Chapter 338 Hand, foot and mouth disease
The next day, Li San Niang was still wearing the same red dress, but she had added a cloak as Li Da Sao had suggested.
“You should have worn it yesterday. You can take it off once you’re inside the tent. It won’t stop you from treating patients.”
"Okay, I'll do whatever my sister-in-law says."
Holding steaming hot boiled chicken in their hands, Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang got into the carriage.
When they arrived at Shengpingfang and entered the medical tent, they found that someone had already prepared hot water for them.
"Qiuxiang, you should take off your cloak too. It's hot in this tent. Otherwise you'll catch a cold when you go in and out."
Before she came in, Li San Niang had already seen the Li people gathered outside, warming themselves by a fire.
Li San Niang remembered what Manager Gao had told them before, "These first five days are when the most people come, from morning till night without stopping."
However, after five days, their anxiety subsided somewhat. They were still very busy, but at least they were able to rest and have time to drink some water.
The later it goes, the fewer people there are; usually, there are hardly any left after the last day or two.
Once Li San Niang had everything ready, she had Qiu Xiang lift the curtain door and call for people outside.
A woman dressed in gray linen clothes came in, holding a small child tightly. After taking the number, Li San Niang knew without asking that the woman had come to have the child in her arms treated.
Judging from the way the child looked on his face, he was clearly in great pain.
"What's wrong with this child?"
The woman patted her whimpering baby while saying to Li San Niang, "Female doctor, please take a look at my son. He's in a lot of pain."
“You woman, when I ask you where your child is hurting, just tell me, don’t just say things that don’t make sense.”
Li San Niang had no choice. She had encountered women like this before, who would bring their children to see a doctor, whining and venting their emotions without saying a single proper word.
Li San Niang got up and said, "Bring the child in and let me take a good look at him."
The woman quickly swayed, then, carrying the child, turned and went into the wooden-framed bed behind the screen.
"Has this been going on for several days?"
What was the child doing before this?
Before coming here, were any medications given to you?
..."
While listening to the woman's reply, Li Sanniang began to examine the child.
It was noticeably hot to the touch.
No wonder the child looked listless and didn't want to talk. You know, children this age are usually the most lively, active and adorable.
When Li San Niang asked the child to open his mouth so she could see, she saw scattered blisters in the child's mouth.
Seeing this, and combining it with what the woman had said, Li San Niang understood the situation.
The woman was startled: "Oh dear, I was wondering why Fugui didn't want to eat. Turns out he has blisters in his mouth."
"Qiuxiang, quickly help me move this bed closer to the stove. I need to check if the child has any rashes."
The woman didn't need to be invited; knowing that Li San Niang was worried that the child would get cold if he took off his clothes, she quickly lent a hand to Qiu Xiang.
Li San Niang then said, "Help him take off his clothes, let me see if there's anything unusual about his body."
It's estimated that this child was the only one in the woman's house wearing three layers of clothing, and the woman was quick, stripping the child naked in no time.
The little boy was only three years old and hadn't even turned four yet. A little kid like him doesn't know what shyness is, so he just openly showed off his little genitals.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be alright; only three or four scattered small bumps were found on the child's buttocks. When asked, the child did not complain of itching or pain.
After the woman dressed the child, Li San Niang finished writing the prescription.
"Your child isn't seriously injured, but from what you've said, a few days ago your child was playing with other children from different households in the alleyway?"
The woman, holding the toddler, nodded. "Oh, female doctor, Fugui usually plays with the children from our alley."
"If Fugui is like this, how are the children he plays with doing?"
The woman was stunned for a moment, not understanding how her child's illness was related to other people.
Looking at the woman, Li Sanniang explained, "This disease is a plague, and it's contagious. Most of us adults are fine, but children have weaker immune systems. If one person gets sick, most of the other children who come into contact with them will also get infected."
The woman was startled!
"plague!
Female doctor, is my son Fugui still alive?
Female doctor, you have to save my son, Fugui!
"This is my only lifeline!"
As the woman spoke, she began to hug Fugui and cry. Li Sanniang was truly helpless, as she was most afraid of encountering people who could only cry and shout when faced with trouble.
Li San Niang turned to Qiu Xiang and said, "Go outside and find the manager. I should report this patient to my superiors."
Qiu Xiang didn't move. Li San Niang followed Qiu Xiang's gaze to look at the woman who was holding the child and crying with snot and tears streaming down her face.
Li San Niang shook her head: "Sigh, someone like her couldn't possibly be a spy. This child is really sick. You can go, she won't hurt me."
Qiu Xiang, seeing that the woman did indeed seem to be unskilled in martial arts, lifted the tent flap and went to look for someone.
"Don't cry, don't cry, it's not a big deal. Your Fugui is fine. I've already written the prescription. Go home, drink a few doses of the medicine, and get a good night's sleep. That should help a lot. Don't stay here..."
Before Li San Niang could finish speaking, the man with the narrow beard who had delivered the screen earlier entered. Judging from his appearance, he must have run all the way here, with Qiu Xiang following closely behind.
After the steward anxiously inquired, Li San Niang pointed to the baby in the woman's arms and began to speak.
"...The child is doing alright. As long as he takes his medicine on time, the fever will go down and he'll be fine."
However, this disease spreads quickly, so this child may have been the first to fall ill, while others who came into contact with him may not have developed the disease yet, or may have developed the disease but with mild symptoms.
The best way is to gather them together in one place and wait until they're all better. Then they'll no longer be contagious, and naturally, there won't be any problems.
The steward with the narrow beard understood what Li San Niang meant, but these were other people's children, and it wasn't something that could be done just like that. Therefore, he looked troubled. Especially now, when the women here heard Li San Niang say that they wanted to gather together, it was as if she was going to lock them up. They ran away as if they were carrying children, and didn't even want the prescription that Li San Niang had written on the table.
Qiu Xiang stepped in front of the tent door, blocking the woman's way.
Li San Niang's face darkened. She truly felt that people were easily swayed by rumors and were already running away blindly before even understanding the situation.
"I am quite certain that it is this plague, but the disease is mostly transmitted among children."
Presumably, these plagues are predetermined, and I was merely the first doctor to discover them and the first to report them.
"Those in charge need not worry; just report it up the chain of command, and someone higher up will take care of it."
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