Chinese medicine doctor Xu Yang

In the early morning, Academician Zhang, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up by a severe abdominal pain. Academician Zhang covered his upper abdomen and was sweating profusely from the pain.

As an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, he quickly determined that his condition was most likely acute cholecystitis.

Academician Zhang did not dare to delay, endured the discomfort, picked up the mobile phone on the bedside table, and made a call to his assistant with trembling hands.

The assistant ran over quickly and hurriedly put Academician Zhang into the car.

"Don't tell... tell anyone else yet." Academician Zhang was in the car, still reluctantly instructing his assistant.

"Um...Okay." The assistant frowned, looking worried. Fortunately, it was very close to the hospital, and Academician Zhang was sent to the hospital quickly.

After a hurried examination, it was confirmed that he was suffering from acute cholecystitis and impacted bile duct stones.

The director in charge came over with the report and said to the assistant: "The current situation is absolutely in line with the indications for surgery. Our recommendation is to perform surgery."

Upon hearing this, the assistant immediately frowned: "Are you kidding me, gallbladder removal?"

All Chinese medicine practitioners in the world are the same. They are very resistant to removing organs from the human body, even the appendix. Western medicine believes that this is a useless and inflamed thing.

However, there have been some other studies in the past two years that found that the appendix contains various substances of this kind...

But Chinese medicine has always believed that as long as it is inside the human body, it should be avoided if possible, unless it is absolutely necessary and there is no other way.

The director glanced at the assistant. He also knew the other person's identity, so he didn't force it and asked, "What should we do? Conservative treatment?"

The assistant frowned and said, "Let me ask Teacher Zhang for instructions."

"Okay." The director nodded in agreement.

The assistant walked over and told Academician Zhang about this matter. Academician Zhang was now receiving infusion, and the pain was slightly relieved.

Academician Zhang smiled bitterly and complained in a low voice: "Why are you so unlucky!"

The assistant was also a little helpless and said: "How about we stay in the hospital for conservative treatment first? There are many experts here now. Please ask a few experts who are good at this to conduct a consultation with you and determine a plan."

Academician Zhang shook his head, then looked at the assistant sideways and asked, "Am I not an expert?"

The assistant was stunned for a moment.

Academician Zhang smiled tiredly and uncomfortably, and then said: "Can you heal yourself instead of self-medication? Besides, the situation is so tense now, everyone is busy, and it is not suitable for me to be distracted and busy anymore. This disease is here. It’s really not the right time.”

The assistant asked: "How about you prescribe some prescription and treat it first?"

Academician Zhang shook his head: "Any conservative treatment requires recuperation, and what I lack most now is time."

"Then...then..." The assistant didn't know what to say.

Academician Zhang closed his eyes, was silent for a while, and said, "Let's give conservative treatment first, and then decide based on the situation."

"Okay." The assistant nodded in agreement.

Academician Zhang was admitted first and stayed in the hospital. It was also a time for cooperation between traditional Chinese and Western medicine. He did not alert others and prescribed Chinese medicine for himself.

On the second day, Academician Zhang's condition had not eased. A lot of work and phone calls came to him, and he had no time to rest at all.

As soon as I got busy, the pain became severe again.

The director also ran in, shook his head when he saw it, and had no choice but to persuade him.

After the director left, the assistant walked into the ward again. Seeing that Academician Zhang's face was ugly and his expression was very complicated, he was a little worried: "Zhang...Teacher Zhang..."

Academician Zhang looked up at him, smiled bitterly, and said, "I'm fine."

The assistant was still a little worried, and Academician Zhang added: "I have already told Director Luo to make arrangements and prepare for the operation."

"Ah?" The assistant was shocked: "Don't you try conservative treatment first? Now, it's not the last resort."

Academician Zhang sighed: "My body is indeed not as strong as a last resort, but this situation and time are already a last resort."

"If I insist on conservative treatment, it means that I, the leader, have chosen to desert at this most difficult moment for traditional Chinese medicine."

The assistant tried to persuade her anxiously: "But this is your body, and your body can't bear it."

Academician Zhang shook his head: "There is nothing that is too much to bear. Thousands of people have had gallbladder surgeries. I am the only one left."

After a pause, Academician Zhang added: "This is the fastest and most effective method at present. There are still so many patients waiting, and we don't know when the turning point of the epidemic will come."

"The large-sample clinical research on Chinese patent medicines has just begun, and the selection of Chinese medicine doctors at Leishenshan has just begun. I really can't stop."

"Mr. Yu, the country is besieged by the epidemic and everyone is expecting it. As the leader of the entire Chinese medicine team, how can I escape without permission!"

"Yu Si, this is a good opportunity for Chinese medicine to prove itself, and it is also an excellent opportunity for Chinese medicine to embark on a renaissance."

"We have been beaten many times before, and now we are just getting better. How can I back down at this time!"

The assistant's face was tense: "But you have to know how much impact gallbladder removal will have on the body!"

Academician Zhang frowned at the assistant and asked, "Have you really forgotten that I am also an expert in treating hepatobiliary diseases?"

The assistant immediately pursed his lips, choked by Academician Zhang.

When Academician Zhang saw the assistant like this, he couldn't help but smile, and then said: "It is precisely because I am an expert in this field that I know that this is the best choice to get back into the fight as quickly as possible. Otherwise... But... It really takes a long time to recuperate..."

"As for the body, tens of millions of people have undergone this operation, and I am not the only one left. In the face of this epidemic, there are countless people who are going forward. Others die, but I can't die? I am not noble or special than anyone else. I am just a mere mortal. It’s just a gallbladder... Just don’t call me a gallbladder from now on.”

Academician Zhang finally made a joke.

The assistant could not persuade her any more, but said with some concern: "At this time, if you choose surgical treatment, will the outside world criticize Chinese medicine even more?"

Academician Zhang asked strangely: "What's the truth? Chinese doctors can't ask Western doctors to perform surgeries? Or Western doctors can't ask Chinese doctors to prescribe Chinese medicine?"

"Traditional Chinese medicine is not omnipotent, and neither is Western medicine. It's just that under certain conditions, you can choose whichever one is suitable. What's so strange about it? Let alone criticism?"

When the assistant saw Academician Zhang's uncomfortable and strange expression, he could only smile bitterly and did not dare to say anything more. If people in the outside world think rationally like he said, there won't be so many problems.

But this is simply impossible!

The next day, Academician Zhang signed the surgical consent form and immediately arranged for a cholecystectomy.

On the third day after the operation, he returned to the intense anti-epidemic work. Comrade Zhang Lei, the son of Academician Zhang, led the Tianjin Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Team to help Wuhan. At his father's request, he did not go to visit the patient.