Chapter 334: Saving People
In the original history, Wu Lien-teh returned from his studies with a passion to repay his motherland, but unfortunately he did not get a good opportunity and stayed as the deputy supervisor (vice principal) of the Tianjin Army Medical School.
Today, Zhang Xingjiu has been in contact with him. After hearing that Wu Lien-teh had obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from Cambridge University, he immediately invited him to teach at Aurora University. He also established a medical school for him, built school buildings, and purchased experimental teaching and research equipment so that Wu Lien-teh could display his strengths.
Wu Lien-teh quickly adapted to his new identity. In just a few years, he made the Aurora University Medical School the best modern medical school in the country. It not only trained a group of medical talents, but also made many contributions in the field of medical research. His papers have appeared many times in internationally renowned medical journals such as The Lancet.
Seeing Zhang Xingjiu, Wu Lien-teh, who looked tired, urged him repeatedly, "I have to go to the Northeast now. The situation there is getting more and more tense. I really can't bear to leave those students alone in the epidemic area. I must go there to take charge of the situation."
At the end of last year, the plague was transmitted to Harbin via Manzhouli along the China-Eastern Railway. Subsequently, a major plague swept across the entire Northeast. When the news reached Shanghai, Wu Lien-teh immediately prepared to lead a team to the Northeast to fight the plague, but was persuaded by Zhang Xingjiu to stay.
There is a lot of preparatory work needed for epidemic prevention, and Wu Lien-teh's hasty trip to the Northeast is not the best option, so Zhang Xingjiu suggested sending some students who are physically strong and familiar with the Northeast first to find out the situation there and then report back in a timely manner.
Based on this information, Wu Lien-teh came up with a specific epidemic prevention plan, and Zhang Xingjiu helped raise funds to purchase urgently needed supplies. Finally, Wu Lien-teh took these supplies and the second batch of personnel to the Northeast.
"Now all kinds of supplies are on the way to the Northeast. You set off now. When you arrive in the Northeast, these ships will be docking, and then they will be sent to the epidemic area by rail. I have helped to open up all the links. The Northeast will definitely not dare to neglect such a big matter, so you can go with peace of mind! Send me a telegram if you need anything at any time." Zhang Xingjiu said solemnly.
The plague caused a total of more than 60,000 deaths. If it weren't for Wu Lien-teh, the loss would have been much greater. Now that Wu Lien-teh has the support of Zhang Xingjiu and is more prepared, he hopes to save more lives.
"I have also completed my research. According to the students' reports, this plague is most likely transmitted through respiratory droplets, so masks are the best way to prevent the plague. I have redesigned masks with better protection." Wu Lien-teh took out some samples and handed them to Zhang Xingjiu.
This is an extremely simple double-layer gauze bag mask, which is made of two layers of gauze with a piece of absorbent cotton inside. Wearing it can isolate patients. Although the structure is simple, the design is very ingenious. Even in the 21st century, this design is not outdated, but the materials used are more advanced.
"This kind of mask only costs two and a half cents, and large-scale production can further reduce the cost. I have asked the factory affiliated with the school to start production, and I hope to bring a batch over." Wu Lien-teh even took the cost issue into consideration. Today, the people are very poor, and Yuan Shikai is only concerned with fighting for power. He will definitely not allocate much money to the fight against the epidemic. Therefore, the funds needed for the fight against the epidemic can only be raised by the local area itself, and the cost of masks cannot be too high.
"Very good. I will immediately have someone pass the production method of this mask to the Northeast, and transfer a sum of money so that the students who are in the vanguard can immediately contact the factory for production." Zhang Xingjiu's understanding of medicine is not as deep as Wu Lien-teh's, but he has money and can provide them with strong financial support.
Wu Lien-teh took a group of students with a large number of masks and medicines to the Northeast that day, and arrived in Fujia Dian, where the epidemic was the most serious, a few days later. He quickly studied the specific conditions in the local area, and even secretly dissected a corpse at the risk of great condemnation, confirming his guess. Under the Baker microscope, Wu Lien-teh clearly saw an oval-shaped bacteria - it was the plague bacillus.
He immediately made targeted adjustments to the plan based on local conditions. He completely sealed off the entire epidemic area and divided it into four zones. Each zone was presided over by a medical officer, two assistants, four medical students, and a large number of health servants and police. The emergency team was divided into many positions such as diagnosis, disinfection, burial, and guard duty.
Every day, each district dispatched more than 40 search teams to check the epidemic situation from house to house. Once someone was found infected with the plague, they were immediately sent to the epidemic prevention hospital, and their houses were disinfected with raw sulfur and carbolic acid.
All medical staff of the search team must wear masks, and subsequent masks will be distributed to local residents for use. All people going out must wear masks.
Before the students from Aurora University School of Medicine arrived, more than 200 people died in the area almost every day. After the students came to check the situation and made some adjustments, the number of deaths dropped significantly.
After Wu Lien-teh came, the number of deaths and the number of illnesses dropped sharply. Seeing this, Fengtian, Changchun and other places followed suit and managed the epidemic areas according to Wu Lien-teh's methods. Masks and medicinal materials were shipped from the interior and the sea to the Northeast in an endless stream, which greatly brought the epidemic under control.
By late February, there had been no deaths in Fujia Dian for several consecutive days, which was ten days earlier than the original historical period. Wu Lien-teh then moved to Changchun, Shenyang and other places. After hard work, by the end of April, the plague was completely eradicated in the three northeastern provinces.
When the epidemic was completely under control, Wu Lien-teh became a god in the hearts of the people of Northeast China.
When Zhang Xingjiu saw the statistical results and found that the death toll was more than 10,000 less than in the original history, he couldn't help but feel relieved. This could be considered as a small change brought about by himself.
After the epidemic ended, Wu Lien-teh did not return immediately, but instead attended the International Plague Conference attended by experts and scholars from 11 countries including China, the United States, Austria, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Russia.
At the meeting, he analyzed in detail the causes and processes of the outbreak, the results of prevention and control, and proposed a series of effective prevention and control measures.
After returning to Shanghai, Zhang Xingjiu asked Wu Lien-teh to organize the essence of these epidemic prevention methods and write a paper to be published in The Lancet. He then immediately sent a telegram to the well-known medical experts he was familiar with, introducing them to Wu Lien-teh's contributions and asking them to nominate Wu Lien-teh as a candidate for next year's medical award.
There is no way. The nomination deadline is the end of January every year. I can’t make it this year and can only look forward to next year.
Even without Zhang Xingjiu, Wu Lien-teh would have been nominated, but unfortunately he did not win the award in the end. This time, Zhang Xingjiu intends to make up for this regret.
(End of this chapter)
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