A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 94 Magical Medicine
Li Yu got into Yu Xunling's carriage with photographic equipment on it. It seemed that Yu Xunling came to look for Li Yu immediately after taking the photo.

It's no wonder that De Ling didn't accompany Cixi in Xiyuan today.

Li Yu asked in the car: "How is it? Is De Ling's current situation serious?"

Yu Xunling sighed: "I don't know the details. My girl usually cries earth-shatteringly when she is in pain, but this time she is in so much pain that she can't cry. She is very anxious. People worry."

Yu Geng had been an ambassador for seven years and had rich experience in communicating with foreigners. Therefore, Yu's family lived nearby Dongjiaomin Lane, which was convenient for handling affairs.

When the two got out of the carriage, Yu Xunling didn't have time to pack up the equipment, and immediately ran into the west wing, "De Ling, are you feeling better?"

De Ling was holding an opium pipe on the bed at the moment, and he was in a trance while puffing, but he had no symptoms of pain.

But Li Yu knew very well that it was the nerve paralysis effect caused by the opioids contained in opium.

This is clearly the way to kill [-] enemies and harm [-] yourself!
Even in the era when Li Yu lived, only very, very professional doctors could control the dosage of regular anesthetics.

Yu Xunling snatched the opium gun from De Ling's hand, and shouted loudly towards the main room: "Father! Mother! Didn't I say everything, we can't let De Ling smoke opium anymore!"

Yu Geng and Mrs. Yu came in after hearing the movement, and Mrs. Yu wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "She was in so much pain during the day that she wanted to bang her head against the wall! How could the mother see it in her eyes, so she let her twitch Take two sips, at least two sips won’t hurt so much.”

Yu Xunling was heartbroken: "Mother, you have also stayed abroad for so many years, you don't know what big smoke is, right? This thing, this thing kills people!"

Madam Yu burst into tears: "I don't want to, but what can I do? I have searched all the doctors in the capital, but I can't cure it."

De Ling on the bed covered his head with one hand, and stretched out the other hand weakly towards Yu Xunling: "Brother, give me, let me take two more sips, my head hurts too much right now!"

Yu Xunling's hand holding the bong couldn't help shaking, and didn't want to give it to her. De Ling grabbed the bong and said, "Give it to me."

Yu Xunling still didn't let go. After De Ling tugged a few times, she suddenly became irritable and shouted violently: "Give it to me! Do you want to see me die of pain!"

Yu Xunling let go of her hand in fright from her sudden sound, and De Ling snatched the bong, and immediately put it on her mouth and started smoking.

Yu Xunling wanted to take it back again, but seeing De Ling's comfortable expression at this time, he couldn't bear it.

He sighed in grief, turned and walked out the door.

Li Yu glanced at Yu Geng and Mrs. Yu, and they didn't intend to rob, knowing that it would be impossible for him to prevent her from smoking opium now, so he also walked out of the room.

Yu Xunling slumped on a chair in the corridor, and said to Li Yu: "You have also seen that, except for me who snatched her pipe, my sister has no father, mother, or you in her eyes."

Li Yu couldn't imagine how De Ling, who was in France with a bright spring, would become like this after he came back. He asked, "When did De Ling start?"

Yu Xunling said: "About ten days ago, she often went to and from Xiyuan to accompany Lafayette, and then she started to have a headache for some reason."

"What did the doctors say?" Li Yu asked again.

Yu Xunling said helplessly: "The doctor said everything, and I took dozens of medicines, but there was no effect."

Li Yu can roughly guess that it may be due to the pressure of the environment in the palace.Headache is a disease that is difficult to explain. Even in the 21st century, it is difficult to explain the cause. It can only be alleviated as much as possible, and it is best to maintain mental relaxation.

The most famous headache in history should be Cao Cao.

Back then, after Cao Cao eliminated Yuan Shao and coerced the emperor to command the princes, he took control of the power, but it was also at this time that he began to have a severe headache.

Anyone who has read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" knows that Cao Cao couldn't bear the headache, so he invited Hua Tuo, a genius doctor, who said that he had to drink Mabosan first, then cut his head open with a sharp axe, and took out the "wind saliva", so that he could get rid of it. root cause.

But Cao Cao was so suspicious, thinking that Hua Tuo was going to take this opportunity to kill him, so he put Hua Tuo in prison, and Hua Tuo died in prison.

The story of Cao Cao has a lot of romantic elements. According to the Three Kingdoms, it seems that Cao Cao suffered from a brain tumor, and many people later inferred that.

But anyone who knows a little bit about surgery knows that it was basically impossible to perform craniotomy in that era. Even if it was done, postoperative treatment and infection problems were difficult to solve.

