Since 1981 Health School

On New Year's Eve, the Vietnam Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital was very busy.

It is a custom in Yuezhong not to stay in the hospital during the Chinese New Year. If you stay in the hospital from New Year's Eve to the first day of the Lunar New Year, it means you have been in the hospital for two years, which is very disgraceful.

So on New Year's Eve, unless they are seriously ill, most patients will choose to be discharged from the hospital and go home, or come back after the New Year, so this day is very lively with cars and people coming and going.

Wang Xingping and Feng Meili held their babies, who were not yet one month old, and returned home from the hospital feeling uneasy.

Because the doctor believed that his son had some kind of chromosomal defect, his crying sound was like a cat meowing.

For this reason, Wang Xingping also spent a lot of money to test for chromosome 21. The result was normal, but the doctor said that he could not rule out the possibility of other chromosomal abnormalities.

Although Wang Xingping cursed and felt that the doctor was cheating them of their money, he was still very scared in his heart.

While Wang Xingping was hospitalized, he kept visiting various wards just to hear what other newborn babies cried like.

All he heard were sounds of wow~~wow~~~, except when his child cried, it was meow~~meow~~~

This kind of cat meowing was not a concern for outsiders. Even his own father was terrified when he heard it.

As a biological mother, Feng Meili was so scared that she didn't even dare to feed N.

Good guy, while he was feeding, he suddenly meowed a few times, and Feng Meili felt like a furry mother cat.

The key point is that cats are not mascots in the customs of Yuezhong. They often represent the spooky and underworld. If a cat meows in the middle of the night at home, it often means that the family is going to be in trouble.

Amidst the gloom, Wang Xingping and Feng Meili arrived home.

In the 1990s, people from Vietnam still mainly traveled by boat. As soon as the boat docked, the Wang family had already set off firecrackers by the river. The Wang family's grandparents and a large group of relatives and neighbors were waiting.

"Hurry, hurry, my dear grandson is back!"

“Congratulations to Mrs. Wang’s mother, she finally has a golden grandchild she has been waiting for for so many years!”

The Wang family was so happy that Wang Xingping and Feng Meili could only force a smile and hug their children to get off the boat.

As soon as we got off the boat, all the relatives of the Wang family gathered around him. Grandma hugged her eldest grandson and was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth.

"Oh, this child is so cute, look at how round he is..."

"That's right, if you have such a big nose, you will be lucky in the future..."

"The forehead is so big, the head is big, and the head is big enough to be an official..."

"Hahaha……"

The Wang family was happy, but Wang Xingping and Feng Meili were even more worried, because the doctor said that the child had a bit of hydrocephalus, and his head was too big.

Wang Xingping could only comfort himself. He had spent tens of thousands of dollars, and if he found out that he was not sick, then he must not be sick.

The whole family happily returned to their home, put the baby on the bed, and everyone gathered around to watch the fun.

At this time, skycrackers were set off outside. This is what every household will set off during the Chinese New Year. It is much more festive and louder than small firecrackers.

Bang~~ba~~~

The huge noise suddenly woke up the sleeping baby. The little guy twisted twice and then cried loudly:

Meow~~meow~~meow~~~

The onlookers suddenly became quiet. You looked at me, and I looked at you. They couldn’t react, and they didn’t know how to describe it.

A child standing around suddenly shouted: "Wow, my little brother cries like a kitten."

This ignited the gossip surrounding people:

"Listen, it really sounds like a cat meowing..."

"Why is it so strange? I have lived for more than 60 years and have never heard of such a thing..."

"This, this, could this be the reincarnation of the cat demon?"

As soon as these words came out, the people who were tightly gathered around the crib were so frightened that they all took a step back. Some children wanted to get closer and were pulled away by their parents.

"Mother Wang, come quickly, your grandson's crying is wrong."

Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang were entertaining guests when they heard someone shouting and came over quickly: "What's wrong with my baby?"

"Listen, listen to yourselves..."

"Meow~~meow~~~"

The bowl of longan and chicken soup that Grandma Wang was holding fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The old lady picked up her grandson and checked again and again. She saw that her eldest grandson's face turned red and he kept crying: Meow~~meow~~~

For a moment, the old couple were dumbfounded.

Wang Xingping knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw the expressions on his relatives and neighbors, so he hurriedly chased them away:

"Everyone, please go home. We will have a full moon party in a few days and everyone will come back. My wife and children have to rest now, let's go, let's go!"

