Biography of characters
Ling Xiuzhen, born in December 1923 in Anxin, Hebei Province, is a famous nursing expert. In December, 1941, he graduated from the Senior Nurse School of Boji Hospital in Shangdong County because of the Pacific War. In January, 1948, he graduated from the Senior Nurse School of Renshu Hospital in Taigu, Shanxi Province, and worked in the Seventh Epidemic Prevention Brigade of Taiyuan City, Beijing Dongsi Qianliang Hutong Maternal and Infant Health Center, and Beijing Fuyou Street Nankou Children’s Hospital. Entered in December 1948, and successively rotated in outpatient department, internal medicine ward, foreign guest ward and obstetrics and gynecology ward. From 1952 to 1953, he joined the voluntary operation team to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, and successively served as the head nurse and secretary of the operation team in the supply room. He was awarded the third-class merit for his outstanding performance. From 1953 to 1990, he served as head nurse in neurology ward and outpatient department. He was a member of the Nursing Committee of the First Academic Committee of China Academy of Medical Sciences.
Ling Xiuzhen loves nursing and always practices the concept of serving patients wholeheartedly in her work. She has been rated as an advanced worker and excellent nurse in the hospital for many times. Under her leadership, the neurology ward has been rated as an advanced ward for many years. In 1982, he was awarded the title of Beijing Model Worker in 1981 by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, the title of National March 8th Red Flag Bearer by the All-China Women’s Federation in 1983, the title of Excellent Communist party member by Peking Union Medical College Hospital in 1991, and the title of directly under the authority Excellent Communist party member by the National Health and Wellness Commission in 2021.
Wonderful moment
Excerpts from interviews
Rough study will eventually lead to angels in white’s dream
Lin Dong (hereinafter referred to as "Dong"):Where are you from? What was life like as a child?
Ling Xiuzhen (hereinafter referred to as "Ling"): I was born in a poor peasant family in Zengjiazhuang, Anxin County, Hebei Province on November 15th, 1923. Farming is the main task at home, because near Baiyangdian, my father sometimes cooks fish and my mother spins and weaves, thus making a living. When I was a child, I went to primary school in the village for a few days, but later I stopped going because of difficulties at home.
When I was about 11 years old, an American missionary of Baoding Presbyterian Church was also the head nurse of Silo Hospital in Xiguan Presbyterian Church in Baoding. Her name was Kai Aide. She came to our village with several people to preach and treat the villagers. At that time, I had a serious trachoma, and they treated me patiently, and it didn’t take long for me to be cured. They also taught me to read and sing. Kai Aide saw that I was smart, and he heard that my aunt was studying at Xiguan Presbyterian Church School in Baoding, so he discussed with my family and wanted to take me to Baoding to study with my aunt, which was funded by the church. Considering that there are many children at home and life is difficult, my parents agreed.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen in primary school
In 1935, I left home and went to Baoding to go to my aunt. I started primary school in Baoding Xiguan Gospel Girls’ School and graduated from high school in September 1938. After graduation, there was no funding from the church. A primary school teacher introduced me to Tongxian Fuyu Girls’ Middle School [1] for junior high school. This is a work-study school founded by the Christian Congregation, which takes care of the poor, and my conditions are just right.
Dong:How did you continue your studies without church support? Did you ask your family for help?
Ling: Shortly after I left home, the Japanese army invaded Baoding [2]. Anxin County was an anti-Japanese guerrilla zone. Under the war, I was cut off from my family. It was not until Beiping was peacefully liberated in 1949 that I got in touch with my family again.
I haven’t seen Kai Aide since I left Baoding to attend junior high school in Tongxian County. Later, I heard that she has returned to the United States. Fuyu Girls’ Middle School is also a missionary school. After studying, students make cross-flowers by hand and process them into tablecloths and pillow towels. The principal sells the finished products, and the money sold is used to help us poor students. I didn’t have a place to go during the summer vacation, so I stayed at school to continue to do handicrafts and earn some money. My life depended on this until I graduated from middle school in 1941.
▲ In June, 1941, Class 1941 of Fuyu Girls’ Middle School sent a group photo of Baoding’s graduating fellow villagers, and Ling Xiuzhen was the third from the left in the front row.
Dong:Is it your ideal to be a nurse?
Ling: I have long liked nurses. When I was a child, I got trachoma, and the nurse in the mission hospital cured me for free. I am particularly grateful. It would be great to cure the disease in the countryside without spending money. I also want to have the ability to help people treat diseases. When I was in primary school, there was a missionary hospital next to the school. I often saw nurses dressed in white clothes, like angels, and I thought they were beautiful and envied their lives. Since then, I have liked the profession of nurses.
