Three life choices of Li Huanying, an expert on leprosy prevention and treatment

Centennial "British" Model

——Leprosy prevention expert Li Huanying's three life choices

A Hundred Years of "British" Model A Hundred Years of "British" Model-Leprosy prevention expert Li Huanying's three life choices -Leprosy prevention expert Li Huanying's three life choices -Leprosy prevention expert Li Huanying's three life choices

Li Huanying

Li Huanying (1921—)

Li Huanying (1921—)

A well-known leprosy prevention expert
.

Born in Beijing on August 17, 1921, he graduated from Shanghai Tongji University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University in the United States

In 1980, Li Huanying gave a lecture to medical staff in Beihai City, Guangxi
.

In August 1980, Li Huanying introduced China's situation at the CDC in the United States
.

■ Chen Mengmeng

Chen Mengmeng

On August 20, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee decided to award Li Huanying the title of "Model of the Times"
.

This old man who has just passed his 100th birthday has dedicated his life to the prevention and research of leprosy, and has made a significant contribution to promoting the construction of a human health community
.

She casts great love into a hundred years of life, and uses her lifelong persistence to explain the benevolence of doctors
.

Her blood and sweat dedicated to the country and people deserve our eternal gratitude and memory!

Life is endless, endless search
.

Li Huanying, the 100-year-old man, has never stopped struggling on the road of leprosy prevention and treatment

In 1958, 37-year-old Li Huanying abandoned the favorable conditions abroad and returned to the motherland alone to devote himself to the health care of New China
.

For more than half a century, in order to achieve the goal of "a world without leprosy", she traveled in remote mountainous areas such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan for a long time.
She was in distress four times and broke her clavicles and ribs on both sides

There have been three important choices in Li Huanying's life, and these three choices are all the careful decisions made by Li Huanying after he has integrated the spirit of a scientist who is determined to serve the country and have the courage to innovate into his life and work
.

The scientist spirit of "patriotism, innovation, truth-seeking, dedication, coordination, and educating people" embodied in her body is a heavy character brewed and accumulated in the scientific and technological circle of our country, and it is also our spiritual endowment to open up a new era of independent innovation

In 1950, Li Huanying was in Geneva
.

"British" Only Serve the Country: Give Home for Everyone

"British" Only Serve the Country: Give Home for Everyone

Li Huanying was born in a wealthy intellectual family
.

Grandfather Li Qingfang was an overseas student sent by the Qing government.

In 1926, 5-year-old Li Huanying studied at the Huaiyou Girls' School funded by his grandfather, and since then began a bumpy school career
.

Regarding this experience, she once stated: "Before I went to university, from studying to being admitted to Tongji University, I changed 9 schools, including foreign schools

The early growth experience has cultivated Li Huanying's strong self-learning ability and adaptability, which laid a solid foundation for the work model of investigating and treating in the future
.

When Li Huanying went to the United States to study in 1946, what major she studied became the main problem she faced
.

Bacteriology was very cutting-edge at the time, but to choose this major, you had to be mentally prepared to work in remote places

In 1950, the World Health Organization (hereinafter referred to as the World Health Organization) was established.
Li Huanying, who was excellent in character and learning, was recommended by her tutor Turner and became the first batch of officials of the World Health Organization
.
She then traveled to Asia, Europe, America and other places to implement tropical disease prevention and control programs around the world
.

Seven years later, when Li Huanying's work term expired, the WHO offered to renew her contract, and her family members who had lived in the United States for a long time also persuaded her to renew her contract.
Not only did she receive good treatment, but she could also realize her professional value
.
However, a small incident prompted Li Huanying to "let her home for everyone" and make her first important choice in life
.

It was one day in the early 1950s.
Li Huanying was stopped by airport personnel while transiting from Indonesia to Los Angeles and passing visas with other passengers
.
They demanded that Li Huanying and another Chinese compatriot must press their fingerprints before they could pass.
For this reason, they stayed for more than two hours
.
This incident touched her deeply.
Although New China has been established, the country is weak and the people are still discriminated against overseas
.

