Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 899 The Unknown Heroes of 1978 (Two Chapters Combined)
Fang Yan went upstairs to the inpatient building and called out to the head doctor Liu Duzhou, as well as Zhang Yanchang, Yang Jingxiang, and Lei Lian, but did not find Lao Fan and He Puren. Upon asking, he learned that Lao Fan had not finished yet.

The main problem is that communicating with He Puren takes a lot of time.

The dialect made Yang Jingxiang call the person out.

"It's not time yet, is it?" Old Fan was still a little reluctant to leave. Some of He Puren's views were very enlightening to him. Of course, some of his Taoist acupuncture techniques were also very helpful to He Puren.

Fang Yan said to them:

"Everyone arrived early and is currently in the dean's office. Do you want to go?"

After saying that, the dialect continued:

"If you don't want to go, you can continue the discussion here."

Old Fan immediately said:

"Yes, of course I'm going!"

“Discussions can take place anytime, but these medical cases are not something that just anyone can see today.”

He Puren nodded and said:
"That's right, go."

At this moment, Yang Jingxiang asked Lao Fan:

"You haven't finished inserting the needles yet, have you?"

Old Fan said:

"Once it's done, we just wait to take it out. We can have someone else take it out for us."

Fang Yan nodded and said:
"Okay, then find someone to tell them, and then we'll leave quickly."

Soon, Lao Fan went to the medical staff to explain the situation and asked someone to help remove the needles from the patient's acupoints at the appointed time.

Now he's going to do something very important with Director Fang.

After he finished speaking, Fang Yan led everyone downstairs.

Then they headed towards the dean's office. On the way, Fang Yan asked them:

"Do you remember the confidentiality agreement I told you about this morning?"

At this moment, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu, was the first to speak:
"Do not ask for the other party's detailed identity, do not ask for their detailed work information, and do not disclose medical records to others..."

"That's right!" Fang Yan gave a thumbs up. That's what you call a homeroom teacher.

Fang Yan looked at Yang Jingxiang. This kid was the most talkative here. Although he was much better now, he was still the most talkative one. Fang Yan said to him:
"Jingxiang, repeat it once."

"Huh?" Yang Jingxiang was a little confused.

However, after being nudged by Zhang Yanchang, he immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly said:

"Oh, don't ask for the other party's detailed identity, don't ask for their detailed work information, and don't disclose the medical records to anyone!"

"Good!" Fang Yan said, pointing to the dean's office, after seeing that everyone had taken notes.
"Let's go."

Next, everyone followed Fang Yan to the office building.

When we came this time, everyone except those speaking in dialects was asked to show their identification.

After checking the identification, the security personnel let everyone else in.

There's a certain feeling about this dialect; if even one of these people has nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine, they'll be kept out.

Fortunately, upon inspection, they turned out to be either students or professors.

They were people who had already been vetted by the organization; after a quick glance, they respectfully closed their credentials and handed them back with both hands.

No one seemed to feel offended.

On the contrary, I felt the checkup was quite good.

Then everyone followed Fang Yan into the dean's office.

First, I greeted the Vice Minister of Health, then the hospital director, and then the very famous Chairman Qian.

Then there were the patients they didn't know at all.

After the greetings were finished, the dean asked Fang Yan to see the patient on the spot.

Judging from their expressions, they plan to watch the entire process of a doctor treating patients in their local dialect today.

Seeing this, Fang Yan asked the patients:
"Do you have a privacy condition that requires others to be absent?"

The main problem is that we don't know what kind of disease the dialect is now. Although it involves confidentiality, it's not good for too many people to know some things, especially some private matters.

However, all six people who came today shook their heads.

“We have no secrets here,” one of them said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan could only nod in agreement:
"Okay, let's take turns."

After speaking in dialect, he sat down, opened a newly prepared medical record book on the table, and said to them:

"The first one."

The group looked at each other, and finally Chairman Qian spoke to the youngest among them:
"Xiao Zhang, you're first."

Xiao Zhang is probably in his late thirties or early forties, which isn't young, but he's the youngest in this group.

He came out immediately after hearing Chairman Qian's words.

He addressed the others:
"Then I'm not welcome..."

Everyone else readily agreed and told him to look at the dialect first.

"Hello, Dr. Fang." After sitting down, Xiao Zhang greeted Fang Yan first.