Moreover, Cao Cao was about 45 years old when he had a headache, and there were more than 20 years before his death. It was impossible for a brain tumor patient to live so long in that era.

So what Cao Cao got was actually a migraine.

Of course, migraine is also very troublesome. Until the 21st century, it cannot be said that it can be completely cured, only the symptoms can be relieved.

At least not a fatal disease.

Li Yu is not a doctor, but he guessed that what De Ling suffered might be a kind of migraine.

When he was at a loss, Yu Geng came over with a leaflet and handed it to Yu Xunling, "Go get some medicine for your sister."

Yu Xunling said dejectedly: "I've tried so many prescriptions but they don't work, so what is this?"

Yu Geng sighed: "It's an advertisement for smoking cessation medicine."

"Smoking cessation medicine?" Yu Xunling took the flyer, "Are you in charge?"

"Who knows, try it." Yu Geng really had no choice.

If Yu Deling continues like this, he will definitely be ruined, and he will never even think about being Cixi's imperial court lady.

"Show me." Li Yu said.

He took this early flyer from 100 years ago, and the corner of his eye twitched, why is it Watsons again!
But this time it's not a bar, not a soft drink, but an advertisement for Watsons Pharmacy.

The content of the leaflet is indeed introducing something called "smoking cessation powder".

I have to say that Watsons is really a marketing genius in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China!

In fact, Watsons was not founded very early. They also wanted to sell opium at the beginning of their business. However, at that time, the opium market in the late Qing Dynasty was already a bloody red sea, and giants such as Jardine and Swire had almost monopolized the entire Qing Dynasty. Opium market.

So Watsons did not take the usual path: if the opium cannot be sold, it sells smoking cessation medicine!Anyway, where there is demand, there is a market!
But to be honest, opium addiction is a problem that modern medicine can hardly solve. The smoking cessation medicine 100 years ago can only be an IQ tax.

The main ingredients of the smoking cessation powder sold by Watsons Pharmacy are some cheap supplements, and even the soot and smoke left over from the burning of opium are added.People at that time were superstitious, thinking that eating the "ashes" of opium seemed to be able to cure smoking addiction.

However, the advertisement on the flyer is really provocative, even borrowing the name of Rong Lurong Zhongtang, Minister of Military Aircraft.

Now the top officials of the Qing court have long understood that opium is not a good thing, and advertising to quit smoking can earn a good reputation.

The flyer vowed: "We have selected a good medicine for opium, which is supplemented with medicines for eliminating phlegm and strengthening the body. After taking it, the addiction to smoking will gradually decrease. Finally quit smoking. And the spleen and stomach will be strong, the spirit will be strong, and there will be no future troubles!"

There is also what Rong Lu said later, Yan Dao has bought a lot of smoking cessation powder, and the effect is very good.

Yu Xunling now only has a dead horse as a living horse doctor, and now that he is just addicted to cigarettes, he will use whatever method he can!

"Let's go!" Yu Xunling called Li Yu, "Go and see if there is such a good curative effect."

It was useless for Li Yu to stay at Yu's house now, so he followed him to Watson's Pharmacy.

Yu Xunling came in and shouted, "Give me a big pack of smoking cessation powder!"

The store greeted him and asked carefully: "How long has the patient been addicted to smoking, and what are the symptoms?"

Yu Xunling said: "It's not long ago, but I have already begun to be inseparable from opium."

The shopkeeper looked at Yu Xunling and saw that he was dressed luxuriously, so he said, "Our pharmacy has two kinds of smoking cessation powder, one is ordinary and the other is high-end, which one do you want?"

"Of course it must be advanced!" Yu Xunling said without thinking.

The store said: "Good eyesight! Our high-grade smoking cessation powder contains the latest foreign medicine, known as Murphy the Dreamer, it can definitely cure the disease and make the patient eliminate the addiction to smoking."

"Then what are you waiting for, bring it to me!" Yu Xunling said impatiently.

"Wait!" Li Yu heard something wrong from the shopkeeper's words, and he asked, "Tell me again, what is the name of the Oneiroi that Yangyao mentioned?"

The shopkeeper said, "Murphy."

Murphy?Murphy?
Morphine!
Li Yu was startled, this damn pharmacy!Pull people out of the wolf's den and send them to the lions! ?
It's really a good plan, what if I become addicted to morphine in the future?Introduce morphine powder again?

Li Yu pulled Yu Xunling aside, "It's useless, don't believe it! The smoking cessation powder they talk about is another kind of opium."

Yu Xunling was taken aback: "Another kind of big smoke?"

Li Yu nodded: "Although it is possible to quit opium, the Murphy they mentioned is also a kind of opium, which is even more harmful than opium."

Yu Xunling turned pale with shock: "How do you know?"

"Because, because I saw it in a Western university." Li Yu said.