Li Huanying thinks that the Asian and African countries she has visited are suffering from poverty due to poverty.
The motherland is facing the same predicament and urgently needs construction.
As a result, she made the decision to change the destiny of her life-"Go back to the motherland and devote her life Nurture one's own land"
.
She firmly believes that her several years of work experience in the United Nations will be of great help to her work after returning to China
.

"I work for the World Health Organization.
Personally, I have no nationality
.
If you ask me the original intention of returning to China, I think nationality is more important than family
.
I can work for my own people with peace of mind
.
It is my biggest thing to get the recognition of the people.
Comfort
.
” In an interview with the collection engineering team after many years, Li Huanying said frankly, “In my personal work experience, I have a lot of income from the WHO, but my personality itself does not pursue enjoyment or fame or fortune.

.
It’s satisfying to be able to do something pragmatic and down-to-earth, so I think I still need to return to my motherland to work
.
"

At that time, as long as she could return to work in the motherland, Li Huanying was satisfied, even before returning to China, she had decided that she would go wherever she was assigned
.
Therefore, when she filled in her wishes after returning to China, she wrote the word "random"
.
"I simply want to return to my country to work
.
" Li Huanying said
.

In 1958, Li Huanying politely declined the invitation of the World Health Organization, who reported the heart of the country with fist and fist, and returned to the motherland alone without telling his family
.
She was assigned to the Central Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, as the attending physician, engaged in the research of Treponema pallidum
.
Before returning to China, she had accumulated experience in yaw prevention and treatment at the WHO, and was able to quickly adapt to the domestic field needs
.
Since then, she has plunged into work, gave full play to her professional talents, made outstanding contributions to the specific serological diagnosis of syphilis, etc.
, and carried out effective prevention and treatment of tinea capitis in children in Suchen Township, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province
.

In the early 1960s, China suffered severe natural disasters.
Li Huanying's parents were really worried about their daughter, who lived alone in China.
They sent milk and beans to her and mobilized her to return to the United States to reunite with her family
.
In the cold winter of this year, the parents made a special trip from the United States to Hong Kong, urging their daughter to go to the United States as soon as possible
.
Li Huanying rushed to Hong Kong and once again expressed her wishes to her parents: "I suffered from natural disasters in the country.
My life is indeed very difficult, but I am not alone.
Many people lack food and clothing, are weak and sick.
As a doctor at this time, I stay away.
It’s better not to go back home
.
” When seeing off at the airport, her mother turned around and her father shed tears.
.
.
Unexpectedly, this parting was actually a farewell between Li Huanying and her elderly parents
.

In 1983, Li Huanying crossed the single-plank bridge to Mengla
.

"British" Xinrende: Turning to Leprosy Research

"British" Xinrende: Turning to Leprosy Research

Leprosy has a history of thousands of years in China.
It is a disease of the nervous system caused by Leprosy bacillus infection.
The clinical manifestations are numb skin damage and enlarged nerves.
In severe cases, there will be nasal collapse, eye collapse, broken hands, broken feet, and limbs.
Symptoms such as deformities
.
At that time, it was rumored that the son buried his mother who was suffering from leprosy alive, which added to people's fear of leprosy patients, and everyone avoided it
.

When Li Huanying went to Leprosy Village during his delegation, he constantly emphasized to everyone: "Leprosy patients are also human.
They have thoughts and feelings.
They need social care, human warmth, and love
.
" After research, she resolutely opposes leprosy.
The disease is said to be a genetic disease or a genetic defect disease.
It is believed that the fundamental problem lies in the inadequacy of medical and health care.
If it is detected early and treated early, leprosy is not so terrible and can be cured, and disability is often due to years of failure to receive appropriate treatment.
Caused
.

With the benevolence of a doctor who protects the common people, Li Huanying secretly strengthened his determination to dedicate himself to the cause of leprosy prevention in the future
.
In 1978, she made the second choice in her life-came to the Beijing Institute of Tropical Medicine as a researcher, and officially started research on the prevention and treatment of leprosy
.

In fact, such a choice means more to get involved with hardship
.
Most leprosy patients are located in remote mountainous areas with inconvenient transportation.
To be a leprosy doctor, you need to travel in and out of the mountain all year round.
Therefore, some people would rather be expelled from public office than be a leprosy doctor
.
But Li Huanying is fearless.
She just wants to relieve the suffering of leprosy patients and conquer the frightening leprosy as soon as possible
.

