I know my own limitations, Zhang Jinlian thought. She knew very well that she couldn't resolve such a Critical Illness. If it were an adult, she might have dared to try an experimental procedure. But this was a child. Children were precious and delicate; she wouldn't dare act recklessly. Of course, if it were merely a high fever, she would have dared to treat it. But with so many symptoms presenting at once, who knew what the illness was? If the treatment went wrong and the child suffered a bad outcome, monetary compensation would be the least of her worries; she feared for her own life. Ultimately, it came down to one thing: she didn't dare.
"Dean?" Zhang Jinlian looked at Li Qingde, her meaning clear: I can't handle this; you decide.
Li Qingde was stunned. He hadn't expected Zhang Jinlian to toss the problem to him. He'd been the Dean of a Health Clinic for ten years, and Zhonghu Town was the second place he'd served as Dean. To be honest, over those ten years, his medical skills had grown rusty and failed to keep up with advancements; they were practically useless now. What's more, he was a surgeon; internal medicine wasn't his forte.
"The Child is too critical. We can't handle this here. You'd better take the Child to a Big Hospital quickly," Li Qingde said. He wanted to tear Zhang Jinlian to pieces right then, he thought, but looking at the child, whose cries were hoarse, he could only force out the words.
Du Heng, listening from the back, was dumbfounded. He never imagined these two would refuse to treat the child. Looking at the blizzard of large snowflakes outside and the vast, white, empty road with no cars passing, how could they tell a woman to carry her child to a Big Hospital? How could they even utter such words? Sure, by car, one could reach a Big Hospital in just ten or twenty minutes. But on foot, it would take at least an hour. Besides, this was a child with a high fever; walking in such snowy weather would be even more intolerable.
High fevers are very dangerous. They can cause excessive excitement or inhibition of the cerebral cortex, easily leading to febrile convulsions, especially in young children who are more susceptible. Furthermore, prolonged high fever can accelerate the heart rate, increasing the burden on the heart. If there's a pre-existing heart condition, it can easily trigger heart failure. High fever also affects digestive functions, and prolonged high fever leads to excessive water loss through evaporation, risking dehydration. This child is so young, with a fever of 39.1°C—how could they just let the patient leave?
Seeing the mother almost collapsing before them, and then the two doctors still insisting she transfer hospitals, Du Heng pushed aside Zhang Jinlian, who was blocking his way, stepped past Li Qingde, picked up the child from the bed, and headed towards his own consultation room.
"Stop crying. Come to my office."
To the child's mother, these words were like a voice from heaven, her lifeline. She let go of the two doctors' hands and, choking back sobs, followed Du Heng out.
Li Qingde was startled by Du Heng's sudden intervention. He admired Du Heng's proactive spirit, but he truly had no confidence in Du Heng's abilities. An acute abdomen? Du Heng has never treated one before. Besides, can traditional Chinese medicine even treat an acute abdomen?
"Xiao Du, you..."
"Dean, I know what I'm doing." Du Heng didn't even turn his head as he spoke.
Li Qingde was rendered speechless by Du Heng's rash behavior. In front of the patient's family, he couldn't say anything too pointed. Just as he was in this quandary, he suddenly saw a mocking smile playing on Zhang Jinlian's lips. Li Qingde was instantly furious. He shot her a fierce glare, silently warning her to compose herself. At the same time, he mentally decided that the task of compiling the entire township's health records would fall to her.
Wang Zhenzhen was also worried about Du Heng. She didn't believe he could treat such a Critical Illness either; otherwise, she wouldn't have brought the patient directly to Zhang Jinlian's office in the first place. But seeing Du Heng's hurried departure, she could only follow helplessly.
Back in his office, Du Heng immediately placed the child on the examination bed and completely removed her swaddling. When the child's limbs were freed, it was clear that her body, initially shivering, had begun to twitch slightly. Du Heng let out a long breath.
In traditional Chinese medicine, there's a principle: in acute conditions, treat the superficial symptoms; in chronic conditions, treat the root cause. Therefore, the immediate priority is to reduce the fever. If febrile convulsions develop, the potential for brain damage in such a young child is terrifying.
"Buwei, get my needle tool kit and sterilize it."
Wu Buwei had already begun these preparations the moment he entered. By the time Du Heng finished speaking, the first needle was already in his hand.
Du Heng gave Wu Buwei an appreciative glance. This time, he didn't ask any sudden questions but began applying the needles directly.
However, the child was crying and thrashing her limbs, making it impossible to perform the acupuncture. Left with no choice, Du Heng asked the child's mother to hold her hands. Then, glancing back at Li Qingde, Wang Zhenzhen, and the others who had followed them in, he said, "Don't just stand there; help hold the child still."
As for Zhang Jinlian, Du Heng instinctively ignored her.
With some flustered effort, they managed to hold the child still, which pained the mother deeply. Her tears streamed down.
Watching the crying mother, Du Heng cautioned her before inserting the needles, "Don't let your pity for the child make you waver now. You must hold her firmly. If you don't, and something goes wrong, I won't be responsible."
With that said, he paid the mother no further mind. He precisely located the acupoints and quickly inserted needles into the child's LI-11, Waiguan, and LI-04. After several adjustments to ensure stability, he then swiftly performed bloodletting by pricking the Shao Shang and ten diffusing points.
Seeing the child's arms covered in needles and beads of blood on each fingertip, the mother was utterly heartbroken. If her tears had been like raindrops before, now they were a torrential downpour.
Ten diffusing points bloodletting is a common technique in traditional Chinese medicine, known for its excellent therapeutic effects on conditions like high fever and headaches. Many ordinary people are familiar with this method, and a considerable number even use it. However, Du Heng actually advised against people performing it themselves.
The reason was simple: many people had no formal training in this area. When attempting ten diffusing points bloodletting, they couldn't locate the points correctly or apply the proper technique. Consequently, not only was the illness not cured, but the patient was subjected to considerable suffering. Even if it did yield some effect, an improper method—inserting the needles too deeply or too many times—was no different from torture.
For instance, Du Heng only needed to make two or three light pricks on each of the child's fingers to induce bleeding, causing minimal harm. Yet, some practitioners might prick a patient's fingers until they were raw, achieving no therapeutic effect and potentially causing irreparable psychological trauma.
Wu Buwei had made rapid progress in recent days. Seeing Du Heng perform the ten diffusing points bloodletting, he was already standing by with cotton swabs at the ready. As soon as beads of blood emerged from the child's fingers, he quickly wiped them away. Whether he had known this all along, had crammed the knowledge in recently, or it was simply a stroke of luck—like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse—he had certainly been a great help to Du Heng.
This made Du Heng even more satisfied.