CHAPTER 203: 203 INTENSE STOMACH HEAT

At this point, the student named Wang Zeyang seemed to be out of strength, struggling less and less, making it somewhat easier for the others to control him. Although his body was no longer struggling, he kept shouting irrational curses.

Taking advantage of this moment, Du Heng quickly performed a pulse diagnosis and checked his basic condition. However, the student remained agitated. Though he wasn’t struggling continuously, he would suddenly lunge, forcing those holding him to maintain their grip tightly, daring not to relax.

After performing the pulse diagnosis, Du Heng, with a somewhat rough movement, opened the student’s mouth to examine it. He could clearly see that the student had a Red Tongue Body and a slightly yellow, greasy tongue coating.

"Be gentle! Don’t hurt my child!" Wang Zeyang’s father exclaimed, seeing Du Heng’s rough action, his concern for his son intensifying.

The Emergency Doctor glanced at Wang Zeyang’s father, then at Du Heng, but paid them no mind. His mind was racing, considering the possibility that the child had suffered a mental breakdown due to excessive stress. No matter the illness, the priority was to calm the student down.

"Prepare a sedative," he decided instantly.

"No, no! My child still has to take the exam! Please, doctor!" Wang Zeyang’s father cried out upon hearing the word "sedative." He immediately forgot about Du Heng’s roughness and frantically grabbed the Emergency Doctor.

The Emergency Doctor frowned. This parent is truly ignorant, he thought. His child is already in this state, yet he still wants him to take the exam? Does he only care about his child’s grades and not his health?

"Parent, you’ve seen your child’s condition. We must take him to the hospital for a thorough check-up to determine if there’s any brain disease."

"No, absolutely not! My child has to take the college entrance examination!"

The Emergency Doctor checked the time. "There are only ten minutes left before the exam starts; there’s definitely not enough time. And if you continue to delay like this, not only will your child miss the exam, but he might also suffer irreversible brain damage."

Wang Zeyang’s father was on the verge of tears. "It’s really not possible. My child is already repeating his studies for the fourth time this year, and the pressure on him is immense. If he can’t take the exam this time, he’ll go mad."

"He usually studies well, but he gets extremely nervous every time an exam comes around. The first time, he had a severe cold during the exam days and had to take the tests with an IV drip. The second and third times, he had sudden nosebleeds during the math and English exams, which contaminated his papers. By the time he re-copied them, there was no time left."

"Since starting his repeat studies this year, he’s been under immense mental pressure every day. If he really can’t take the exam, he’ll collapse; he’ll go completely mad."

The Emergency Doctor felt helpless. He really wanted to say, ’Your child is already going mad right now.’ But...

The Emergency Doctor walked over to Du Heng and whispered, "Doctor Du, what do you think?"

Du Heng whispered back, "This student has heatstroke. Due to his nervousness, his heart fire has been triggered, leading to this state of frenzied madness. All he needs is to have the heat cleared and the fire purged."

"Really?" The Emergency Doctor looked at Du Heng intently.

At the same time, Wang Zeyang’s father pleaded with Du Heng, "Doctor, please, save my child!"

Du Heng glanced at the Emergency Doctor. After receiving a nod, he turned to the parent and said, "Your child is indeed suffering from heatstroke; the treatment isn’t difficult. However, after such an episode, his mental and physical strength have been greatly depleted, so his exam performance will undoubtedly be affected. I suggest it’s better to send him to the hospital."

"It’s alright, it’s alright! As long as he can take the exam!"

Seeing the parent’s resolute attitude, Du Heng turned to the Emergency Doctor. "You decide."

"Doctor Du, are you sure it’s just heatstroke and not a mental illness?"

"He has a Red Tongue Body and a slightly yellow, greasy tongue coating—both are manifestations of a heat syndrome. Furthermore, the patient’s pulse is rapid, which is also indicative of a heat syndrome."

If this were at the Health Clinic, Du Heng wouldn’t have bothered explaining. But the current situation was special; he had to explain, and he had to use very simple and clear language.

The Emergency Doctor hesitated. The out-of-hospital treatment just now, along with their prior conversation, had instilled confidence in Du Heng. Besides, this student had been repeating his studies for four years; his sense of inferiority and shame must have reached an extreme. If he performed well in the exam, that would be one thing. But if he performed poorly, given his current state of going berserk right after entering the examination hall... if he missed the exam today and ended up failing one subject, he probably wouldn’t even last until the results were announced. It could very well end in tragedy.

So, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse and decided to help.

Pressing his lips together gently, the Emergency Doctor asked, "How do we treat it?"

"Summer heat invades the viscera, mostly affecting the Heart but not the stomach. However, this student is in a frenzy due to extreme heat; it’s far more than just triggered heart fire. There must be stomach heat involved. The stomach is considered the child of the Heart in TCM. When the stomach perceives the Heart being attacked by summer-heat pathogenic factor, it mobilizes its ’earth fire’ to protect it. The stomach is a fu-organ (viscus) abundant in qi and blood. When its fire erupts, it does so with ferocious intensity, which is why he’s in this frenzied state."

Du Heng took a breath and, regardless of whether the Emergency Doctor understood, continued, "Using Ginseng, gypsum, and radix scrophulariae together can purge the stomach heat and also nourish and generate fluids. The first dose will calm the frenzy, and the second dose will bring peace to his spirit."

After Du Heng finished, the Emergency Doctor furrowed his brow. "Doctor Du, we can’t prepare Decoction medicine here and now."

"There’s a drugstore at the entrance of the alley. I saw it when I came in. They sell Chinese herbal medicine and also prepare Decoction medicine for customers."

The Emergency Doctor was in a dilemma. He initially thought Du Heng had the medicine with him. It turned out they needed to get it from another shop. For the girl earlier, the condition was simple, and the medicine Du Heng used had worked after just one dose. When they wrote the report later, they could attach Du Heng’s notes, and it would likely be fine. But this situation was different. Going to another pharmacy to get the medication meant taking on a different kind of responsibility.

Seeing the Emergency Doctor hesitating, the parent immediately dropped to his knees. "Please, doctor, I beg you!"

The Emergency Doctor still hesitated; the responsibility was too great.

The Emergency Doctor, with Du Heng’s help, pulled the parent up. He then immediately called Zhou Yixian. This matter required the leader’s approval.

Once the call connected, he explained the current situation, mentioned the previous incident, and gave a detailed introduction of Du Heng. Fearing Zhou Yixian might not recall Du Heng, he also brought up Zhang Xi’s case.

After a brief silence, the Emergency Doctor found himself being berated. However, Zhou Yixian ultimately approved it, on the condition that the prescription bore Du Heng’s signature. The same applied to the previous case: the medication details needed to be documented with a signature.

The Emergency Doctor quickly added that the documentation for the previous case had already been completed.

The voice on the other end paused for a moment before the call was abruptly disconnected.

The Emergency Doctor smiled at Du Heng and put his phone away. "Doctor Du, as you heard, please write the prescription. It needs your name on it."

As long as their hospital faces no repercussions and doesn’t hold me responsible, writing a prescription is a small matter, Du Heng thought. "Alright."

It was only three medicines; it wouldn’t take much time at all.

The Emergency Doctor decided not to bother anyone else. He took the prescription and rushed towards the pharmacy himself. If someone else took the prescription to get the medicine, the pharmacy might not even dispense it to them. So, either Du Heng or he had to go. Moreover, they would need to be accompanied by a Police officer as a witness. Such a hassle! However, considering the potential consequences, this minor inconvenience was entirely worthwhile.