After changing his direction to specialize in leprosy, Li Huanying rushed to China's leprosy-prone area—the ethnic minority areas in Yunnan, and inspected them one by one
.
She insisted on going deep into the scene because "the country encourages independent innovation, and the teacher teaches you only 20 or 30 years of experience.
You can have first-hand information on the scene and you will not lag behind at all
.
" Leprosy is a rural disease, and the epidemic is characterized by dispersion.
After investigating, she found that it is unscientific to group patients together for hospitalization, which does not conform to the natural law of the disease
.

At the same time, in order to eliminate people's misunderstandings about leprosy, Li Huanying put a lot of effort into it
.

In the era of "talking about anaesthesia", let alone ordinary people, even many medical practitioners took a detour to leprosy patients
.
When I first entered Leprosy Village, the local staff were scared, wearing gloves and boots, covering themselves tightly, and was criticized by Li Huanying
.
She repeatedly explained to everyone: "Leprosy is limited in contagiousness and is not terrible
.
We must not be afraid of the patient, but love the patient.
.
.
"

Li Huanying never wears isolation gowns or gloves when examining patients
.
Sometimes she specially showed it to the local people, touching the patients, then touching her own face, and asking the local leaders to touch the patients together.
.
.

She was deeply moved by her patience, meticulousness and love for patients, and many female patients called her mother
.
The conditions for carrying out short-course combined chemotherapy to go to the countryside were very difficult.
Once, Li Huanying, who was in her 60s, needed to walk across a pontoon.
In order to narrow the distance from the patient emotionally, she refused the support of the staff and named A Yin, a leper patient, to help.
Support
.

"British" name stays in history: a new path

"British" name stays in history: a new path

In 1978, the World Health Organization formulated the Tropical Diseases Program to control the six major tropical diseases worldwide, among which leprosy
.
According to the plan, Li Huanying, as the first batch of visiting scholars after China's reform and opening up, was selected to visit leprosy centers in the United States, Britain, and India
.

After 20 years, Zeng resolutely bid farewell to her parents and sisters and returned to the motherland, Li Huanying was reunited with her relatives in the United States for the first time
.
The return date is getting closer, and the persuasion of relatives is getting deeper and deeper, "Sister, you are old and you are alone in the country, just stay
.
" Colleagues who have worked with Li Huanying for many years have also guessed that it is understandable that Li Huanying, who has no relatives in China, will not return to China
.

On one side is the retention of relatives, on the other side is the needs of the motherland, Li Huanying made the third choice in life without hesitation-stick to the promise to leprosy patients-"I will definitely come back with medicine to cure your disease"!

At that time, in addition to investigating the prevention and treatment of leprosy in various countries, Li Huanying also applied to the WHO for a large number of medicines and medical resources, and returned to Beijing as scheduled
.

In order to find a better treatment method for leprosy, Li Huanying combined advanced foreign treatment methods with Chinese reality, and first proposed non-isolated short-course combined chemotherapy (hereinafter referred to as combined chemotherapy), and boldly argued that patients can take the medicine 24 months after all.
Discontinue the drug
.

In early 1983, Li Huanying launched the country's first trial of combined chemotherapy for leprosy
.

However, everything is difficult at the beginning.
Due to long-term disease torture and crowd discrimination, many leprosy patients lack confidence in treatment, and it is difficult to adapt to the treatment requirements of regular and quantitative medication.
Some patients even abandon themselves and throw the medicine they sent into the water.
Tangli
.
At this time, Li Huanying was under great risks and pressure.
She said: "I wish I had contracted (leprosy) by myself, and let you see if I can cure it
.
"

When combined chemotherapy was promoted at the site of 37 cases of multibacterial leprosy in Weifang, Shandong, patients and medical staff expressed that it was difficult to accept
.
Previously, leprosy had always been a life-long treatment, and it would take at least 5 years to cure it
.
For this new plan, there is no domestic experience, Li Huanying had to repeatedly explain to everyone through animal experiments, "Innovation will bring risks, and fear of taking risks will keep old
.
"

