Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1360 Teaching Western Medicine a Lesson: Master Encounters a Problem (Two-in-One Chapter)
Zhang Fu stared at the medicine bowl in front of him, his eyes no longer darting away as before. He even leaned closer, his throat bobbing, his breathing noticeably quickening. He whispered, "This medicine... doesn't look as scary as it used to be."

Fang Yan was delighted and handed the medicine bowl to him again: "Would you like to try drinking it yourself? Take your time, no rush."

Zhang Fu hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his hand. His fingertips touched the rim of the bowl, paused for a moment, and then firmly grasped the handle. But just a few seconds after he picked it up, his hand began to shake uncontrollably.

Fang Yan quickly reached out to steady the medicine bowl to prevent the liquid from spilling, and said at the same time:

"It's okay, shaking is normal. It's just that the rotation isn't going to be that fast. Let's take it slowly. I'll help you hold it."

Zhang Fu took a deep breath and, with the help of the dialect, finally steadied his hand.

When the medicine was about to reach his lips, he closed his eyes. The veins on his forehead and neck bulged. He took several deep breaths, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Fang Yan quickly put the medicine away.

Zhang Fu finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Fang Yan picked up the yellow wine again and said to him:
"Come on, drink a little first, drink the rice wine and then take the medicine."

"It might feel better after drinking it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu nodded immediately. Then Fang Yan brought the yellow wine to his lips. It was also a liquid, but the amount was less than that of the medicine. Zhang Fu closed his eyes and, with Fang Yan's help, downed the wine in two gulps.

Although his eyes were still closed, it was clear that he was under much less pressure.

This is already a significant improvement.

After writing for a while, Zhang Fu felt the effects of the alcohol kicking in, and Fang Yan picked up the medicine bowl again and began to put the medicine to Zhang Fu's lips.

Zhang Fu only started drinking at this point.

One bite after another.

Although the movements were still a bit stiff, there was no breakdown throughout the entire process.

Zhang Fu's brother watched from the side, rubbing his hands together. He said to the professors, "Yesterday we had to feed him medicine blindfolded, and he would tremble at the sound of water. The change today is truly remarkable!"

Zhao Xiwu, Yue Meizhong, Wang Yuchuan, Ren Yingqiu, Fang Yaozhong, Cheng Xinnong... and a whole group of others were all dumbfounded. They had seen rabies patients before, but this was the first time they had ever seen one like this.

After Zhang Fu finished drinking, Fang Yan said to him:
"Very good, you've made great progress! Let me take your pulse again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu obediently extended his left hand. He also felt that he was recovering quite quickly and hoped to get better soon. He was now cooperating perfectly with Fang Yan.

Fang Yan placed his fingertips on Zhang Fu's wrist, and after a moment raised his head to say to the professors around him, "The pulse is more stable than this morning, and the previous sluggishness has lessened considerably, which means that the effects of the yellow wine in clearing the meridians and the Zixue Dan in detoxifying are still continuing, and the stagnant toxins are still dissipating outwards."

Professor Yue Meizhong came over and took Zhang Fu's pulse as well. She nodded in agreement: "Indeed, his blood and qi are flowing smoothly now, and he no longer has that 'blocked' feeling. This child can take his medicine on his own and doesn't break down. Just this condition alone is much better than that of a typical rabies patient."

Zhang Fu was still slightly drunk and his face was flushed. He said, "Dr. Fang, I feel warm all over now, not as heavy as before. My hands are still a little weak, but I don't feel the ants crawling on my feet anymore."

“It’s normal for him to be soft. He’s been expelling toxins for two days, so his body needs time to recover,” Fang Yan said with a smile. Then she turned to Zhang Fu and instructed him, “If he needs to go to the toilet later, remember to check the color of what comes out. See if it’s lighter than yesterday’s rusty color.”

Zhang Fu's brother immediately agreed.

At this moment, Professor Wang Yuchuan said:

"If things go smoothly, he should recover within a week. Using medication for gynecological conditions to treat rabies... this is really..."

He really didn't know what to say.

Although we know the core idea is to break up blood stasis and eliminate toxins, who actually came up with this idea?
Fang Yan didn't explain in detail to them on the phone yesterday, and this morning, Fang Yan only talked about their condition after treatment.