Grandpa Wang also reacted: "Yes, yes, sorry, we will treat you to a drink in a few days. We are tired today!"

The neighbors pretended to be cooperative and left, but before leaving, they all looked at the baby with strange eyes.

The Wang family hall, which was lively just now, suddenly became deserted, and only the meowing cry of the baby was left.

Grandpa Wang lowered his voice and asked, "Son, what on earth is going on?"

Because the baby was born prematurely, he had been staying in the neonatal intensive care unit since birth, so this was the first time the old man and old woman had held their grandson, so naturally they had no knowledge of what happened in the hospital.

When Wang Xingping went home to get money before, he only said it was for medical treatment and did not mention the cat's meowing.

Upon hearing his father's question, Feng Meili covered her face and burst into tears. Wang Xingping also cursed with an unlucky look on his face:

"The doctor said it was a disease and that he had a chromosomal problem, but he couldn't find it after a checkup."

The old lady also burst into tears at this time: "Oh my god, what evil has our family done? How could a monster be born???"

A cat demon was born in the Wang family, and the news spread quickly in the local area.

First a village knew about it, and then it spread to the entire township, and then the entire county. The sensational effect was no less than that of someone who got admitted to Tsinghua University.

It's the Chinese New Year, it's a holiday where people don't have to work and can do professional gossip.

As a result, Fuqiang Village, where the Wang family is located, became the focus of the people of the county. For the first time, the villagers of Fuqiang Village knew that they had so many relatives.

In addition to visiting Fuqiang Village, these relatives would also go to the front of Wang's house.

Many good people even stick to the gate and wall of Wang's house to listen to the cry of the legendary "cat demon".

The Wang family has also become a mess. All the famous goddesses and Taoist priests from around Fuqiang Village have been invited, and even the accomplished monks from Xianglu Peak have been invited to visit.

But no matter spraying perfume, throwing glutinous rice, dancing to the gods, inviting Bodhisattvas, burning paper money, etc., it was all useless, the baby still kept crying.

The whole family was helpless, and Grandma Wang and Feng Meili shed tears every day.

Grandpa Wang was so frustrated that he kept smoking. Finally he threw away the cigarette butt and took out an iron box from the house:

"Son, this is the last money our family has. It's 5,000 yuan in total. You can take your baby to the Yue Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for a check-up. There has to be a way to tell whether it's a human or a demon."

If Chen Qi were present, he would definitely say: The state stipulates that animals are not allowed to become spirits after the founding of the People's Republic of China, so they must not be monsters.

"Okay, listen to dad, I will take the baby to the People's Hospital tomorrow to see a doctor."

Feng Meili wiped her tears: "Isn't the People's Hospital moving? Tomorrow is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, so they probably haven't gone to work yet."

Grandpa Wang was furious: "If they don't go to work, let them go to work. Let's see if our family can survive?"

Outside Wang's house, there are a lot of people from the countryside who come to watch the gossip. There are even many small vendors selling melon seeds and peanuts. The rhythm of tourist attractions...

Are doctors and students willing to work overtime?

If you come to see a doctor with a common cold or a bad stomach, the doctor will definitely not want to work overtime. He is too busy moving and has to go to the emergency room if you are sick.

But the arrival of the "Meowing" baby was another story. Doctors from the Yuezhong Implantation Center quickly arrived, and even Chen Qi was attracted.

If this difficult disease is cured, it means that one international paper after another will be produced.

In the clinic, Professors Chen Qi and Ding Tiaoyun were conducting physical examinations on the baby in person.

Chen Qi held a small flashlight and conducted a test on the baby's pupils, flashing one after another.

"How are you doing? Are there any new discoveries?" Professor Ding couldn't help but ask.

"You guys all come here," Chen Qi pointed to the doctors watching nearby:

"Look carefully at the baby's light reflex."

After saying that, Chen Qi took a flashlight and shined it into the other eye, and everyone stared with wide eyes.

Junior doctor Yu Shanshan exclaimed: "The pupils have not shrunk. This child has visual impairment."

Chen Qi sighed: "As children grow up, various problems will appear, such as developmental delays, mental retardation, ADHD, or autism. In addition to visual impairment, hearing loss will also gradually occur. .

If it gets more serious, there will be reduced muscle tone, repeated respiratory infections, hip dislocation, scoliosis, etc. In short, it will be impossible to deal with. Moreover, very few children can survive to adulthood, which means that this child cannot be raised. big. "

Wang Xingping and Feng Meili next to them were dumbfounded. There was only one sentence in their minds: This child cannot be raised.

