eurekapd Chapter 996 Plague Control Policy
Chapter 996 Plague Control Policy
The physician took the medicine bowl from Hua Chang'an, couldn't help but sniff it, and immediately looked puzzled.
The physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy were quite capable; they could discern the approximate ingredients of the medicinal soup with just a slight sniff.
Taking advantage of the break, he leaned close to Hua Chang'an and asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, this prescription of yours... it looks to me like a commonly used formula for clearing heat and detoxifying. Although it is appropriate for the symptoms, I'm afraid it won't be very effective in dealing with this fierce smallpox."
His words were tactful, but his meaning was clear.
This prescription is unremarkable and probably won't cure such a serious illness; the patient won't see any benefit from drinking it.
Hua Chang'an remained calm and said indifferently, "It is wishful thinking to expect to cure such a terrible disease with this medicine alone, but it can at least relieve the high fever, reduce the headache and vomiting, allow the patient to sleep a little more peacefully, and conserve some of their strength."
"For them at this moment, every bit of comfort they can have increases their chances of getting through this difficult time."
The physician was startled by this, his face turning pale, and he lowered his voice even further: "Your Excellency, if you prescribe medicine like this and someone investigates later and says you used the wrong medicine, wouldn't that be a huge problem?"
He worried that Hua Chang'an's actions would give others a handle to use against him, especially at this critical juncture where tens of thousands of lives were at stake.
Doctors cannot prescribe medicine haphazardly. If it cures the disease, that's fine, but if it kills the patient, that's a serious matter. Medical disputes are not a modern phenomenon.
Upon hearing this, Hua Chang'an chuckled softly and glanced into the distance.
The soldiers were drinking the medicinal soup in large gulps, their faces full of hope.
"Don't worry, now that I've done it, I'm not afraid of being held accountable later."
"Even if His Majesty knew about this, he would never blame me for it."
The physician was taken aback. Looking at Hua Chang'an's confident expression, he didn't believe it at all.
The position of the head of the Imperial Medical Academy is certainly prestigious, and he is a favorite of His Majesty, but you are ultimately not His Majesty's father-in-law!
If such exaggerated claims about the efficacy of the medicine were seized upon by the censors and impeached, even if His Majesty wanted to protect the emperor, he would have to consider the opinions of the court.
He was unaware that Hua Chang'an's daughter was about to enter the palace as a concubine, and that the emperor himself had promised to treat her with the respect due to a principal wife.
However, since this matter has not yet been made public, these ordinary medical officers naturally had no way of knowing about it.
Even without this relationship, Hua Chang'an has a clear conscience.
Judging by actions rather than intentions, even if such actions are only a temporary fix, they are still better than doing nothing at all.
Having temporarily stabilized the situation within the quarantine zone, Hua Chang'an dared not rest for a moment and immediately began planning the next step.
Inside the tent that served as a makeshift medical facility, Hua Chang'an dismissed his attendants, leaving only a few core medical officers and generals.
The disease they faced, known as smallpox, is what later became known as variola.
The bad news is that this is an extremely terrifying and highly contagious disease.
It has accompanied almost the entire history of human civilization, bringing one catastrophe after another.
The powerful ancient Greek city-state of Athens declined because of it, and the once invincible Roman Empire also suffered greatly from it; in the Qing Dynasty, both the Shunzhi Emperor and the Tongzhi Emperor died of smallpox; King Louis XV of France, King Joseph I of Germany, Queen Maria II of England, and Tsar Peter II of Russia all lost their lives to smallpox.
Before the widespread availability of the smallpox vaccine, more than 300 million people died from smallpox worldwide.
It was even used as a biological weapon by colonists, intentionally spread to Native Americans, causing a tragedy that nearly led to the extermination of their race.
His fearsome reputation was enough to make anyone in that era turn pale at the mere mention of his name.
The good news is that smallpox is also the only infectious disease in human history to be completely eradicated.
It was precisely because of its high profile and extreme harm that Li Che, a transmigrator who was not from a medical background, was able to clearly remember its name.
And the only proven effective remedy for smallpox—cowpox.
It was Li Che's earlier mention that gave Hua Chang'an a glimmer of hope at this moment, instead of being helpless in the face of smallpox like most doctors of this era.
Hua Chang'an concentrated in thought, his mind racing.
Soon, a clear two-pronged approach formed in his mind:
On the one hand, it is imperative to immediately conduct an emergency search in Qiongzhou for all smallpox survivors, as these people are naturally immune and are currently the only ones who can safely come into contact with the source of the disease.
They need to be assembled into a special nursing team.
Next, the most dangerous tasks, such as going deep into the isolation area to care for patients, handle waste, and carry out disinfection, must all be undertaken by this team.
On the other hand, and most importantly, people were sent deep into the epidemic areas throughout Qiongzhou to find domestic cattle infected with cowpox.
Vaccinepox virus belongs to the same family as smallpox virus, but it is much milder. If a person is infected, he will only experience mild discomfort, but he will be able to acquire cross-immunity to smallpox.
Obtaining the semen from cowpox and implementing the 'cowpox vaccination method' is the only hope of defeating the virus.
However, the ideal is full, but the reality is very skinny.
Hua Chang'an immediately realized that the biggest problem at present was a severe shortage of manpower.
Whether it's forming an immunized care team or venturing into epidemic areas to find sick cattle, a large amount of manpower is required.
The military had only been stationed in Qiongzhou for a short time, so the proportion of survivors who were immune to smallpox could not have been high.
After a moment's thought, Hua Chang'an revealed the whole story to key figures such as Yang Zhongsi and Ma Zhong.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Zhong stood up abruptly: "Leave the task of finding the ox to me. I will lead a team of brothers and we will search every inch of Qiongzhou to find the sick ox."
It's just catching cattle, right? Ma Zhong is a professional at catching people, catching a cow is a piece of cake for him.
It is also a professional match.
Hua Chang'an immediately frowned and rebuked, "Nonsense! You are a general, how can you personally risk your life?"
"Finding the sick cow requires venturing deep into the villages and coming into contact with infected livestock. If something goes wrong, how can I explain it to His Majesty?"
Ma Zhong, however, stubbornly insisted, "Dr. Hua, it is precisely because I am a general that I cannot delegate such life-threatening tasks to my brothers."
"I, Ma Xiaofu, am lucky. It's just finding a few cows, which is better than waiting here idly."
Seeing that Hua Chang'an still had a stern face, and Yang Zhongsi beside him was also frowning and silent, Ma Zhong quickly said:
"Don't worry, I will definitely wear all the protective gear properly and cover myself up completely. I will not do anything reckless!"
After Ma Zhong finished speaking, Hua Chang'an remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
Finding the cow is crucial, and he doesn't trust anyone else with the task.
However, Hua Chang'an still solemnly instructed: "Your Excellency must promise me that the soldiers you select must be healthy people who have never been in contact with patients, and everyone must strictly wear burqas, masks, and gloves."
"If a case appears in the team, the entire team will abandon the mission and return to quarantine immediately."
"Remember, never be careless!"