"Hello, Comrade Zhang." Fang Yan actually knew his name and that he was the one who explored the new theoretical principles and structural design schemes for the miniaturization of nuclear weapons, but she could only pretend not to know him.

"Please tell me about your situation first," Fang Yan said to him.

Comrade Zhang cleared his throat and then said:
“I have two questions, the first one is from fifteen years ago, and the second one is from one year ago. I’m not sure if they’re related to the two questions, so I’m just saying them together.”

As expected of someone who studies physics, he was quite rigorous from the moment he opened his mouth.

However, what Fang Yan is curious about is that the illness from fifteen years ago has not been cured yet?

Fang Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"Okay! Please go ahead."

Comrade Zhang said in dialect:

"Let me start with what happened 15 years ago. I had just started working when I caught a chill while working in the field. When I arrived at the camp that day, I developed symptoms of fever and chills, and my throat was swollen. After treatment, my condition improved, but ever since then, I have always had that feeling of something stuck in my throat. I want to cough but can't, and I want to swallow but can't. I also have difficulty swallowing saliva."

“I also consulted Western doctors: they said my throat was chronically congested and the lymphoid follicles on the posterior pharyngeal wall had proliferated, and diagnosed me with chronic pharyngitis. I have sought treatment in many places over the years, but the treatment effects have not been obvious. I don’t know if there is a problem with their diagnostic methods and they did not understand my problem.”

Fang Yan quickly wrote down the symptoms he described in his medical record notebook, and then asked:
"Hmm, what's the other symptom?"

Comrade Zhang said:
"About a year ago, after I returned from out of town, I started to feel chest tightness and discomfort, and my back felt heavy as if I was carrying someone on my back. I also found that I felt much better after being pressed. Subsequently, my food intake gradually decreased, and my heart rate slowly slowed down. I checked my pulse myself, and it was 55 beats per minute, accompanied by palpitations and anxiety."

“At the time, I had a mission, so I took some medicines like Buxin Dan and Baizi Yangxin Wan. However, after taking them, I experienced chest pain, which sometimes radiated to my back. My palpitations and shortness of breath also worsened, especially at night.”

"After I finished the task, I checked my heart rate and it had dropped to 45 beats per minute. During the physical examination, the electrocardiogram showed that I had sinus arrhythmia and bradycardia."

"Then they prescribed me a lot of vitamin C, vitamin B, atropine, ephedrine and other drugs. I've been taking them for a while now. I can't say they have no effect, but the effect is not great. It's like the effect of the drugs used on me is getting less and less."

As expected of someone with an engineering background, their expression in this regard is much more accurate than that of the average patient.

He asked in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, do you think there's a connection between my two illnesses?"

Fang Yan didn't answer his question; instead, while writing down the symptoms, she asked him:
"Do you experience lower back and knee pain and coldness, and do you need to get up at night?"

"No," Comrade Zhang said.

Fang Yan asked again:
Does your mouth taste bitter?

"No, not at all." Comrade Zhang shook his head.

Fang Yan finished writing the medical record and said to him:

"Let me take your pulse with your hand, and stick out your tongue so I can see it."

Comrade Zhang stretched out his hand and stuck out his tongue to show Fang Yan.

The tongue appears pale with a white, slippery coating, as seen in dialects.

Diagnosing a pulse with both hands reveals it to be deep, slow, weak, and tight.

Fang Yan pondered as he took the pulse.

First, Comrade Zhang developed fever and chills after catching a cold 15 years ago. After treatment, it turned into chronic pharyngitis, manifested as a foreign body sensation in the throat. Western medicine diagnosed it as hyperplasia of lymphoid follicles on the posterior pharyngeal wall.

This is actually what Traditional Chinese Medicine calls "plum pit qi".

This disease is usually related to phlegm and qi stagnation.

However, considering the white and slippery tongue coating and the deep, slow, and tight pulse, one should consider the internal retention of cold phlegm, which may be related to the Xiao Qinglong Decoction syndrome. For example, there is a case of cough and asthma due to cold phlegm in the medical records of the head teacher, Lao Liu.

Secondly, the current symptoms include chest tightness, back heaviness, bradycardia (heart rate 45 beats/min), which worsen at night. The symptoms worsened after taking yin-nourishing drugs such as Buxin Dan, which may be due to mistreatment by Western medicine and Comrade Zhang himself.