When I graduated from junior high school, the Senior Nurse School of Boji Hospital in Dexian County, Shandong Province [3] came to recruit students. Considering that I have no financial resources and can’t get in touch with my family, I can study as a nurse for the time being without spending money. I also like this profession, so I signed up with my good friend Zhang Shumin [4], and her situation is similar to mine. This nursing school is also a missionary school. The principal is a foreigner, and tuition and meals are free. In order to save money for the trip to Shandong, after graduating from junior high school, Zhang Shumin and I continued to do manual work of picking flowers at school for two months.
In September 1941, we arrived in Shandong. However, I only attended classes for more than two months. In December, the Pacific War broke out. Because the hospitals and nursing schools were in the charge of Americans, Japanese soldiers came soon and announced the closure of hospitals and the dissolution of nursing schools.
Dong:Where did you go after the school was dissolved?
Ling: The nursing school with food and shelter was dissolved, and Zhang Shumin and I had no place to live. We had a primary school teacher named Liu Lanfang, who was working in Tianjin Enguang Hospital, so we went to Tianjin to find a teacher. A friend of the teacher is an old lady, and her lover works as a personnel worker in Beiyang Spinning Factory, Haihe Road, Tianjin, so she introduced us to the factory as female workers.
In the spinning mill, we work 12 hours a day, starting at six in the morning and leaving at six in the evening. Every day, we often don’t see the sun at the end of the day. The factory also stipulates that workers can’t go through the main entrance after work, but only through the small door at the back. They have to be searched from head to toe when leaving the factory, which is greatly insulted. Therefore, Zhang Shumin and I rarely leave the factory, only occasionally go out to see the teacher.
We have worked in Beiyang spinning mill for 20 months, and the monthly salary is only enough to buy a bag of flour. At that time, I mainly wanted to find a place to live. I could earn some money to support myself by working, and I could also save some money, so that I could continue to study in a nursing school later.
▲ In 1942, Ling Xiuzhen (third from left) and Zhang Shumin (third from right) took a group photo with the workers in the spinning mill.
Dong:What kind of opportunity did you have to return to school later?
Ling: In August, 1943, the opportunity came to continue studying nursing school. Teacher Liu told us that the nursing school of Shanxi Taigu Renshu Hospital [5] is recruiting students, and there are our classmates there. Hearing this news, we were so happy that we contacted our classmates as soon as possible. Zhang Shumin and I scrimped and saved a little money, but it was easy to lose money in those days [6], so we bought some flower cloth to take with us, and then we wanted to exchange it for money, so we left the spinning mill and went to Shanxi.
Dong:How do you feel about going back to the nursing school again? What is study and life like?
Ling: I left the spinning mill in darkness and went back to the nursing school that I had been looking forward to day and night. I was in a very happy mood and made up my mind to study hard and become a nurse. The study content of nursing school is similar to that of now, including culture class, operation class, anatomy, pharmacology and so on. After the theoretical class, there will be clinical practice in Renshu Hospital. At that time, I got good grades in my homework and nursing skills, and I won a scholarship. Although I only had a few dollars, I felt great. But I didn’t expect that in December 1944, the Japanese army invaded the hospital and the nursing school was closed.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen during her study in nursing school.
Dong:Forced to leave school again, where did you go?
Ling: After the school closed, many students went home, and my life with Zhang Shumin was lost. I feel very sad because my nursing studies have not been completed. At that time, three sisters Liu Jialan, Liu Jiahui and Liu Jiaqi who had worked with us in Beiyang Spinning Factory also left Tianjin to work in Yangquan. Hearing that we had nowhere to go, they took us to Yangquan. After arriving in Yangquan, I didn’t dare to go out at all. The streets were full of Japanese soldiers and I stayed at home all day. Later, with the help of Wang Jingguo, the husband of my middle school classmate Rong Fenglan, Zhang Shumin and I found a job temporarily. I was introduced to the business office of Yangquan Electric Company to copy the user’s electricity meter and electricity bill.
In 1946, on the second day of the first lunar month, Taigu Renshu Hospital resumed nursing school. After getting the news, Zhang Shumin and I hurried back to Taigu to continue our education until we graduated in January 1948. My nursing school can be regarded as finished, which adds up to nearly four years.
▲ A photo of the teachers and students of the Senior Nursing School of Shanxi Taigu Renshu Hospital, with Ling Xiuzhen in the front row and Zhang Shumin in the fifth right.
