Chapter 216: A stroke of genius and escort

plague.

In this era, it is a communicable disease that people are afraid of.

In the past, due to improved sanitary conditions and the development of various medicines and antibiotics, there were very few cases of plague in the country each year.

Normally, there may be only three to five cases a year, which no longer poses a threat.

But it was different in the fifties and sixties.

Especially in the first two years after liberation, the country was in a state of disrepair and was also facing severe challenges from the spread and rampant spread of various epidemics.

According to a report at a government meeting in September 1950, during this period:

"The total number of cases in our country is about 140 million per year, and more than 30 per thousand patients cannot be treated.

More than half of them were caused by preventable infectious diseases.

Diseases such as plague, cholera, measles, smallpox, typhoid, dysentery, typhus, and relapsing fever are the most harmful.

Kala-azar, schistosomiasis, malaria, leprosy, sexually transmitted diseases, etc., also greatly harm people’s health.”

Thirty thousandths may not seem like much data, but when the sample size is enlarged to the billion level, we can get an idea of ​​how severe the domestic medical and health situation was in previous years.

With the stabilization of the political situation and the country's continued strong investment.

Over the past decade or so, the situation has improved a lot.

In particular, the establishment of various medical prevention and control institutions and the three-level rural medical and health system, as well as the emergence of a large number of barefoot doctors.

Rural medical and health conditions continue to improve.

The problem of difficulty in seeing a doctor in the past is gradually being solved.

Although the barefoot doctors' medical skills are not high, they can still treat some basic diseases.

Of course, Wang Mengde also contributed a lot here. The many prescriptions he developed made the prevention and treatment work much simpler.

Many epidemic infectious diseases that have plagued the country for thousands of years and had very high mortality rates have now become common and curable diseases.

Coupled with various publicity activities, residents in both cities and rural areas have begun to develop good habits of paying attention to hygiene and keeping every household clean.

There was also the launch of the campaign to eradicate the four pests, which can be described as a health campaign involving the participation of the entire nation.

According to incomplete statistics.

By the end of 58, nearly two billion rats had been eliminated nationwide.

This caused the plague, which had occurred several times before and after liberation, to disappear in the past two years.

I didn't expect it to appear again now.

Wang Mengde first thought of what he saw in Tiangezhuang that morning.

At that time, Tian Laba was carrying a wooden stick with a few mice tied to it, saying that he was going to take them home to eat.

He believed that this situation would definitely not be an isolated case.

The situation in rural areas has been very difficult in recent years. Anything edible cannot escape people's stomachs.

Rats are full of germs, and you never know who will get plague after eating them.

Thinking of this, Wang Mengde did not delay and hurried back home. After giving a few brief instructions, he got on his bicycle and rode to the Chinese Medical Research Institute with Li Xiang.

We arrived at the research institute and entered a conference room.

Dean Lu was seen sitting at the top, and several vice deans and heads and backbones of various research institutes were also there. At the same time, there were also a few unfamiliar faces sitting among them.

Seeing him coming, Dean Lu's eyes lit up and he quickly said:

"Comrade Wang Mengde is here, please take a seat."

Then, he turned to the person next to him and said, "Please ask the comrade from the district epidemic prevention station to briefly explain the situation to him."

After he sat down, a staff member from the epidemic prevention station nodded at him and said quickly:

"Comrade Wang Mengde, this is the situation.

In a village in the south of the city, all the patients in a family fell ill, so they invited a "barefoot doctor" to their home.

During the diagnosis and treatment, this "barefoot doctor" found that the family's symptoms were similar to the plague symptoms described in the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual".

They all experienced symptoms such as chills, high fever, and severe headaches.

So he reported his suspicion to the commune epidemic prevention station. After the comrades from the commune epidemic prevention station went there, they made a preliminary diagnosis and found that it was plague. "

After a pause, he looked at Wang Mengde with admiration.

It is thanks to this young man that a large number of barefoot doctors appeared in rural areas and the epidemic was discovered early.

Otherwise, if the delay is too long, the outbreak will be very serious.

"Then, the comrades at the epidemic prevention station arranged for people to report to the district epidemic prevention station while conducting a survey in the village.