Buxin Dan is suitable for palpitations due to Yin deficiency, but Comrade Zhang's pulse is deep, slow, and tight, and his tongue is pale with a white and slippery coating, which is more likely due to deficiency of heart Yang and cold phlegm attacking the heart.

In addition, Comrade Zhang's back felt heavy and he liked to have it pressed, which is likely related to cold and dampness obstructing the Taiyang meridian.

For example, he mentioned that his symptoms worsened at night, which is consistent with the characteristics of excessive Yin energy.

Based on the pulse diagnosis, Fang Yan believed it was due to deficiency of heart and kidney yang, with internal retention of cold phlegm.

In terms of treatment, the focus should be on warming the Yang and resolving phlegm, and invigorating the heart's Yang.

Referring to a combination of Xiao Qinglong Tang and Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Tang, aconite was added to enhance its warming and yang-tonifying effects. Simultaneously, considering throat symptoms, phlegm-resolving and throat-soothing herbs such as Belamcanda chinensis and Poria cocos were added.

If the illness is short-lived, it is necessary to confirm whether there are any residual external symptoms. However, if the patient has a long history of illness and there are no longer any external symptoms, the focus should be on warming and resolving the cold phlegm.

At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the patient has a potential Yang deficiency constitution, which may lead to the retention of cold drinks for a long time.

While the dialect was pondering, others were also pondering.

By the time Fang Yan finished thinking, the others also had their own ideas, though none had yet formed a clear analysis like Fang Yan's.

At this moment, they saw that Fang Yan had already started writing.

They all looked over at the same time.

Only the dialect text was found:

The patient's tongue is pale with a white, slippery coating, and his pulse is deep, slow, and tight, indicating internal retention of dampness, deficiency of yang, and stagnation of cold.

A feeling of heaviness in the back, as if carrying a heavy load, indicates that cold and dampness are obstructing the Taiyang meridian

Symptoms worsen at night because yin evil is at its peak during yin time.

The use of Buxin Dan and Baizi Yangxin Wan to worsen chest pain is a misdiagnosis, as these yin-nourishing drugs obstruct the yang energy in the chest.
Atropine was ineffective because the patient's condition was not simply due to blood stasis, but rather a deficiency of Yang energy that prevented the body from moving properly.
The diagnosis is: internal accumulation of cold phlegm, deficiency of heart yang, and stagnation of phlegm and qi.

The patient had a 15-year history of throat problems, which were caused by unresolved wind-cold that penetrated the body and transformed into phlegm. The phlegm then flowed upwards into the throat, causing globus hystericus.

Bradycardia and chest pain are caused by cold phlegm affecting the heart and obstruction of chest yang.

Fang Yan paused here, thinking that this would likely be used by others for verification. After all, he had prescribed medicine for Elder Xie and others, and these people wouldn't just take the medicine directly. Instead, they would have someone specifically responsible for verification, going over the process again, and only approving it if deemed feasible. So he wrote:
This condition is due to cold phlegm affecting the heart combined with plum-pit qi. It is necessary to break away from the Western medical mindset of "treating inflammation when it appears" and focus on warming yang and resolving phlegm.

Treatment options: warm the Yang and resolve phlegm, promote Yang and relieve pain, clear phlegm and soothe the throat.

Then, in the dialect, he wrote a combination of Xiao Qinglong Tang and Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Tang.

Add Aconitum carmichaelii, Poria cocos, and Belamcanda chinensis.

Xiao Qinglong Decoction, derived from the Treatise on Cold Damage, is used to warm the lungs and resolve phlegm, specifically targeting phlegm-dampness accumulating in the lungs for 15 years.

Therefore, the following herbs were added to the prescription: Ephedra 6g, Cinnamon Twig 9g, Dried Ginger 6g, Asarum 3g, Pinellia 9g, Schisandra 6g, White Peony Root 9g, and Prepared Licorice Root 6g.

The Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Decoction, which comes from the "Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber," is used to promote Yang and disperse stagnation, and is mainly used to treat chest pain.

It contains 12g of immature bitter orange, 15g of allium macrostemon, 20g of whole trichosanthes fruit, and 9g of magnolia bark.

Add 6g of Aconitum carmichaelii to warm and invigorate the heart yang (decoct first to remove toxicity), then add 15g of Poria cocos and 9g of Belamcanda chinensis to strengthen the spleen, promote urination, resolve phlegm, and soothe the throat.

