19261February 16, Bethune was admitted to Trudeau sanatorium in new york, USA for tuberculosis. At that time, tuberculosis patients were like prisoners sentenced to death, and there was little hope of saving their lives. At that time, there was no effective treatment in nursing homes. The widely used method is "rest therapy", that is, to go hunting and fishing in nature and let your own strength overcome the disease. However, Bethune didn't want to let nature decide. He didn't believe there was no other good way. He broke into the hospital library and finally found hope in an article entitled "Surgical Treatment of Tuberculosis". The article shows that artificial pneumothorax can make pulmonary tuberculosis patients recover. Specifically, it is to inject an air needle into the patient's chest to shrink the diseased lung infiltrated by tuberculosis and get a real rest, especially for patients whose lesions are concentrated in one lobe. At that time, only 17 cases of artificial pneumothorax were successful in the United States. Our hospital has no precedent, and doctors dare not treat patients in this way. However, at Bethune's well-founded repeated requests and insistence, the sanatorium authorities agreed to treat Bethune. The operation was a success. Bethune was ill for more than a year and finally pulled himself back from the brink of death. Later, Bethune spent two years studying bacteriology and conducted a series of experiments. After graduation, I returned to Montreal, Canada, and worked as an assistant under a thoracic surgery expert. At the same time, a variety of surgical instruments were invented and improved: artificial pneumothorax device, Bethune rib scissors, Bethune rib stripper and so on. Among them, "Bethune pneumothorax device" is widely used; The famous thoracic surgeon is happy to use his improved rib scissors; An iron internal fixation retractor; Rib stripper, etc. The famous Billing & Sons Instrument Company signed a long-term patent contract with him. His teacher praised him: "He is an excellent inventor."
(2) Mobile blood transfusion station
1936, German and Italian fascist armed forces intervened in the Spanish revolution. A medical team headed by Bethune was set up to help Spain. At that time, only Madrid in Spain had a blood transfusion station, but this blood station was of little use. Few wounded people can be transported, and most of them died halfway. After eight days of careful observation and careful consideration, the enterprising and prestigious inventor finally discovered the most urgent problem in the rescue-blood transfusion. He suggested setting up a mobile blood station to send blood directly to the front. Simple as it is, it is difficult to do. Colleagues and superiors disagree; High risk; I am a layman in blood transfusion; Lack of equipment; How to solve the problem of blood source ..., but this series of difficulties did not scare Bethune. He persuaded the leader, bought equipment, solved the problem of blood source, and learned about the technology and problems of blood transfusion from an expert. The mobile blood station is built! No sooner had the shell landed than the ambulance came. Bethune and his assistants jumped out of the car and quickly gave blood to the dying wounded. In this way, Bethune and his assistants saved the lives of countless soldiers in time. At the height of the fighting, the daily blood transfusion on the battlefield is as high as 100.
Bethune's pioneering work caused a sensation throughout the front line, and even foreign radio stations and newspapers reported it. In World War II, both warring countries adopted this method. In an article, Soong Ching Ling spoke highly of his pioneering work: Dr. Bethune was the first doctor to send a blood bank to the battlefield, and his blood transfusion saved hundreds of soldiers' lives for the Spanish Republic.
(3) Voluntary blood transfusion team
This was after Bethune came to China. Everyone knows the story of Bethune donating blood to the wounded. This story actually exposes a problem: the blood source is tense. It was the exposure of this problem that led to an invention.
Everyone knows the common sense of blood transfusion: different blood types, not just blood transfusion. On the battlefield, in the absence of a ready-made blood source, we can only transfuse blood now and lose it now. Transfusion of a person's blood into the blood vessels of the wounded requires a blood type test. This is a very troublesome and urgent thing for the battlefield where "time is life". A little later, one more soldier may be sacrificed. Bethune was inspired by people who came to donate blood one after another. If the blood type is tested in advance and the brand of red cloth and black blood type is pinned on the chest of the "blood transfusion team", it will take time to get it at any time. Therefore, after discussion and research, another pioneering work in the people's war-including all hospital staff-naturally includes Bethune; It also includes the vast majority of young men and women in Yangjiazhuang and some elderly people. This is the first "voluntary blood transfusion team" on the anti-fascist battlefield.
In Spain, Bethune was the first to send blood to the front. However, at that time, blood transfusion had to go through many difficulties and twists and turns: expensive blood storage equipment, modern transportation and enemy gunfire. Now, in the China people's anti-Japanese battlefield against fascist aggression, he has seen different scenes. No refrigeration equipment and long-distance transportation are needed. Where there are people, there is an inexhaustible blood bank. He said excitedly, "This is a pioneering work in the history of surgical medicine. The masses are our blood bank. In Spain, I didn't think of this way. Chairman Mao said that all difficulties can be overcome by mobilizing and relying on the masses. What a great idea! I admire the level of awareness of the people of China and your organization and mobilization work. "
(4) "Lugou Bridge"
Guerrilla warfare is characterized by flexibility and unfixed location. This has brought great inconvenience and danger to the transfer and work of the medical team. In the process of transfer, either drugs and equipment were damaged or the enemy was encountered. Therefore, "transportation" has become the key to solve this problem. Bethune thought hard: streamlining instruments is limited; Being a carrier can solve the problem of "going", but it can't solve the problems of "scattering" and "receiving". The carrier made of cloth is too soft, once it is spread locally, it will damage drugs and equipment during operation. ...
Once, Bethune was inspired by the medicine bag on the back of a donkey driven by a child and designed a medicine bag with everyone. The external image represents the "bridge", and the top of the "bridge" is a box without a cover, which can store all kinds of splints; There are three drawers on both sides of the "bridge", and there are several compartments on the drawers, which can hold various surgical instruments and medicines. The door panel is horizontally placed on two pads, which forms a portable and flexible operating table. With this package, plus a dressing basket, it can hold the instruments and medicines needed for hundreds of operations and 500 dressing changes. In other words, an operating room, a dressing room and a small pharmacy can all be carried on horseback.
Practice has proved that this kind of charge is a means of transportation suitable for guerrilla warfare. It has the characteristics of convenient carrying, quick action and multiple purposes. It can be deployed in half an hour and retracted in fifteen minutes, which has great advantages for flexible battlefield rescue work.
Later, a little soldier named it "Lugou Bridge", which means to commemorate War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Secondly, it is not an ordinary "bridge", but the crystallization of people's wisdom.
(5) Bi Pu
The environment of guerrilla warfare is hard. Many wounded people lost their lives without waiting for treatment because they delayed treatment during frequent transfer. In order to prevent this from happening, Bethune invented a long-lasting ointment-Bipu.
This ointment is made of yellow iodine, bismuth subnitrate and flowing paraffin (or sesame oil), which can not only prevent the wound from drying, but also disinfect it.
After applying this ointment, even if you can't get the chance of dressing change by surgery for a long time, you can control the infection and avoid the wound from getting worse. What's particularly good is that this ointment is easy to uncover when changing the medicine, and even the wounded can change the medicine themselves.
The above short stories are arranged according to my Reading Notes of Bethune in China (updated edition, Sheng Waiting, 2nd edition, 79). I was deeply moved by Bethune's deeds. In order to express my reverence for Bethune's spirit, I specially sent this document to young friends. I hope you can learn from Bethune and be a good teenager.