reaction tonight. If he expels stasis at night, it means the medicine is still working and is still penetrating deeper,” Fang Yan said.

Lu Donghua nodded and said:

"If I can really expel something, I might not be afraid of water tomorrow morning."

He is now worried about the same things as Fang Yan. Although things seem to be going smoothly now, as long as he is afraid of water, it will never end.

The three returned home. By this time, almost everyone had returned. The old man was staying at Fang Yan's place today. Fang Yan had originally planned to cook him a meal, but it was too late now. His sister-in-law had already started cooking. When Lao Hu saw this, he immediately stopped him and called the Yanjing Hotel to order food.

Now, Yanjing Hotel is becoming like Fang Yan's family canteen, especially since Huang Huijie orders meals there regularly, and almost all of Zhu Lin's pregnancy meals are ordered from there.

After ordering the food, Fang Yan went to the kitchen and cooked two dishes using the ingredients his sister-in-law had prepared. Then, the dishes were delivered from the Yanjing Hotel.

The restaurant uses a high-powered stove, which is indeed much faster than cooking at home in Fangyan's house.

I actually wanted to get one for my dialect too. This thing is not only useful at home, but it's also much more efficient for decocting medicine over a high flame.

However, I haven't gotten around to it yet, mainly because this thing has to be custom-made, unlike in later generations where you can just buy it directly.

When it was time for dinner, the family started talking about the rabies case they had treated that day.

My mother and mother-in-law are both medical professionals. If it weren't for Fang Yan's words, they would never have believed such a thing that contradicts common sense about Western medicine.

Before we could even exchange a few words, the phone in the study rang.

Fang Yan immediately put down his chopsticks and ran to the study next door to answer the phone.

"I speak in my dialect, who is this?"

"Director Fang, Zhang Fu, the rabies patient, has woken up and is going to the toilet again." The voice of the on-duty nurse came through the phone.

"I'm coming right away!" Fang Yan replied immediately.

Without saying a word, he hung up the phone, grabbed his white coat, and immediately prepared to leave.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Old Hu saw Fang Yan leave and immediately followed him out of the main hall.

In the dialect, it was said, "Zhang Fu has woken up and started detoxing."

"So fast?" Old Hu was taken aback. He glanced at his watch; it hadn't even been an hour yet.

Then he immediately said:
"Then I'll come along too!"

Dialectal wave:
"You just eat at home, what's so interesting about someone taking a dump?"

“Hey, this is different! It’s expelling toxins!” Old Hu grabbed his coat and followed, his tone more urgent than his local dialect. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’m witnessing a miracle, how can I not go? Besides, having more people around can lend a hand in case of any emergencies.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Donghua also came out of the house: "I'm going too. We need to keep a close eye on this bloodletting process; I need to check the color and texture of the stasis."

Anton then came out and said:
"Then I'll go too!"

At this moment, little Zhao Zhengyi also jumped out:
"I'm going too! I'm going too!"

I was speechless. These guys didn't even eat their food; they just went to watch someone poop.

Fang Yan stopped arguing with them at this point and said directly:
"Alright, let's go!"

The group immediately went out. Anton, holding Zhao Zhengyi's hand, followed Fang Yan and the others, jogging across the street to the inpatient department of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

When I got upstairs, I saw Zhang Fu pacing back and forth at the door of the ward, his face showing both anxiety and anticipation.

As soon as he saw Fang Yan and the others, he quickly walked over, his voice low but filled with excitement: "Dr. Fang! Old Lu! You've finally arrived! Zhang Fu just finished his checkup, and there was that... sticky stuff, it's a little different from what he had this morning!"

"Have you finished pooping?" Fang Yan asked.

Zhang Fu nodded.

"He's finished relieving himself. I just helped him back to bed to rest. He said he was weak, but he didn't complain of pain." Zhang Fu's brother nodded quickly and pointed into the ward.

He said in dialect:

"No, I mean, what's the difference in what comes out?"

Zhang Fu said:

"The color is like rust."

"Rust-colored?" Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat. He exchanged a glance with his master, Lu Donghua, and then quickly walked towards the ward.

Upon entering the ward, Zhang Fu was resting with his eyes closed, leaning against the pillows. Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes and, after seeing Fang Yan, whispered, "Dr. Fang, after urinating, I don't feel bloated, just a little tired."

Fang Yan came to his bedside to check his pulse, and at the same time said to Anton:

"Pour me a glass of water and try it!"

Anton immediately did as he was told, pouring a glass of water for Fang Yan.

Fang Yan took the water glass but didn't hand it directly to Zhang Fu. Instead, he gently swirled it, making a soft sound as the water flowed, and kept a close eye on Zhang Fu's reaction.

Zhang Fu's eyelids twitched, but he didn't tense up immediately like before. He just glanced in the direction of the sound before his eyes fell back onto the pillow. He said somewhat uncertainly, "I...I heard water...I'm not so panicked anymore?"

Even he himself couldn't quite believe it!
"Great!" Fang Yan felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. "Once a layer of toxins is expelled, the blockages in the meridians will loosen, and the feeling of being afraid of water will naturally lessen. Now try looking at the cup without touching it, just take a look."

Zhang Fu took a deep breath and slowly raised his eyes to look at the water glass in Fang Yan's hand.

This time, he didn't immediately look away like before. Although his eyes were still a little tense, he looked for a full two seconds before looking away and whispered, "I... I'm not panicking now that I've seen it, but I still don't dare to touch it."

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

(End of this chapter)