Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 127: Comparison Results

[Today’s Intel: Wulou Vein, one of the Seven Strange Veins. The pulse beats only once after a long interval, and the pauses are irregular. It is slow and weak, like a dilapidated roof leaking water, a single drop after a long wait. This often indicates that the stomach qi, nutritive qi, and defensive qi are on the verge of expiring. True Martial Soup may offer a slim chance of survival.]

"It’s actually the Wulou Vein."

Li Xu was startled.

It was one of the Seven Strange Veins. A patient with this kind of pulse was basically at death’s door.

Many medical texts described it.

The Su Wen: Discussion of the Physiognomy of Healthy People states: "The arrival of a dying spleen pulse... is like a leaking roof, like flowing water; this is called spleen death."

Wei Yilin’s Yuan Dynasty text, World Medical Effective Formulas, says: "The pulse is found between the muscles and flesh, like a drop from a dilapidated eave after a long wait, splashing up weakly, resembling a water drop splashing on the ground. The stomach qi and both nutritive and defensive qi are completely exhausted."

The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine: "One of the Seven Strange Veins. The pulse beats only once after a long interval, and the pauses are irregular, resembling water dripping from a leaking roof."

Even the intel had only offered one method, and it only mentioned a slim chance of survival.

’Does this intel mean there’s a patient with this pulse?’

Li Xu had to go to the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

It had been three days since he had last used True Martial Soup to treat his patients.

Today was the day for their follow-up appointments.

He went to the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine as planned.

The outpatient lobby of the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was still quiet, with only a few patients at the registration desk.

He headed straight for the internal medicine consultation room.

He pushed the door open. Guo Yu was writing in a medical chart. Hearing the sound, he looked up, and a smile immediately bloomed on his face. "Advisor Li! I was just about to call you. Ms. Zhu called this morning and said her leg circumference has shrunk by another two centimeters, and her urine output has stabilized at around 1500 ml."

Li Xu greeted Miaoli, who was standing to the side, then sat down and asked, "What about her insomnia and drooling?"

"They’ve improved, but they haven’t completely disappeared." Guo Yu handed him a monitoring chart. "This is the record of her condition over the past three days. The results are truly amazing."

The chart detailed her daily urine output, changes in leg circumference, and symptom scores. The data curve showed a clear trend of improvement.

Just as Li Xu was examining it closely, a soft knock came from the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Ms. Zhu walked in with a brisk stride, looking like a completely different person from her first visit.

Her once-swollen face now had clear contours, and her pant legs were no longer tight, but hung loosely around her legs.

"Dr. Guo, Dr. Li!" Ms. Zhu’s voice was strong. "Look, you can even see my ankle bones clearly now!"

She pulled up her pant leg to show them. The indentation marks on her skin had mostly vanished.

Guo Yu gestured for her to sit. "Let me see your tongue coating... Hmm, the white coating is thinning, and the purplish stasis in the sublingual veins has lessened. Your pulse..."

He placed three fingers on Ms. Zhu’s wrist. "The wiry quality has eased, and the kidney pulse now has a root."

Li Xu followed up, "How is your sleep and the drooling?"

"My sleep is much better, but I still drool occasionally, especially during my afternoon naps." Ms. Zhu smiled sheepishly. "But compared to the constant cold in my lower back and swollen legs from before, this is nothing!"

After consulting with Li Xu, Guo Yu adjusted the prescription. "This time, we’ll add 30 grams of night climbing vine to calm the spirit, and 30 grams of Alpinia fruit to astringe the body fluids."

As he wrote, he explained, "The night climbing vine nourishes the heart and calms the spirit, while the Alpinia fruit warms the spleen and controls saliva. This should solve your problem."

Ms. Zhu took the new prescription, thanking them profusely. "This medicine is a miracle! My neighbor also has chronic edema. She spent tens of thousands at the provincial hospital with no improvement. I’m going to tell her to come see you!"

Just as Ms. Zhu left, Mr. Chen appeared at the door, right on time for his appointment.