That's how the prescription came about.

After speaking in dialect, he said to Comrade Zhang:
"These two diseases are indeed related."

"Your 15 years of pharyngitis and your current slow heartbeat and chest tightness actually stem from the same root."

"Imagine you have a 'water pipe system' in your body, which should normally circulate warm water and steam. But after you caught a cold 15 years ago, cold water got into this system and wasn't completely drained. It slowly accumulated in your throat and formed 'ice lumps', which are lymphatic follicles, so you always feel like something is stuck there."

"These 'cold waters' are what we in Traditional Chinese Medicine call 'cold drinks.' They not only block the throat but also flow through the 'channels' to the heart area. A person's heart is like an engine that needs heat to run, but it is surrounded by cold water—so the engine speed slows down, which is why you find your heart rate has slowed down. The situation worsens at night when the temperature is even lower. Pressing on it can temporarily push away the cold water and give the engine a breather."

“The heart tonics you took before were like adding lubricant to the engine, but your problem is that the engine is covered in ice. Just lubricating without removing the ice makes the ice more solid, which worsens the chest pain. Western medicines like atropine are like forcibly stepping on the gas pedal, but the engine is covered in ice and can't turn at all.”

"Our treatment this time is implemented in three aspects. First, we use ephedra and cinnamon twigs, which are like 'ice removers,' to melt the ice blocking the throat and the area around the heart. Second, we use dried ginger and aconite, which are like 'heaters' installed in the body, drying out the dampness from the inside. Third, we use trichosanthes fruit and magnolia bark, which are like drain cleaners, to expel the melted ice water. At the same time, poria and belamcanda are used to specifically clear the 'ice lumps' in the throat. The treatment process is like thawing a frozen car..."

“Your illness is not simply inflammation or a heart problem, but rather a major overhaul of your entire body’s ‘heating and dehumidification system.’ Just like a malfunction in the cooling system of a nuclear reactor, it must start with addressing the overall thermodynamic balance. This is my holistic treatment approach.”

Upon hearing Fang Yan finish speaking, Comrade Zhang looked enlightened, while Liu Duzhou, He Puren, and the others were dumbfounded. They had no idea that Fang Yan had used a description of a car to explain Comrade Zhang's condition.

This was truly an eye-opener for them.

Even the hospital director and the Minister of Health standing nearby were stunned.

Chairman Qian, however, perked up upon hearing the dialect and said to the dean beside him:

"What a talent! He explains things so clearly in a way that patients can understand. That's quite impressive..."

"This is the first time I've ever seen this kind of traditional Chinese medicine."

At this moment, a scientist in his fifties from the crowd asked Fang Yan:

"You also know about nuclear reactor cooling system malfunctions?"

Fang Yan then realized he had said it offhand, but he didn't panic and calmly said to the person:

"My father and father-in-law are professors at Beijing Institute of Technology."

That's all the information they have to say; how they interpret it is up to them.

Sure enough, the person and the other scientists around, including Chairman Qian, suddenly realized what was going on when they heard it.

Humans sometimes have an amazing ability to fill in the blanks.

Chairman Qian also introduced the topic to the others:

"This is the top scorer in this year's college entrance examination, with perfect scores in all five subjects."

"Wow..." Even these big shots were shocked.

Back then, they never thought about getting a perfect score. Their score in dialect was somewhat extraordinary. Even if they were to retake the test, they wouldn't be confident of getting a perfect score, since the essay really does deduct points.

When the middle-aged academic high-achievers discovered the new academic high-achiever, they immediately felt a great sense of closeness to him.

Just as Fang Yan tore off the prescription, Comrade Zhang asked Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, have you ever thought about changing careers?"

Fang Yan smiled and said:

"No."

"I feel that traditional Chinese medicine needs me more."

The top students immediately showed expressions of regret.

After writing out the prescription in dialect, he said to Comrade Zhang:
"During your treatment, you should avoid raw and cold foods because they can damage the spleen's yang energy. You should also avoid rich and fatty foods, as they can promote dampness and phlegm production."

Comrade Zhang paused for a moment, then said:

"What we eat is not up to me, it's up to the cafeteria."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chairman Qian said:

"Don't worry, I'll give you special treatment."

Comrade Zhang was taken aback, then immediately laughed.

"That's daring!"

Then he happily took his prescription and stood aside.

