Chapter 49: How to Cure Cholera

"All you have to do is to do your best to treat these patients. The hospital in San Francisco has already admitted 756 cholera patients, plus more than 1,800 cholera patients in the Sacramento area, a total of more than 2,500 cholera patients need treatment." Liang Yao said.

This is only the number of cholera patients who have been found. Due to the scattered gold mining areas, there are still many cholera patients who have not been found.

The workload of 32 doctors treating more than 2,500 cholera patients must be very heavy.

"There are too many people. With so few people, I am afraid we can't take care of them. I mean, we can't take care of all the cholera patients." Morris looked embarrassed.

The reactions of other doctors were similar to Morris.

"Although there are many cholera patients, their symptoms can be mild or severe. We can place them in different areas according to the severity of their symptoms and arrange our manpower reasonably.

As for the problem of insufficient manpower, I will advertise in the newspaper to recruit volunteers from the public to assist you. If there are not enough volunteers, I will pay you to hire enough manpower." Liang Yao made his suggestion.

"It's a good idea. I have treated some patients with mild symptoms and they recovered quickly."

Dr. Robinson agreed.

"There has never been a precedent in the United States to rescue more than 2,500 cholera patients at the same time. Even the largest Pennsylvania Hospital, New York Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital do not have the ability to accept so many cholera patients at the same time." Morris still has some concerns.

"Placing more than 2,500 cholera patients and treating them is not only a huge test for us doctors, but also a great challenge for your organizational ability. Of course, it will cost a lot of money to do so." Another doctor followed closely and expressed his concerns.

The medical system in the United States was not perfect at that time. When the rich were sick, they often preferred to see doctors in private clinics because doctors in private clinics had better medical skills. Those who were a little richer had their own private doctors.

There were also public hospitals, which were mainly for the poor and were managed by the federal government, state governments, and lower-level local governments. But the medical level of public hospitals was relatively limited. This was exactly the same as in later generations.

In addition, there was a type of charity hospital established by charitable groups for the purpose of generating electricity for love, which mainly relied on charitable donations to maintain its operation. For example, the Catholic church hospital belonged to this type of hospital.

"If there is no precedent, we will create one! Gentlemen, as long as we defeat cholera, we will be recorded in history as a miracle in medical history!" Liang Yao was well prepared for these questions raised by the doctors.

"I will take care of the food and lodging for all the cholera patients we treat, and I will also bear all the treatment costs. I have also arranged your food, clothing, housing and transportation. I will withstand all the pressure from the outside world for you. All you need to do is to do your best to treat these poor cholera patients and keep them alive."

Liang Yao's reputation in the eyes of the Chinese is already at its peak, but he wants more than just absolute influence in the Chinese circle.

He also wants to have a high prestige in the white circle in California, and to do this, he must control more than just their food, clothing, housing and transportation.

He must also conquer their hearts and make them completely convinced of you.

As long as you can conquer their hearts, you can conquer their votes, as long as you control the votes in the hands of these voters. With the great power of the states in the United States, no matter how bad he is, he can be a local tyrant in California, win control of a state for himself and his compatriots, and have a foothold in the United States.

If his influence only stays within his own ethnic group, the upper limit of his future development will not be that high.

That's why he would rather lose money than save other ethnic groups infected with cholera.

"I toast you a glass."

Robinson, who had been silent all the time, poured a glass of sherry, stood up and drank the wine in the glass.

"We toast you a glass too! It is a blessing for the people of California to have such a generous person as Mr. Liang."

The doctors in the restaurant stood up with their glasses filled with wine and toasted Liang Yao solemnly.

Looking at the whole of America, let alone the local gentry and wealthy people, even the politicians in the government, there are very few people who are as responsible and visionary as Liang Yao.

They prefer to talk big to voters and make promises they can't fulfill to win votes from voters.

"To defeat cholera! For medical miracles! For your generosity! Cheers!"

Seeing that everyone was in high spirits and drank the wine in the glass heroically, Liang Yao raised his glass high and then drank it all.

After finishing the meal, Liang Yao took out the pocket watch from his chest pocket to check the time. There was still an hour before Sacramento arrived in San Francisco.

Liang Yao asked Robinson to call several doctors with better medical skills to the deck. He wanted to know how doctors in this era treated cholera.

"You are doctors, you are professionals. I will not interfere with your work in treating patients, but I want to know how you plan to treat these cholera patients?"

Robinson called several doctors who had experience in treating cholera patients. Facing the questions raised by Liang Yao, they gave similar answers.

"Camphor extracted from evergreen bark can relieve muscle pain and cramps."

"Grinding pepper into powder and using it as medicine can stimulate the body's circulation."

"If the patient can't stand the pain of diarrhea and vomiting, you can add a little opium tincture appropriately, so that they can have less diarrhea and vomiting a day."

The doctors actively exchanged their treatment experiences and methods, and shared each other's treatment experience.

The treatment plans given by these doctors are quite reliable, which made Liang Yao breathe a sigh of relief.

At least there are no weird treatment methods such as bloodletting, bathing with urine, smearing the body with feces, swallowing emeralds, whipping with whips, etc. in the Middle Ages to deal with the Black Death.

Liang Yao was a little worried that his newly opened hospital would become a funeral home. Now it seems that he was worrying too much.

From the Middle Ages to the present, human cognition of diseases and medical level are constantly improving.

"But these can only relieve the pain of cholera patients. As for whether patients can overcome cholera and survive, it depends on whether their own immunity is strong enough." Dr. Robinson explained to Liang Yao, "In general, this is a temporary solution, not a permanent solution."

"Can cholera patients with severe dehydration be given water?"

Liang Yao thought that cholera could easily cause abnormal water, electrolyte and acid-base balance, and later generations attached great importance to fluid rehydration in the treatment of cholera patients.

Fluid rehydration is carried out by injecting saline solution, but this thing is not available until the end of this century.

Even if he had saline solution, he could not make a needle for injection under his current conditions.

"I tried to get them to drink more water, but there was no effect. I also tried alcohol." Dr. Robinson shook his head.

"Drinking water directly may not be absorbed by the body, but what if drinking water is adjusted with salt and sugar? Can this promote the absorption of water by the gastrointestinal tract?"

Liang Yao remembered that some areas in Africa and South Asia with backward medical conditions in later generations adopted such water rehydration methods.

He can only try his best to treat these cholera patients with existing medical conditions. Even if it was a folk remedy he heard from others, he was willing to give it a try.

"I think it's worth a try."

Morris thought this method was worth a try.

"You really haven't studied medicine?" Robinson looked at Liang Yao with doubt.