The middle-aged man, who had been pale and hunched over during his first visit, now stood up straight, his face glowing with health.

"Dr. Li!" Mr. Chen excitedly grabbed Li Xu’s hand. "After just two days of medicine, my chronic problem of many years is more than halfway gone!"

He rattled on about the changes: he no longer needed to run to the bathroom frequently, the piercing cold in his lower back was gone, and even his family said his complexion looked much better.

After taking his pulse, Li Xu nodded in satisfaction. "Your Yang Qi is gradually being restored, and the dampness has been transformed. The main problem now is..."

"Bloating after meals," Mr. Chen finished the sentence. "And my mouth is bitter and sticky when I wake up in the morning, though it gets a little better after drinking some hot water."

Li Xu observed his tongue. "The coating is white and greasy, indicating lingering cold-dampness in the middle burner. For the original formula, we’ll remove the Aconite, white peony, and Leech. Add 10 grams of dried ginger to warm the middle, and 15 grams of Magnolia Bark, 10 grams of Purified Pinellia, and 10 grams of Dried Tangerine Peel to regulate qi and transform dampness."

Guo Yu finished writing the prescription and handed it to Mr. Chen. "Take this for another two weeks, and you should see even greater improvement."

After seeing the two satisfied patients out, Guo Yu took a stack of medical records from a drawer. "Look at these. These are all patients treated with the hospital’s regular Aconite. The results are lackluster."

Li Xu said, "It’s obvious now. The Aconite soaked in Daban Liquid has greatly reduced medicinal effects. We can’t keep using it."

"Exactly."

Guo Yu picked up the relevant documents. "Come on, let’s report this to the dean."

...

「The Dean’s Office.」

Dean Sun looked over the materials Guo Yu handed him.

On one hand, there was the high-quality Aconite. The True Martial Soup was clearly effective; patients showed obvious improvement after taking it and were expected to make a full recovery.

On the other hand, the True Martial Soup made with the hospital’s original Aconite had severely diminished effects. Some patients not only failed to improve, but their conditions actually worsened.

Dean Sun no longer had any doubts. He nodded and said, "Alright. From now on, we’ll use the Aconite provided by Advisor Li."

He summoned Director Han from the pharmacy department.

He told him to submit a procurement request and to sign a contract with Li Xu.

Although Director Han was a bit reluctant, the facts were undeniable.

In particular, for some of the patients who took the True Martial Soup, he had personally hand-picked the very best Aconite from the pharmacy, yet it still proved ineffective.

"Yes, Dean. I’ll write the application report this afternoon," Director Han said.

Just then, the office phone rang.

Dean Sun picked up the phone. After listening for a few moments, his expression changed drastically. "...How is that acceptable? If even the City People’s Hospital won’t admit the patient, how can we?"

"...This... Alright, I’ll ask Advisor Li..."

He hung up the phone.

Dean Sun gave a wry smile. "We’ve got a problem."

"Dean, what’s wrong?" Li Xu asked.

Dean Sun’s face was etched with worry. "A patient just came into the emergency room with multiple organ damage and cardiogenic failure. After an examination at the City People’s Hospital, the family was told to prepare for the worst. The family couldn’t accept it, and they heard from somewhere that our hospital has a brilliant advisor, so they came here. The ER won’t admit them, so they’re causing a scene downstairs."

Li Xu’s heart skipped a beat as he recalled today’s intel.

’Could this be it?’

Dean Sun waved his hand dismissively. "Advisor Li, we can’t take this patient. You should go home. I’ll just tell them you’re away on a business trip and not here. Remember, don’t go back to your clinic either. I’m afraid they’ll look for you there."

"But..."

Li Xu thought for a moment. "Dean, I want to give it a try."

Guo Yu quickly tried to dissuade him. "Advisor Li, based on the dean’s description, the patient is beyond saving. You shouldn’t get involved in this mess."

Li Xu insisted, "At least let me see the patient first. If he’s truly beyond cure, I won’t force the issue."

Dean Sun sighed. "I’m just afraid the family will latch onto you... Alright. Let’s go to the ER together and see this patient."