Practicing Medicine in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 43 Vaccination against acne

Shen Hanshan's words are easy to say, but difficult to implement.

The word "prevention" can be said to be very avant-garde for the medicine of this era.

Even the most primitive vaccinia method appeared gradually from the Song Dynasty, not to mention the early seedling method and water seedling method that were matured in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As for the vaccinia method invented by the British tycoon Edward Jenner, it is almost modern. spread to China.

Wu Yi, as a Western medicine doctor who has been in modern clinics for more than ten years, has only stayed at several ancient vaccination methods in the literature for this virus that has long since disappeared in modern times, and has never practiced it at all.

It's just that the preparation principles of virus vaccines are similar - to induce disease with inactivated viruses, so as to obtain lifelong immunity.The preparation of smallpox vaccine should also follow this idea.

However, can the doctors of this era accept the idea of ​​"inducing disease by inducing disease and preventing disease first"?

He scanned several medical classics in his head, and finally managed to think of a slightly marginal one.

"Students have something to say, but I don't know if it will be useful."

Shen Hanshan: "Speak."

Seeing that there were no abnormalities on the faces of the doctors, he continued: "The "Prescriptions of Thousand Gold" written by Sun Xianren has a saying that to treat warts in children, you can use needles and small knives to cut all sides of the eyes. Apply the juice and yellow pus in the sore of a sore, don’t go near the water for three days, and the pus will fall off automatically. [1] The students thought, can smallpox be cracked with a similar idea?”

Shen Hanshan glanced at him indifferently: "You mean, fight poison with poison?"

This was out of line with the idea of ​​"vaccinating and preventing acne", and Wu Yi went on to explain in a persuasive manner: "Students have heard that smallpox will only get once in a lifetime, so I thought, if we shill children with smallpox, they won't get smallpox in the future." Send it again."

As soon as this remark came out, the whole room burst into laughter, and even Zhang Qiren, who had never liked to show off, couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.

Dr. Li, who was accompanying him, laughed for a while before standing up with his back and looking at Wu Yi with disgust.

"You child, what you say is full of childish words. Once you get smallpox, it's hard to find one out of ten undead. Of course, you can only get it once!"

Wu Yi seemed to scratch his head in embarrassment, but he had a good idea in his heart: "But the students heard that none of the surviving children had smallpox, so they came up with this method. It's ridiculous."

Everyone still couldn't stop laughing, but Shen Hanshan raised his eyebrows: "That's true, Sun Xianren also mentioned this matter, but smallpox ten diseases and nine deaths, this method is really putting the cart before the horse."

Hearing that his tone was loose, Wu Yi quickly took the opportunity to say: "Smallpox is extremely contagious. If a child is directly exposed to the patient, the disease will naturally occur like a mountain and flood, and it is difficult to recover. But if the child is only slightly exposed to the smallpox scab, There is very little pox infection, and it will be much easier to get sick."

He spoke in a single breath, and he seemed to have shaken out the general idea of ​​vaccination. Next, it depends on the skills of these experienced imperial physicians.

Zhang Qiren raised his eyes, the smile just faded away, showing a serious expression: "There is quite something feasible in this statement."

Shen Hanshan immediately made a decision: "Let the prince bring some of his domestic dogs, and then go find a child with smallpox. According to Wu Yi, let the dog touch the child's pox to see if it will Sick and dead."

After all, he is a master of epidemiology and has more experience than other doctors, but Wu Yi still feels surprised that the advanced concept of animal experiment has appeared in this era when medical technology is quite backward.

"Mr. Zhang, I would like to ask you two students to pick a few healthy dogs and keep them alone on the edge of the west courtyard. They must not have any contact with outsiders or foreign objects."

Shen Hanshan turned his attention to Wu Yi again: "You and I will go collect acne paste."

Seeing that he frowned slightly, as if he had something to say, Shen Hanshan poked his finger directly on his forehead: "If you have anything to say, just say it, everyone needs to brainstorm to come up with a solution."

Then Wu Yi clasped his hands and said: "Just now the teacher arranged for the selection of dogs. The students thought that the dogs used should be selected. Not only must they be strong, but they must also be male and female. Either they are all male dogs or they are all female dogs. Otherwise, if the male and female mate and cause the female dog to become pregnant, it may affect the effect of vaccination."

Zhang Qiren nodded and said: "That's not bad, you are very careful."

"One more thing, since the dogs are vaccinated, for comparison, it is better to divide the dogs into two groups, one group is kept on the left side of the west courtyard, and the other group is kept on the right side, and they are not connected to each other. In this way, normal dogs can be bred. It's different from a vaccinated dog."

Controlled experiments, single variable, this is the most basic skill in modern medical experiments. Wu Yi worked with laboratory beagles every day when he was a student, and he was very familiar with raising dogs.

As for the doctors of the Tang Dynasty, who had almost no concept of animal experiments, this was a brand new system.Therefore, although the two questions raised by Wu Yi are simple, they are also things that these imperial physicians have never thought through.

"I think Wu Yi's words are reasonable."

This time, it was Dr. Li who gave the praise. He could see that this kid is really talented, and he thinks carefully and carefully. Appreciation is doomed to reach people in the future.