In order to ensure that patients take medicines in a standardized way, Li Huanying has adopted two measures: First, every month, a full-time doctor will personally distribute the medicine, check the bacteria, and dye until the end of the treatment.
Adhere to 8 years to track the effect of combined chemotherapy
.
The second is to patiently explain the "red stain" phenomenon to the patient
.
At the beginning of the combined chemotherapy, due to the appearance of blackened hands and feet and red urine in the early stage of taking the medicine, the patient refused to take the medicine.
Li Huanying worked hard to do the psychological work for the patient to ensure that the pigmentation would subside after taking the medicine
.
Looking at Dr.
Li, who is kind-minded and caring for the patient, they are moved, so let's listen to Dr.
Li
.
Sure enough, the pigmentation faded after the treatment was over and half a year after the drug was discontinued
.

"Leprosy is still poor in the final analysis
.
If the poorest places in our rural areas reach a well-off level, there will be no place for leprosy
.
But we cannot wait until that time.
We should do our best to prevent and control as soon as possible.
Our next generation is disabled, this is the goal in my heart
.
" Li Huanying said
.

In order to achieve this goal, Li Huanying worked tirelessly to investigate her condition
.
In the past 40 years, she has experienced two rollovers and two falls in a river.
She has broken her clavicle and ribs on both sides, and had 7 stitches on her head
.
One time was when Li Huanying and others were in a car accident on the way from Xichang to Kunming when the combined chemotherapy was just started.
She rolled down a slope for more than 10 meters; another time, she was dumped from the car on the way to Wenshan to introduce combined chemotherapy.
After more than 10 meters, the sides of the shoulders are still not balanced
.
After the injury, she said optimistically: "Fortunately, it was a hand bone, not a broken leg
.
The broken leg had to lie in bed for a few months, which had a great impact on work
.
"

To Li Huanying's great relief, all the critically ill patients who used the combined chemotherapy were cured, and there was no recurrence in the follow-up observation for decades
.

Combined chemotherapy has become a revolution in the history of leprosy treatment! In 1994, the program was promoted by WHO globally, and tens of thousands of leprosy patients were reborn
.
In 1996, Li Huanying took the lead in launching the leprosy elimination campaign in China, and for the first time proposed a model that combines the vertical prevention and treatment of leprosy with the grassroots prevention and control network, which is called "the best treatment in the world
.
"

"I have returned to my country, and my life has not been in vain.
I have taken a new path in China,
" Li Huanying said
.

On this new road, Li Huanying once walked very hard.
In China's Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan 7 prefectures and 59 counties, almost every Leprosy Village has left her footprints
.
Looking back on these experiences, Li Huanying told the collection team calmly: "As long as you like this work, you don't think it is too difficult
.
"

In September 2016, the 19th International Leprosy Conference was held in Beijing, and Li Huanying won the first "China Lifetime Achievement Award for Leprosy Prevention and Control"
.
That month, 95-year-old Li Huanying solemnly submitted an application for joining the party to the party organization
.
This year, she celebrated the 100th birthday of the party and herself.
.
.
When asked what she would like to say to young party members, Li Huanying said: "A sense of belonging is very important.
This thing cannot betray you at any time.
Thoughts, betray your people, betray your roots
.
"

Looking back on the past, Li Huanying feels that her life is worthwhile, but she still does not want to retire and is willing to continue to contribute
.
She said that the laboratory diagnosis of early detection and treatment of leprosy is more difficult than combined chemotherapy.
Implementing "early detection" to the grassroots is her biggest wish and research direction in the near future
.

"It is fortunate for Sansheng to be engaged in the prevention and treatment of leprosy, and I do not regret it! Returning to the motherland is also my right choice.
It is the fertile soil of the motherland that has created me and gives me the opportunity to let go of work
.
I have achieved today’s results and won the people’s support.
Recognition is my greatest happiness and greatest satisfaction
.
In a limited time, I am still willing to work, and I am willing to serve leprosy patients, and devote my limited life to unlimited careers
.
" Li Huanying said
.