Of course Yu Xunling believed in Li Yu, but the little hope he finally found was disillusioned again, and he said painfully: "Then what should we do? We can't let De Ling really become a smoker! I saw people who smoked opium when I was young. What happened to him?" , is simply a rotten person!"

Yu Xunling shuddered when he thought about it. Although their family was not short of money, the harm of opium to the body was really unacceptable.

Li Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, morphine?

Although this thing is a banned drug, in fact, many anesthetic ingredients in the 21st century contain it, but the dosage is very, very particular, and a specialized anesthesiologist is in charge, and morphine does have analgesic effect.

Li Yu has always followed the Yu family's thinking. He panicked when he heard about opium, and his mind was full of thoughts about how to quit opium, but in fact the real source came from De Ling's headache!
If De Ling's headache can be effectively and scientifically eliminated, everything will be solved easily!

Li Yu is familiar with the analgesic drug because it is so common: isn't it just as famous as penicillin and one of the three famous classic drugs in the history of medicine in the world?

It happened that aspirin had just been promoted to the world by Bayer three years ago.

Li Yu suddenly became enlightened, and said to Yu Xunling: "Save the money, I have a solution!"

From the moment Yu Xunling found Li Yu, he had been waiting for Li Yu's words, and finally made him wait!

"any solution?"

"Let's go to Tongren Hospital first," Li Yu said.

"Tongren Hospital? We have already asked, they have no good way to quit smoking." Yu Xunling said.

"It's not to tell them to quit smoking, but to ask them first."

Tongren Hospital is one of the only two Western medicine hospitals in Beijing, and its scale is also larger than that of Daoji Hospital.

What Li Yu wanted to ask was if there was any aspirin.

But they asked all the doctors, and they didn't even know there was such a thing.

Even a doctor said directly: "I don't believe in this kind of magic medicine in the world. Pain is a chronic disease of human beings."

It is no wonder that Bayer is not yet a pharmaceutical giant and has not entered the Chinese market, but when Bayer enters China 30 years later, the grave will be high!

Li Yu said: "You go back and find your father immediately, and send telegrams to Shanghai, as well as the concessions in Hong Kong and Tianjin. By the way, Wuhan also shoots. Anyway, you can send telegrams wherever you can receive them! Ask the local hospital if they have aspirin. This western medicine, if you have it, no matter what the price, you must buy it!"

"Aspen?"

Li Yu also made a mistake in his busy schedule. He found a pen and paper from the front desk of the hospital, wrote down the name "Aspirin", and said to Yu Xunling, "It's not too late! Immediately! Immediately! This is a life-saving medicine!"

Yu Xunling took the paper, "I got it!" But he calmed down and said, "The telegram...may not be sent today."

Li Yudao: "Why? If you procrastinate for a day, your addiction will increase!"

Yu Xunling said helplessly: "I know, but the telegraph office in the capital is under the administration of the Prime Minister's Office, and it usually sends official letters. Even if you send a private letter, you have to make money, and it will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest."

I go!

Li Yu's mind quickly flashed again, thinking that when he was in England, Lord Kelvin once promised Li Yu with his great face that he could use the telegraph of the Times newspaper, and it just came in handy today!
"Come with me!"

The newspaper office was not far away, also in Dongjiaomin Lane, and the Beijing branch of The Times was managed by an old acquaintance, Pu Lande.

Li Yu hurried to find him.

Seeing Li Yu, Pu Lande said, "Mr. Li Yu, have you written the manuscript so quickly?"

Li Yu went straight to the point and said, "Master reporter, I have finished the manuscript, but I will give it to you tomorrow. I am here today because I need to use your telegraph machine."

"Telegraph?" Pu Lande remembered what Kelvin said to him from the head office before, and smiled, "Yes, it seems that you are in a hurry."

Li Yu didn't have time to tell him more, "I'm really in a hurry. I will definitely write you a few more high-quality manuscripts afterwards, which must be cutting-edge science."

Pu Lande said happily: "This is the best!"

He also got motivated, and personally brought the two of them to the telegraph room, "Tell me, what do you want to send?"

At this time, the telegraph wires had spread all over the major cities, and Pu Lande knocked on the telegraph machine himself, and sent them to Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Dalian and other places.

The Times had reporters all over the place, and they moved quickly, and it didn't take long for the news to come back.

After sending the telegram, Pu Lande stood up and said, "I have asked them to reply quickly, and it will probably take a few hours."

The two were afraid of missing the news, so they didn't go anywhere, and just waited at the newspaper office.

Pu Lande said: "To be honest, I have never heard of the drug aspirin. Is it really so miraculous?"

Li Yu nodded: "Yes, I also hope that it can enter the Chinese market as soon as possible. There is more than one person who needs it."

(End of this chapter)