Shen Hanshan lifted his eyelids, but he didn't have such an admiring face as other doctors, he just said indifferently: "Just follow Wu Yi's words."

Xu Ziwen and Wu Xuben failed in the diagnosis and treatment of Wang Tao, and now they seem to be transferred by Wu Yi, who is also a student. They are naturally resentful in their hearts, but they dare not show it on the surface. Many restless thoughts arose.

The two pairs of gloomy eyes looked at each other, and they both saw the "good plan" in each other's mind. Although these two people were just superficial brothers who played on every occasion, they really united their hearts to fight against Wu Yi.

Zhang Qiren looked coldly at his pair of students, one was too cunning, the other was stubborn, the two together were not half as qualified as Wu Yi.

Fortunately, he was allowed to follow Shen Hanshan, otherwise...

Just a moment later, a big hand was placed on his shoulder, and Shen Hanshan stood sideways, waking him up from his contemplation.

"I'm going to discuss with Wu about picking pox syrup. Let the disciples handle the dog matter. I also need you to come here to take care of the overall situation and develop a solution."

Zhang Qiren slowly brushed off the pair of ironing hands resting on his shoulders, and nodded slightly.

"do not worry."

-

Wu Yi followed Shen Hanshan on the road he had walked in the morning. Looking down, the traces of footsteps on the dry land had been covered by yellow sand, and he could only vaguely distinguish a direction leading to the farm.

Before the two masters and apprentices reached the door of Mrs. Yu's house, they were already looking at a woman with disheveled hair from a distance, holding ice in her hand, and kept stuffing it into her arms.

Shen Hanshan walked over quickly, only to hear Madam Yu keep chanting: "Hey, bear with it, it will be fine when the fever subsides, darling, the imperial physicians in the capital have said that you will be fine..."

He winked hurriedly, Wu Yi put down the medicine box behind his back, and forcibly opened Yu Niang's hand to see that the baby in his arms was covered with ice, and it had already been frozen blue and purple, and he didn't care about any protection. , directly stretched out his index finger to probe his carotid artery, and sure enough, there was no pulse at all.

"Dr. Shen..."

"I see." Shen Hanshan quickly interrupted him, trying to talk to Mrs. Yu, "Your son... how long has it been since you passed away?"

"No more?" Madam Yu grinned back, her chapped lips oozing blood, "Look, didn't he stay in my arms well?"

As he spoke, he covered the swaddling clothes that Wu Yi had lifted, and kept coaxing the dead baby in his arms.

"Sleep obediently, sleep obediently, sleep well, just... just fine..."

Her dry and thin fingers were like a bamboo fan with sharp joints, and she patted lightly on the temperatureless swaddle. After a long time, she stopped moving as the voice gradually became hoarse, and slid down weakly, leaning against her. On a gray mottled wall.

"I've been walking for a long time, and the river has dried up. When I walked into the middle of the river, I saw a little ice slag." She looked up at Shen Hanshan, and then looked down at her dead child, "I hold them in the palm of my hand." , I rushed back quickly, and I didn't dare to stop..."

"why why……"

The flamboyant sunshine of early spring folded into her whispering lips, reflecting a smear of bright red blood. Wu Yigang wanted to step forward, but Shen Hanshan grabbed his elbow.

Shen Hanshan shook his head secretly, the pain of losing a child was enough to crush this poor girl who was about to have nothing, and now she even lost the last of her sanity.

When she finally stopped talking, Shen Hanshan tentatively stepped forward: "Ms. Yu..."

Yu Niangzi flicked like a fish caught on the shore, vigilantly hugging the dead baby in her hand: "Are you a bull's head or a horse's face? I won't let you take my son away! If you want to take me, if you want to take me, take me away." Walk!"

"I'm not a ghost, nor a god." Shen Hanshan moved closer to the lady in small steps, "I'm a doctor, I'm here to treat your son..."

Mrs. Yu immediately showed a look of surprise: "Really? Doctor, doctor, take a look, why is my son so cold... The doctor said in the morning that he would reduce his fever. Now that he has reduced his fever, why is he still not good?"

Shen Hanshan secretly winked at Wu Yi, put one hand behind his back, took the wood scraper and small medicine bottle that Wu Yi quietly handed over, and carefully unfolded the dead baby's swaddling clothes with the other hand, while the lady was staring at the baby in a daze. In an instant, quickly scraped the child's acne with a wooden chip, and wiped it into the mouth of the bottle.

Madam Yu immediately put her hands together and kicked her feet towards Shen Hanshan: "You liar! You liar! You lied to me, you lied to me..."

Shen Hanshan threw the bottle back, Wu Yi quickly reached out to catch it, and sealed it layer by layer with cloth.

Shen Hanshan himself remained motionless, even when Mrs. Yu punched and kicked her, she didn't move, she didn't run away, she didn't cry out in pain, she really stood there like a mountain, with her back straight.

After a while, Madam Yu kicked until her eyes were red and her feet were weak, so she stopped, her neck twitched, as if she wanted to cry, but she couldn't cry, she could only twitch her cheeks and looked at Shen Hanshan in despair.

"I'm sorry." Shen Hanshan closed his eyes, as if he had lost his other words, he could only keep saying, "I'm sorry."