It was eventually discovered that the plague had begun to spread. Not only were many people in this village infected, but patients also appeared in many other villages in the commune.

At present, the scale of the epidemic spread is not large for the time being, all because of the timely discovery and the rapid implementation of the "three-in-one area responsibility system".

However, the specific situation still needs further investigation. The superiors are worried that since it is close to the Spring Festival, people will move around frequently. If we can’t control it, it will be troublesome.”

"What other symptoms does the patient have besides what I just mentioned?"

Wang Mengde waited for him to finish speaking and then asked directly.

If it was just a plague epidemic, there would be no need to call him over so anxiously. There must be some other problems that needed his help in solving.

Sure enough, the staff at the district epidemic prevention station continued:

"Comrade Wang Mengde, in addition to the above symptoms, we unexpectedly discovered that this plague is not only highly contagious, but also has the characteristics of rapid onset.

At the same time, antibodies are also produced against some conventional treatments.

For general plague patients, the best treatment is streptomycin, which, combined with some traditional Chinese medicine treatments, can be effective in most cases.

But this time, after we gave the patient these medicines at noon, not only did they have no effect, but the patient's condition became much worse.

After consultation and research, it was discovered that this plague seemed to have mutated and streptomycin was no longer effective.

Western medicine currently has no other treatment options, so our superiors asked us to come here and ask the experts at the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine to see if there is any treatment method.”

After saying this, he looked at everyone present with expectant eyes.

Dean Lu also looked around at everyone and said:

"This time, plague was discovered in the suburbs of Beijing. Fortunately, it was discovered early. We must promptly develop treatment methods to prevent the spread of the epidemic."

In fact, if it were a normal winter, an infectious disease like plague would not spread so quickly.

Because everyone basically stays at home during the winter and rarely goes out.

But it just happened that the Chinese New Year was approaching, and many people were out and about buying New Year's goods, and the epidemic broke out all of a sudden.

Everyone present has thought of this and knows that if there is no treatment, it will be an absolute disaster once the plague spreads.

It is even possible that it has already spread, but is just temporarily lurking in the human body.

This disease has a very high mortality rate.

"Director, Chinese medicine has a long history of treating plague. The general prescription is 'Shengma Biejia Decoction Chengzheng Jiajian Treatment'. This method is effective in treating plague at around 60-80%."

At this time, Vice President Chen spoke first.

Plague breaks out in the country every few years.

Therefore, Chinese medicine has also summarized a lot of prescriptions, among which the most effective one is "Shengma Biejia Decoction". However, the actual effect of this prescription can only reach about 70 to 80 percent.

Several other vice presidents, heads of research institutes, and key personnel of departments also knew more or less about it, and after listening, they all nodded in agreement.

"Only 70 to 80 percent effective?"

Dean Lu said with a frown.

He was obviously somewhat dissatisfied with the data.

According to what we know so far, residents in more than a dozen villages have been infected, and we don’t know how many more have not been detected.

The staff who just went to the epidemic prevention station also said that this plague is extremely contagious.

Once there is no good treatment, even if isolation and other measures are taken, the chance of an outbreak is very high.

"Let's discuss this carefully, pool our wisdom, and come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Dean Lu thought for a moment, then said to everyone, "Thank you for your hard work today. You will spend the night in the institute. I have already arranged for people to do the relevant logistical support work."

After saying this, he waved his hand and asked his secretary to prepare the meal and hot water.

After the secretary left, twenty or thirty people in the conference room began to discuss the matter in whispers.

Wang Mengde also actively participated in it, doing two things at the same time.

While discussing with everyone, he used the space to quickly search for some treatment plans and methods for plague in previous lives.

After talking for a while, the food was brought in.

Everyone continued the discussion while eating.

Until about midnight, yawns could be heard one after another in the conference room.

But no one mentioned taking a rest.

Because some news came from the epidemic prevention station one after another.

These news made everyone look unhappy, and the worst situation still happened.

After investigation, it was found that not only all the villages in that commune had patients, but also many were found in the surrounding communes.

This wave of plague still broke out.

Moreover, the earliest patients to develop the disease have now developed symptoms such as rapid and difficult breathing, low blood pressure, confusion, and skin necrosis.