It wasn't just Wang Yuchuan who was curious about this; everyone else was equally curious.

Seeing that the treatment here was over, Fang Yan was about to start his rounds again, so of course there was no time to chat with them. However, since Fang Yan's master, Lu Donghua, was here, they could still talk to the old man about this matter.

It just so happens that Lu Donghua was the one who first reminded Fang Yan about this matter, so he was quite willing to explain the whole story.

After Fang Yan went to check the rooms, he began to explain to everyone.

Just like he had told Fang Yan before, he recounted the story from beginning to end, starting in 1889.

The others listened to the old man's story with great amazement.

The doctor who saw the blood clots in the cow's stomach and thought of using a blood-stasis-reducing decoction to counteract the condition was truly a genius.

To be able to put one's ideas into practice under such circumstances is quite remarkable, especially considering that it involves innovating the application of Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions without making any changes.

The academic professors felt that their minds wouldn't have been able to process this in that situation; only these traditional Chinese medicine practitioners from the "folk" school could come up with such a wild approach.

……

While they were discussing, Fang Yan had already started making rounds. Today's main task was to treat Mr. Sima. Besides caring about Zhang Fu, Fang Yan was also concerned about Mr. Sima.

He had thyroid cancer with cervical metastasis and returned to China early. He was tall and obese, and had a huge mass on the side of his neck that was compressing his facial nerve.

He had been smoking for over 40 years and loved eating raw and cold foods. He discovered a lump in his neck five years ago but didn't pay much attention to it. Three years ago, he was diagnosed with metastatic thyroid cancer.

Despite treatments such as surgery, targeted drugs, and radiotherapy, the condition worsened, leading to a comprehensive decline in bodily functions and the development of various complications.

During his diagnosis at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, it was discovered that his body was covered with lipomas. Based on his pulse and cold feet, he was diagnosed with a condition of "severe deficiency of kidney yin, yin failing to embrace yang, and the fire of dragon and thunder burning upwards," which is characterized by upper heat and lower cold.

During treatment, the patient suddenly showed signs of impending collapse, including cold sweats, rapid breathing, and cyanosis of the lips, indicating extreme physical weakness.

Later, He Puren prescribed Yin Huo Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) and Fang Yan used acupuncture for emergency treatment to stabilize the sudden collapse. After the condition stabilized, the treatment shifted to the "consolidation and nourishment" stage, focusing on tonifying kidney yin, lung qi, and spleen and stomach. Before seeing Zhang Fu, Fang Yan adjusted Li Ke's cancer-fighting and life-saving decoction, specifically adding kelp to soften and disperse nodules, raw coix seed to remove dampness, ophiopogon pollen to nourish yin, and white ginseng and schisandra to strengthen the body. After his foot temperature recovered and his pulse improved, the modified version of cancer-fighting and life-saving decoction was used to treat the tumor.

Although he was in a relatively dangerous situation at the time, the treatment process went quite smoothly. He is currently doing well after taking the medication, with improvements in various aspects, including his tongue coating, and the most significant improvements in his speech and breathing.

When Fang Yan made his rounds, the family members started speaking to him as soon as he entered the room:
"This morning, there was no more blood in my snot, but the phlegm sound was still there. I could still hear the phlegm sound when I spoke and breathed."

"If he speaks at a slightly higher frequency, he starts to pant. The various lumps on his body show no signs of disappearing, but the one on his neck can now be moved when touched. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing."

After listening to the family's report, Fang Yan approached the bedside and said, "The fact that the sputum is not bloody means that the lung vascular damage is being repaired, which is a good sign. Let me take your pulse first."

He lightly placed three fingers on Mr. Sima's wrist, examined it carefully for a while, and then said:
"The pulse is much more steady than before! Before, it was like a taut string, but now it is still slippery and rapid. This indicates that the phlegm and heat have not been cleared, but the restless and agitated energy has been suppressed. This shows that the yang energy contained by the fire-guiding decoction has not escaped, and the power of the anti-cancer decoction has also penetrated in."

Upon hearing this dialect, Mr. Sima's family members nodded repeatedly.