Ding Tiaoyun glanced at the poor young couple and asked unwillingly:

"Dean Chen, are you sure now that this child has cat meowing syndrome?"

Chen Qi shook his head: "Not sure, so we need to conduct genetic testing again, but the Japanese experts haven't arrived yet, and the engineers from Southern Genetics are still at home for the New Year. Although we have installed the genetic testing equipment, it's a pity that no one can do it. .”

Chen Qi is not omnipotent. After all, he was not a genetic engineering major in his previous life. He was okay at getting started in the laboratory, but not at first-hand testing.

After all, this is a high-tech gadget that ordinary people can’t play with.

At this time, Ding Tiaoyun puffed up his chest and said:

"Dean Chen, are you looking down on people? Cao Yuchen, Liang Jiameng and I have all been visiting scholars in Xiangjiang. The three of us can complete the genetic test independently."

Associate professors Cao Yuchen and Liang Jiameng also nodded heavily.

The three of them were all transferred from Haidong Medical University. Although many of them were transferred to the research team of Yuezhong Hospital, it fully satisfied their academic pursuits.

But one thing they are very discouraged about is that almost all gene-related diseases were discovered by Dean Chen personally or completed under his personal guidance.

This makes several professors feel a bit like waste, not even comparable to doctors in local hospitals.

Today they finally encountered something that Dean Chen Qi didn't know how to do, so of course they had to show it off.

Chen Qi clapped his hands after hearing this: "After all, he is a professor trained by Haidong Medical University. I have found a treasure. Ha, okay, then let's rely on ourselves and not ask others."

Professor Ding also laughed after hearing this: "Then which pair of chromosomes should we focus on?"

There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in human body cells, including 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes.

The composition of male somatic chromosomes: 22 pairs of autosomes + XY. The composition of female somatic chromosomes: 22 pairs of autosomes + XX.

Abnormalities in each pair of chromosomes can lead to some disease.

For example, chromosome 1 is related to Gaucher's disease (jaundice or anemia caused by lack of lipase), prostate cancer, glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease and other diseases.

Chromosome 2 is associated with conditions such as congenital tremors, colon cancer, learning disabilities, hearing impairment, or color blindness.

Mutations on chromosome 10 can cause breast cancer, prostate cancer, brain cancer, type 1 diabetes, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, among others.

Abnormalities in chromosome 21 can cause congenital dementia, which is known as Tang Baobao.

So there are too many articles that can be written about which pair of chromosomes are abnormal. If you understand them all, let alone papers, you can publish several books.

But if you want to find the cause of the disease, it is impossible to check all the chromosomes. This is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also expensive.

Although the Yuezhong Hospital makes a lot of money, it also spends a lot of money. It is impossible to independently complete the detection of 23 pairs of chromosomes. It is impossible to spend tens of millions of dollars, not including the labor costs of the researchers.

Chen Qi held his chin and thought about which chromosome pair caused the "cat meowing syndrome"? He only remembered that it was a single digit, and it was an odd number (who asked him to play with his mobile phone at academic conferences in his previous life)

After all, this disease is so rare that by 2023, only more than 200 cases will be discovered in the world, and most doctors will never encounter it in their lifetime.

"Let's do this. The three of you will test the 3rd, 5th, and 7th pairs of chromosomes respectively, and try to get the results within a week."

Professor Ding, Associate Professor Cao, and Associate Professor Liang all nodded heavily: "Don't worry, Dean, I promise to complete the task."

Director Xu Anqin and other doctors at the Vietnam Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital can only look at it with envy. Playing with high technology is really not their strong point.

At this time, Wang Xingping said weakly: "Dean Chen, how much does this cost? I only have 5,000 yuan now, which is the best wealth in my family."

5,000 yuan was definitely a huge sum of money for China in 1991. You could buy two 21-inch color TVs.

But for genetic testing work, 5,000 yuan can only be regarded as a living thing. Returning to poverty due to illness is definitely not a joke in an era when medical insurance is not yet universal.

Chen Qi is also a little embarrassed. He is afraid that if he dares to give free treatment today, tomorrow countless patients with rare diseases will flock in and demand free treatment, and the finances of Xiaoxiaoyue Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital will be completely ruined.

But if Chen Qi personally pays for help from patients, he is afraid that patients from all over the country will kneel at the door of No. 77 Lu Xun Road and kidnap him morally.