Wang Mengde was in the crowd, and his spirits were still very high. After drinking several cups of tea, his brain was extremely clear and he was thinking quickly.

Prescriptions formed in his mind, and then he rejected them.

They kept working until about two in the morning. Many of the older people could no longer bear it and went to rest in the dormitories arranged in advance by the institute.

In the end, Wang Mengde was the only one left, sitting in the conference room thinking hard.

It was not that he didn't want to take a rest, but because when he was discussing with everyone just now, a flash of inspiration came to his mind.

This hint of inspiration gave him a premonition that if he could grasp it, he could solve the current dilemma.

Sometimes he sat in a chair, supporting his head with his hands and thinking carefully, and sometimes he stood up and walked around the conference room.

Fortunately, there were two flower pot stoves burning very vigorously in the conference room, so it didn't feel cold at all.

However, after a night of consumption, the meal he had eaten last night had been almost digested.

Feeling hungry, Wang Mengde simply broke the steamed buns on the table and put them on the flowerpot stove to roast.

Soon, the aroma of toasted steamed bread slices reached his nose.

After both sides were roasted until golden brown, Wang Mengde didn't care about the heat and started eating it in small bites.

The fragrant smell lifted his spirits and made his mind clearer.

After he finished eating two and a half steamed buns, he stood up contentedly, drank another cup of strong tea, put on his cotton coat with a smile, and walked out the door.

Just now, he had caught this hint of inspiration.

Dean Lu and everyone else had red eyes. He suppressed his excitement and asked, "Comrade Wang Mengde, have you found a way to cure the plague?"

Just before he came over, he received the latest information from the epidemic prevention station.

"Shengma Biejia Decoction" is indeed effective. Some patients have shown varying degrees of improvement after using this prescription.

But there are still some patients for whom it has no effect at all.

In the middle of the night, several villagers who were seriously ill could not be rescued.

At the same time, the speed of the outbreak has exceeded everyone's expectations.

The infectiousness of this plague can be said to be the most severe since detailed records began in modern times.

Even many medical staff were infected.

This puts him under a lot of pressure. If the epidemic continues to develop, people in Beijing and surrounding areas will have to say goodbye to the New Year.

If this kind of situation really happens, as the top Chinese medicine research institute in the country, even if their superiors don't blame them, they will feel guilty.

So, when he learned that Wang Mengde had come up with a solution, he hurried over.

“Yes, I found it.

It is to add a medicinal lead to the 'Shengma Biejia Decoction'.

Wang Mengde didn't beat around the bush and directly put half a piece of toasted steamed bread on the table in front of him, then said confidently.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned.

Then, Mr. Pu twirled his beard and looked at everyone's expressions with pride.

Vice President Chen also reacted quickly. After a brief thought, he suddenly realized what was going on. He stood up, clasped his hands and said:
"I admire you so much. It really lives up to its reputation."

Then, he said to Dean Lu: "Dean, the herbal ingredient added by Comrade Wang Mengde to the prescription of 'Shengma Biejia Decoction' is simply a stroke of genius."

After he finished speaking, the others gradually figured it out, and expressions of surprise and admiration appeared on their faces.

At the same time, they all sighed in their hearts that Pu Lao was indeed lucky to have such an enchanting disciple in his later years.

Dean Lu looked at everyone's expressions, all of which showed agreement, and he was pleasantly surprised.

"Okay, then tell the people at the epidemic prevention station as soon as possible and ask them to use this prescription for treatment."

night.

When Wang Mengde returned home with a somewhat tired body.

He Shengnan came up to him quickly, looked at him with red eyes, and asked with concern:

"Meng De, you stayed up late again. Didn't you sleep all night? Have you resolved the problem?"

"I'm fine, everything has been resolved."

Wang Mengde explained with a smile.

"What happened? Why haven't you come back for a whole day and night?"

"Haha, I did something big, which will allow most areas of Beijing to celebrate the New Year smoothly this year."

Wang Mengde thought about what happened later in the day, and then said with pride.

He was not wrong. The prescription he thought of early this morning really helped protect the city of Beijing.

(End of this chapter)