Fang Yan then took out paper and pen and began to write as he spoke:
"The prescription needs to be slightly adjusted. The amount of raw coix seed should be increased from 20 grams to 30 grams to further dilute the 'mud' of dampness and stagnation. Add half a cup of bamboo sap to specifically clear the problem of phlegm."

He then turned his attention to Mr. Sima's neck: "It's a great thing that the lump can be moved! In traditional Chinese medicine, this is called 'transforming yin into yang,' turning a dead lump into a living one, so that the medicine can penetrate. Next, you may feel it soften and shrink, like a snowman meeting the sun."

“Listen to the sound of this phlegm. Yesterday it was a ‘gurgling’ sound, like someone was drowning. Today it’s a ‘hissing’ sound, like a bellows. This means the phlegm has been coughed up from the deep layer to the surface!”

After speaking in dialect, he smiled and said to Mr. Sima:
"Does your throat feel 'more spacious' than it did yesterday or the day before? You're panting because your airways are still swelling down, just like removing rust from a water pipe takes a few days, you understand?"

Mr. Sima cleared his throat and spoke into the dialect:

"Dr. Fang, I believe you."

Fang Yan nodded and said to him:
"The pulse is stable, the symptoms are decreasing, and the toxins are dissipating. We've fought a well-organized battle. The next three days are crucial. Once the swelling subsides, breathing will become easier."

"Our medication will be changed around noon today, and you'll feel much better after taking it."

Mr. Sima nodded repeatedly.

Fang Yan had to check on other rooms, so she couldn't stay there too long. After handing the new prescription to the nurse, Fang Yan went on her rounds.

After the room check was completed, Master Lu Donghua had finished talking with the professors at the school, and now they had figured out the whole story.

If they were in the same position regarding dialects, they would actually make the same choice.

Compared to other recorded treatment methods, this is clearly the most reliable. Today has been quite educational for them, and they believe that once Zhang Fu recovers, this formula will be widely disseminated.

Although it is slightly more complicated than the rabies vaccine, this prescription can give rabies patients who have been given a death sentence by Western medicine hope of being cured, so it is certainly worth promoting.

Professor Yue Meizhong also praised the dialect:
"You've really opened our eyes! Zhang Fu went from being afraid of water to taking medicine on his own. Every step of your medical record is spot on. Your ability to diagnose and adjust prescriptions is quite skillful. And the addition of this Zixue Dan is also quite good."

"This patient was treated so well, I think we really need to promote this prescription."

Zhao Xiwu, who was standing to the side, also said:

"Yes, it would be best to hold a lecture specifically on this matter."

The others who followed also chimed in.

Fang Yan said to them:

“That’s easy to handle. Director Liao is even planning to transfer Shen Zhanyao to Beijing to help us with our publicity efforts.”

Hearing Fang Yan's words, everyone was somewhat surprised. Director Liao had directly transferred Shen Zhanyao to the capital?
They're being way too cooperative!

However, when they remembered that the dialect was Director Liao's trump card, they suddenly felt normal again.

Zhao Xiwu said:
"With the participation of practitioners of the original medical case, plus your successful case, the promotion of this prescription will be more convincing! At that time, we can not only organize the written materials, but also have Mr. Shen talk about the details of his use of the prescription back then, so that young doctors can learn it more thoroughly."

Professor Yue Meizhong, standing to the side, nodded in agreement, her tone full of anticipation:

“We must support this lecture! I’ll help you take the lead and invite colleagues from the TCM community in Beijing, as well as emergency room doctors from several Western medicine hospitals, so they can also hear about the TCM approach to treating rabies. More exchanges like this will broaden their horizons.”

These words stunned everyone around them and broadened the horizons of Western medicine.
Professors Fang Yaozhong and Liu Duzhou, who had promoted the integration of Western and Chinese learning, were the first to step forward in response:

"Yes, yes, yes! That's how it should be done. We should invite more people from Western medicine hospitals, not just emergency room doctors, but also their hospital directors!"

“That’s right, that’s what I think too. They said before that there was no cure for rabies after the onset of symptoms, but now the facts are right in front of them. Let’s see what they have to say. Right! We must call over the doctors from the two hospitals where Zhang Fu was treated, especially the doctor who treated him!”