Dong:Looking back on this tortuous life and school experience, what do you think?
Ling: This experience has a great influence on me. People’s life is not easy. If you want to live, you have to struggle, and you have to do everything well, otherwise you may not have the opportunity to continue doing this job. If I work in a cotton mill, if I don’t work by the hour, people won’t want you. So is learning to be a nurse. If you don’t study hard, people won’t want you. Especially in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression’s time, it was not easy, so we had to struggle on our own and be a good person. Of course, I also relied on the help of teachers and classmates in this period. They introduced me to work, and I worked hard to earn some money to finish the nursing school, otherwise it wouldn’t work.
Toss and turn to the west and the east to determine the concord.
Dong:What’s your first job after graduation? Did you get your dream of being a nurse?
Ling: When I graduated, there was a Seventh Epidemic Prevention Brigade in Taiyuan. Several nurses in the team graduated from our school, so they introduced us to the past. Their main job was to get vaccination.
Six months later, the captain’s secretary was going back to Beijing. Several people in our team discussed with him and wanted to come together. He agreed. Taking this opportunity, I was also brought to Beijing. I came by plane. It was my first time to fly. A classmate’s brother worked at the airport and helped to buy a plane ticket, so friends helped me everywhere.
After arriving in Beijing, through the introduction of Wang Dimin, the former captain of the epidemic prevention brigade, our lesbians were arranged to help in Dongsi Qianliang Hutong Maternal and Infant Health Center and work as nurses. After working for about a month, my colleague Lu Yueying introduced me to the children’s hospital at the south exit of Fuyou Street, where I worked as a night nurse for another month.
Dong:How did you come to work in Peking Union Medical College Hospital?
Ling: In November 1948, a colleague from Taiyuan, Beijing, called me back to the newly established Eleventh Epidemic Prevention Brigade in Qianliang Hutong, which organized doctors and nurses to go to the countryside for epidemic prevention. I still want to be a nurse in the hospital, so I’m going to find another place to work. I discussed with Zhang Shumin and other friends, and they all advised me to come to Concord. I was worried that I was from a nursing school in a small hospital, and I was afraid that I could not keep up with my work, but they encouraged me to try. Zhang Shumin asked for a nurse registration form for me, so I got up the courage and came to Concord with my diploma in nursing school in Renshu Hospital.
I went in from the west gate of the hospital, walked to the nursing department office downstairs in Building 5 of the old building, and found Nie Yuchan, the director of the nursing department. She was the first person I met in Concord. I handed her my diploma. She asked me about my previous work and whether I had ever been to Concord. After chatting for a while, she said, "OK, come for a physical examination on the 13th, and go to work if there is nothing wrong with the physical examination." She is very capable and kind, and she is very organized and decisive.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen (right) and Zhang Shumin (left) took a group photo in front of the Union Nurse Building.
This is the result I am looking forward to, and I am very happy in my heart. One is that I have a fixed job, and the other is that I have finally stabilized. On December 13, 1948, I officially entered Concord, and I have been a Concord person since then. Until I left Concord in the Spring Festival of 1990, I spent most of my life in Concord, so my feelings for Concord are closer than home.
Dong:What impressed you when you first entered the Union Medical College Hospital? What are the differences between nursing work and before?
Ling: After I arrived at Concord, the first thing I felt was the grandeur of the building, which was my first impression. The equipment and facilities are good in all aspects, so it is very convenient to work. Like Shanxi Taigu Renshu Hospital, the conditions are worse, and many of them are simple because of their ignorance.
The other is that the attitude towards patients is really good. After work, I was assigned to the outpatient clinic, which is located on the first floor of Building No.10 in the current old building, mainly to accompany patients to see doctors. I especially remember that a mother came to see a doctor with a child of six or seven years old. The child had a sore on her leg and cried and was afraid to see the doctor. Wu Weiran [8], a doctor who makes house calls, has a particularly good attitude, speaks gently and has skills. When the child chats with him, he stops crying. Dr. Wu Weiran puts the child in his arms and sees the disease. The nurse next to him also said, "Little friend, I’ll get it for you. It doesn’t hurt." When the doctor said this and the nurse was so coaxed, the child stopped crying and went with the nurse to change the medicine. I went behind my mother and followed the nurse. Look how much this has changed. I watched, thinking how good this doctor is, how good this nurse is, and patients don’t suffer. This is my education, so I also learn from them in my later work and never yell at patients.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen (right) and colleagues took a group photo at the platform of the old building of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Later, I was transferred from the outpatient department to the obstetrics and gynecology department, and after a period of time, I went to the internal medicine department. At that time, the internal medicine ward was on the second floor of Building 8 of the old building, and the head nurse was Li Yixiu, who graduated from Concord Nursing School. She is very strict and has given me a lot of education. For example, I can’t talk loudly in the ward, I can’t wear hard-soled shoes, and I can’t eat delicious food such as garlic and onions during work. In addition, when you go to work, you should patrol the patient’s bed more, and you can’t get together and chat in the office. She is also very strict in checking. When she sees what you did wrong, she points it out at once, and then checks it after you finish. I don’t know when she will stand behind you and look at you at work. She often gives lectures at morning meetings and encourages us to talk to patients more. I learned a lot of nursing knowledge from her. I think nurses should be like this, serious and solemn, but also cute and gentle.