So the money must be collected, but how to collect it depends on the method.

"Comrade Wang Xingping, right? 5,000 yuan is definitely not enough, but I have a suggestion, that is, you sign and agree that your baby will become our experimental subject, and all academic achievements in the future will be exclusively owned by our Yuezhong Hospital . If you can agree, I will give you 5,000 yuan to do the test."

Wang Xingping and Feng Meili don't care whether you are academic or not, as long as they can save money.

"Okay, we listen to Dean Chen, so I'll leave it to you."

A week later, the test results came out. It turned out that the baby had a problem with the fifth pair of chromosomes, and "cat meowing syndrome" was officially diagnosed.

When Wang Xingping and Feng Meili heard the news of the diagnosis, they felt as if they were struck by thunder.

"Dean Chen, can my son be saved? Can he be cured?"

Chen Qi took the report with a little regret: "Currently there is no treatment. At most, it is symptomatic treatment. For example, if the heart is not good, treat the heart. If there is any lung disease, treat the lung problem. The other is rehabilitation training. But currently in China, there are This project was not carried out.”

In fact, Chen Qi wants to say that even in a few decades, cat meowing syndrome will still be an incurable disease with no cure.

Feng Meili held her son in her arms and asked, crying, "Dean Chen, is it true that my son can't be raised well?"

Chen Qi could only tell the truth:

"You must be mentally prepared. Even if you live to adulthood, the quality of life will be very poor, but it is a life after all, so treat him well."

On the day the results came out, the Wang family went through the discharge procedures.

About half a year later, when the "Cat Meowing Syndrome" research team of the Vietnam Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital wanted to visit the patient, they learned that the baby was dead.

The parents said that the child died of natural causes, but the neighbors said that the grandfather threw him into the river and drowned, and the body was not taken home...

Chen Qi was silent for a long time after hearing this, feeling extremely heartbroken for this little baby who had just come into the world.

But Chen Qi has no intention of blaming the children's parents. Don't encourage others to be kind without others' suffering. If there are patients in the family, every family will have difficulty reciting sutras.

This involves a major medical ethics:

If a patient is terminally ill and there is no possibility of cure, should treatment be continued?

If you don't get treatment, you will see your loved ones in agony, your conscience will not be able to bear it, and you will be scolded by outsiders as being ruthless and unjust.

If you want to get rid of the epidemic, you will lose everything, sell your house and borrow money, and in the end you will lose your money and your life. The living people may not be able to turn over in their lifetime.

In Chen Qi's previous life, he had a college classmate, two brothers. Their hometown was in the inland area, and their economic situation was not good. Their parents had to support two college students to study, which emptied their family fortune.

The two brothers were quite competitive. They both went to university in Haidong Province and stayed in Xihu City to work after graduation. The jobs were pretty good.

Later, the two brothers successfully found their lovers, got married, bought a house, and settled in Xihu City. Of course, they also took on a lot of mortgage and car loans.

Later, the two filial brothers took their parents to Xihu City for retirement. The family's originally happy life was shattered when the old lady got cancer.

The old lady does not have medical insurance in her hometown, so she has to pay for all treatment expenses herself.

The two brothers contributed money together and emptied their family resources to only collect 500,000, but the money was spent within a few months.

What to do next? To treat or not to treat?

If the treatment continues, the medical expenses will be astronomical, which will definitely be beyond the reach of the two brothers.

But the classmate’s parents insisted on treatment and offered to let their son sell the house to help his mother’s treatment.

But the wife of classmate Chen Qi was unwilling to sell her house. As a result, the originally happy couple had a falling out. The wife moved back to her parents' home. Before leaving, she left this sentence:

"If you want to sell your house, get a divorce!"

Chen Qi's classmates were drunk at the time and asked Chen Qi whether he should be treated or not.

Between the love of his parents and the love of his wife, which one should he choose?

How can Chen Qi answer?

In the end, Chen Qi's classmate chose to sell the house to treat his mother's illness. His wife then officially divorced him, and the originally happy family was broken up.

The situation at my classmate's brother's house was exactly the same. The couple also got divorced and sold their house and car to give their mother medical treatment.

Two years later, the classmate's mother finally fell ill and passed away.

Chen Qi's classmates and his brother never recovered until Chen Qi was reborn. The two brothers rented a house for a living and owed a lot of debt. There was no hope in life.

Even my classmate's brother suffered from depression and even lost his job...

If it were you, would you choose to save or not to save?