"They need to receive proper education to broaden their knowledge."

"Invite the Western medicine doctor who treated Zhang Fu before? That's a great idea!" Professor Ren Yingqiu's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. "Let them see Zhang Fu's recovery with their own eyes and hear about the treatment approach of the Blood Stasis Decoction. It's more effective than us saying a hundred times that 'Traditional Chinese Medicine can cure acute illnesses.' They had given him a 'death sentence' before, but now the patient is doing well. That's the most solid evidence."

Professor Cheng Xinnong chimed in, "We need to invite doctors, and we also need them to bring their medical records! We need to compare Zhang Fu's previous examination reports with his current condition and let the data speak for itself. Then we can have Mr. Shen Zhanyao talk about his medical case and explain the details of adjusting the prescription in his dialect. Only through discussion between Chinese and Western medicine practitioners can we truly understand the principles."

At this moment, Lu Donghua recalled Vice President Chen's attitude earlier and said with a smile, "Vice President Chen from Peking Union Medical College Hospital came to observe yesterday with President Cui. It would be even better if they could also attend the lecture."

At this moment, Yue Meizhong said:

“We need to encourage more Western medicine practitioners to change their mindset. It’s not about ‘comparing who is better,’ but about letting them know that traditional Chinese medicine has its own approach to acute illnesses and can fill their gaps.”

Lu Donghua stood aside, his tone full of agreement: "Using the blood-stasis-reducing decoction to treat rabies, if there is an opportunity for Chinese and Western medicine to discuss it together, will leave more options for patients. If this is successful, in the future when encountering similar cases, Chinese and Western medicine may be able to work together to find a solution, which is better than fighting alone."

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Fang Yan nodded in agreement: "I have no problem. I'll organize Zhang Fu's treatment records and process, and then ask Mr. Shen to prepare the details of the medical case. If we can really get Chinese and Western medicine practitioners to sit down and communicate, it will be a good thing for both promoting the prescription and for future patients."

Seeing everyone so excited, Fang Yan was naturally willing to join in the fun.

"Then it's settled!" Professor Yue Meizhong decided. "Once Mr. Shen arrives in Beijing, we'll coordinate the lecture venue, and we'll try to hold it as soon as Zhang Fuyi is discharged from the hospital!"

After exchanging a few more words about the details, everyone left one by one.

Before leaving, Professor Zhao Xiwu turned back to Fang Yan and said, "If this lecture can be held, our traditional Chinese medicine will be able to stand even stronger in the field of emergency medicine. You have to keep an eye on Zhang Fu's follow-up treatment; he's our 'living signboard'!"

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"Of course."

Since the professors all wanted to teach Western medicine a lesson, Fang Yan naturally supported them.

If we can change their mindset, that would be a really good thing.

I wonder how many people will be saved in the future. It's a great thing.

……

After the professors left, Fang Yan then took his master to his clinic. Next, he had to go to the research institute to check on things. It had been a long time since he had visited. Although He Puren and Lao Zeng were keeping an eye on things there, even a hands-off manager like him had to go out and check on the situation. Otherwise, he would really become the institute's mascot.

They said that in the morning, the dialect was all at the research institute, and in the afternoon there was a class at the school. After that class, it was basically just waiting for the National Day holiday.

Besides, there was a political class in the afternoon, so there wasn't much to say.

Fang Yan was even a little reluctant to go; if it weren't for the fact that grades are kept these days, he really wouldn't have gone.

After returning home and having lunch, the old man mentioned that he had encountered a problem that he couldn't solve while seeing patients that morning, which was resolved by Li Zhengji from next door.

Although Lu Donghua's medical skills are nothing special in Xiyuan Hospital, a hospital full of experts, he should be able to handle ordinary illnesses without being stopped. The illnesses that can stump him must not be easy ones.

"What's the problem?" Fang Yan asked curiously.

Not only was he curious, but Anton and Zhao Zhengyi, who were standing next to him, were also curious.

Everyone is guessing that something is definitely amiss.

"To be honest... I could tell something was wrong as soon as that patient came in."