(The author is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Innovation Strategy, China Association for Science and Technology)

(The author is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Innovation Strategy, China Association for Science and Technology)

 

Oral Record of Li Huanying’s Early Growth:

Oral Record of Li Huanying’s Early Growth:

"I dedicated my filial piety to the motherland"

"I dedicated all my filial piety to the motherland" "I dedicated all my filial piety to the motherland"

▲In 1936, a family photo of Li Huanying (back middle) and his family (from left, second brother Li Jishen, mother Yang Shuwen, sister Li Linying, father Li Faduan, eldest brother Li Jiying)
.

▲In the summer of 1980, Li Huanying was in front of his parents' cemetery in Los Angeles, USA
.

Li Huanying once set a great aspiration-to realize a world without leprosy
.
So, what are the factors that make it aspire to devote to the medical career and devote all of his life to the research of leprosy? Perhaps, the answer can be seen from her oral account of her early growth experience——

In my childhood impression, my grandfather was a very strict person
.
He is opposed to playing cards and does not drink alcohol himself
.
Once my mother wanted to pierce my ears, but my grandfather knew about it and stopped it
.
So I don’t have pierced ears, nor have my feet wrapped
.

His grandfather was a patriot who had studied law and could speak Japanese.
When he was a senior senator in Shanxi Province, he could help the government to play a coordinating role, but he had never participated in the pseudo-government or helped the Japanese
.
During the "July 7 Incident", the Japanese army wanted to buy him, but he did not agree
.
My grandfather said that he wants his two sons to be human in the future, so he cannot work in the pseudo-government
.
I heard that my grandfather later died of pneumonia
.

The time when I was born coincided with the introduction of Western learning to the east, and the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures has affected many families
.
My father studied in Germany.
After he returned to China, he was assigned to work in the Ministry of Railways, where he held the position of director general
.
My mother teaches in elementary school.
She has a very strong personality and does not want to be controlled by others.
When I was very young, she instilled a lot of self-reliance and enterprising ideas
.

I have had no worries about food and clothing since I was a child, and I have received a good education
.
I changed a total of 9 schools during elementary and middle school
.
I studied at the German Elementary School in Xijiaomin Alley, Beijing for one year, and then at the German School on Daxi Road in Shanghai for another six months
.
My mother said: "You are staying in China, and the German school is too expensive.
What is the use of your old foreign language studies? No.
You
must learn Chinese culture in China
.
" So I learned Chinese very hard when I was in Hangzhou.
I studied in Hangzhou Private Hongdao Girls' High School for a year
.
Later, my father was transferred to Nanjing, so I transferred to Nanjing Chinese Girls' High School and went to the first year of high school
.

After the Anti-Japanese War began, my father moved to Chongqing with the government, where our family lived for half a year
.
Then we took a boat to Hong Kong and lived there for another two years
.
In Hong Kong, I went to Mary Knoll, a Catholic church school.
I studied English.
My current English background may benefit from those two years
.

At that time, there was a unified university entrance examination in our country.
In order to enter a domestic university, I went to a private school to apply for the exam
.

I was "stuck" by the unified university admissions examination that year.
The predecessor of Tongji University was the German Medical School founded by German doctor Erich Baolong in Shanghai.
It had requirements for German, and I happened to have studied German since I was a child.
With all the opportunities combined, I was admitted to the top ten, and was successfully admitted to Tongji University.
From then on, my university life began
.
Studying medicine is the opinion of my grandfather.
He said that since you are good in German, you should study medicine
.

When I was in college, my living conditions were better than others, because my parents gave me a lot of living expenses
.
But I was also dissatisfied because they were in Chongqing at that time, and the transportation from Shanghai to Chongqing was considered convenient.
They often urged me to go back by a telegram, and I would not let them go for a trip
.

To be honest, my parents are still very good to me and have great expectations of me
.
However, looking back on my life, I feel that as a child, I have paid too little to them
.
Maybe I have dedicated my filial piety to the motherland, maybe this is even greater filial piety
.

Therefore, I do not regret it now, I think it is better to choose the path myself
.
Who raised me? I think it was the people who brought me up, and I should give them back
.

(Organized by Chen Mengmeng)

(Organized by Chen Mengmeng)