"Old Yu, you can go now," Director Qian said to the person who had just asked about the dialect.

This old man had a lean face and a scholarly, refined air about him.

He was about the same age as He Puren, but his hair was already turning gray.

Unlike others, his hair was neatly combed, indicating that it had been professionally styled.

His eyes were deep and bright, his nose was straight, and his lips were firm, giving him an air of composure and determination.

Even those with dialects know this person.

The father of the hydrogen bomb!

There are two types of hydrogen bomb designs in the world, one of which is named after him.

Furthermore, Fang Yan also knew many of his health problems. He had read his old interviews in his previous life and knew that his health had been greatly affected by long-term overwork and exhaustion.

"I have stomach problems, high blood pressure, a hernia, and a duodenal ulcer," Lao Yu said to Fang Yan after sitting down.

Fang Yan composed herself, picked up her pen, and said to him:
"Yes, please tell me in detail."

Then Lao Yu thought for a moment, as if lost in memories, and said:

"I've had this illness for quite a while, about 21 years ago... Back then I was young and working in another city. I often worked through the night to meet deadlines, and it was common for me to go hungry or not eat at all. At first, I just had bloating after meals, and it felt like my stomach was stuffed with a wad of water-soaked cotton. The base clinic didn't have much equipment at the time, so they just gave me baking soda tablets and said I had excessive stomach acid."

"But after taking those pills, the burning sensation only intensified. Later I learned that baking soda, which neutralizes stomach acid, actually irritates the mucous membrane, a condition known in Western medicine as 'acid rebound.' But I didn't know that at the time, so I just toughed it out."

"I was young then, and I forgot about it when I was busy with work."

"Several years passed like that. There was a period when I was under a lot of pressure. At that time, my stomach pain started radiating to my back, and I would often wake up in pain at night, my bedding soaked with cold sweat. I was out of town at the time, and I met a specialist from Beijing who was seeing patients at a local hospital. My institute asked me to get checked out, and they found out I had a duodenal bulb ulcer. But I didn't dare take sick leave during that critical time, so I could only get painkillers, but those painkillers only lasted for two hours. After that, the pain would start again, and what was worse, my blood pressure soared to 180/110. The doctor at the clinic said that the risk of retinal hemorrhage was too high... But thankfully, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor prescribed a formula for me, and after drinking it for a few days, my condition improved a lot. But he told me that I needed to change my work environment and eating habits, and take it slow to recover..."

"I know this matter can't be delayed, but there's nothing I can do. I can only drink Chinese medicine while trying to catch up on the progress. Fortunately, my body is cooperating, and I've managed to get through it."

"The hernia suddenly flared up one year while moving equipment. A lump the size of an egg bulged out in my right groin. Medical conditions were limited at the time, so I gritted my teeth and applied pressure with a bandage. As a result, the intestinal adhesions recurred. On the train back to Beijing, I started bleeding from my anus. After returning to Beijing, I was sent to the hospital for examination. I even went into shock on the hospital bed while receiving intravenous fluids in the emergency room."

Fang Yan nodded, selectively wrote down the medical record, recording only the key information, and then said to Lao Yu:

"Hmm, Comrade Yu, please take my pulse with your hand, and also stick out your tongue so I can see it."

Then, Fang Yan observed that his tongue had red edges and a thin yellow coating.

Upon pulse diagnosis, the pulse is wiry and strong.

Fang Yan asked him:
Are you prone to emotional outbursts in normal times?

"Not really..." Lao Yu said.

After saying that, he changed his mind:

"Occasionally! Sometimes I get anxious and frustrated about work, and I can't help it. That's how I developed high blood pressure."

Fang Yan asked again:
Do you get a headache and your eyes feel swollen when you're angry?

Comrade Lao Yu thought for a moment and said:

"Yes, that's the phenomenon."

Fang Yan asked again:

Does a hernia worsen in winter or when it's cold?

Lao Yu nodded:
"Not entirely. Sometimes when I'm really tired or stressed, it also happens, and I've even had to press it down once."

"..." The person standing behind Fang Yan was speechless, thinking to himself, "Wow, this guy is really fierce!"
At this moment, Comrade Lao Yu asked Fang Yan somewhat nervously:
"How is it, doctor? My condition has been going on for quite a while... Is it treatable?"

Fang Yan said to him:
"Yes, it's been a long time, so it's indeed difficult to treat, but we can try."

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

There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)