"She was pale and thin. She was said to be in her fifties, but she looked more like an eighty or ninety-year-old woman. She was completely listless. Her husband accompanied her to the doctor and helped her into the examination room. At first, I thought they were mother and son and almost said the wrong thing," Lu Donghua said to Fang Yan and the others.

"I noticed she seemed listless, so I asked her what was wrong. Her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, even softer than when you talk to Zhang Fu. Then I learned that she was belching and hiccups, which occurred intermittently. When it happened, she kept belching and hiccups, making it difficult for her to speak. She could only express herself through gestures."

"Breakiness accompanied by hiccups?" Fang Yan was somewhat surprised. This was indeed unusual. Belching and hiccups together were not common in clinical practice. At least, Fang Yan had only treated one case so far when he was at Tongrentang. Moreover, this person managed to make herself look like an 80 or 90-year-old woman even though she was only in her fifties. What was going on? This seemed a bit different.

Lu Donghua continued:
"It was only after her husband relayed the information to me that I understood what had happened."

"This person had an argument with someone two months ago, and before he could even calm down, he started belching and hiccuping non-stop."

"She tried some home remedies, such as drinking more water, pinching her ears, and even deliberately sneezing, but nothing worked. In desperation, she went to the hospital next to her workplace to see an internal medicine doctor. She had an ultrasound to check her liver, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach, but they couldn't find anything wrong. In the end, she was diagnosed with gastritis and was prescribed medications like Jin Aokang and Metoclopramide. But even after taking them, there was no effect. She still burped and belched day and night, and couldn't eat properly. She was suffering terribly."

"Later, I went to another hospital. The doctor said she had diaphragmatic spasm and prescribed atropine and sedatives. The pain would only subside for a short while while I was taking the medication, and it would return as soon as I stopped taking it."

“In the past two months, she has visited four hospitals in the city and taken a lot of Western medicine, but it was all in vain. In the end, it was a good friend in the same building who introduced her to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Today, she was helped by her husband to see a doctor.”

"Then I asked her about her specific performance."

"This patient's husband said that she had a very poor appetite, only eating about two ounces of rice or a small bowl of porridge a day, and she couldn't swallow anything more than that. She also didn't sleep well at night, waking up in the early morning and unable to fall back asleep. When she woke up, she would belch and hiccup, so she had no choice but to get up and move around. But she was very weak and didn't have the strength to move, so she ended up feeling extremely uncomfortable, unable to sit or lie down comfortably."

My mouth feels bitter and dry. I want to drink some water to relieve it, but I can't swallow it.

"Then I took her pulse and found it to be deep, weak, and with a slight wiry quality, especially at the cun position at the very bottom of her wrist, where the strength was even weaker. When I examined her tongue, I found that it was red with little coating, except for a slightly greasy coating at the root of her tongue. Her lips were dry and cracked, and had a purplish-red tinge."

Lu Donghua sighed and tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table: "I figured at the time that she was angry and her anger was stuck inside, so it was definitely liver qi affecting her stomach. Her pulse was wiry and strong, and it was an illness that started after an argument. I should have prescribed some medicine to soothe the liver and regulate qi, along with some medicine to relieve nausea and vomiting."

He paused, his tone tinged with frustration: "I even added some spleen-strengthening herbs, thinking that she couldn't eat and was weak, so she needed to be nourished. But when I was writing the prescription, I always felt something was wrong. Her tongue was red with no coating, and her lips were purplish-red. This is yin deficiency! If I only use liver-soothing herbs, most of which are warming and drying, I'm afraid it will deplete her yin fluids. In the end, the hiccups won't get better, and her body will become even weaker."

“I stared at her pulse diagnosis for a long time, but the more I thought about it, the more unsure I became. I was afraid that soothing the liver would damage the yin, and nourishing the yin would hinder the qi. With these two issues combined, I really couldn’t decide how to adjust the dosage.” Lu Donghua smiled bitterly. “It just so happened that Li Zhengji was seeing patients next door, so I simply called him over and asked him to take a look as well, so as not to delay her.”

After hearing this, Fang Yan basically made a judgment in his mind. There were three aspects to the problem, and it was understandable that the old man couldn't figure it out.

However, he was curious about how Li Zhengji had done it.

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

(End of this chapter)