After coming out of the internal medicine ward, I went to work in the foreign guest ward for a while. In 1951, the hospital wanted to set up a separate neuropsychiatric department, so I was transferred to the neuropsychiatric ward.
Dong:What are the characteristics of the work in the neuropsychiatric ward?
Ling: In order to prevent mental patients from jumping off buildings, the neuropsychiatric ward is located in Building 8 of the old building, with more than 20 beds. The ward is divided into a big room and a small room, and there is a place like a living room in the middle, where patients can do manual work and have work and entertainment treatment. Guo Jufen, the head nurse, also graduated from Xiehe Nursing School, and her working methods and attitude also made me very educated. Different from the patients in the internal medicine ward, the owners of neuropsychiatric diseases are mainly schizophrenic patients, some of whom are completely unconscious, others are clear and sometimes unconscious. In addition to medical and nursing work, we should also prevent them from committing suicide and hurting others. At that time, there were two or three male nurses in the ward, and each staff member had a key. The door should be kept locked, otherwise the patient would run out. Once, a patient ran out and shouted, "I ran, I ran!" " As a result, he was stopped by the doorman and called us quickly.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen (third from left) took a group photo with her colleagues in neuropsychiatric department. On the left, Wang Jichu, on the left, Guo Jufen and on the right, Hou Can.
Later, the neuropsychiatry was changed to neurology, and the ward was moved to the first floor of Building No.8 in the old building, and the number of beds was increased to more than 40. No mental patients were treated, only patients with basically clear consciousness and neuroorganic diseases were treated, among whom there were many comas and urinary incontinence. The patient’s situation is different, and the focus of nursing work is different. The nursing workload of neurology department is very heavy. Take the urine pad replacement of patients with urinary incontinence as an example. Half of the urine pads in the hospital are used in neurology wards, which shows that the number of changes is frequent and many people use them.
To resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea and care for the loveliest people.
Dong:Please talk about your experience in participating in the volunteer surgery team to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
Ling: At the end of 1950, Beijing set up a voluntary surgical team to resist US aggression and aid Korea, and called on all hospitals to actively register. I thought it was a glorious thing, so I signed up. After being approved by the hospital, in April 1952, I followed the surgical team to the 13th Army Hospital in Xingcheng, Liaoning Province, which was the rear battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and all the wounded soldiers who came back from the front were treated there.
▲ In 1951, Ling Xiuzhen (first from the right) and his colleagues took a picture under the banner of "Donating Clinic to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea" in the west gate of the old building of Xiehe, with Kuang Bacon on the fifth from the right and Guo Jufen on the sixth.
After I went, I worked as a head nurse in the supply room. At that time, there were many surgical operations. The supply room in their hospital was quite large, and there were several little nurses there. We exchanged experiences. I introduced the situation of Concord to them, and everyone cooperated happily. Although I have never worked in the supply room before, the general nurses know which surgical instruments should be packaged, which should be steamed and how long it should be disinfected. In fact, it is material management. I combined the specific situation at that time and discussed the process with them to make the work more convenient.
After the work was carried out in an orderly manner, I made time to go to the ward. I saw that the soldiers had only one eye, some had missing arms, some had broken legs, some had missing ears, and some had only half their faces … I was particularly unhappy. I will try my best to help them, such as writing letters, reading newspapers and telling stories. But I think it’s more important that they told me how they killed the enemy at the front and how they got their injuries. They were all heroic and selfless acts, which taught me a lot. I think they are really lovely and respectable.
In this way, I ran to the ward as soon as I was free, and I gradually became familiar with the soldiers. Sometimes when I was late or didn’t go all day, they asked me, "Why are you late today?" "Why didn’t you come yesterday?" Everyone has a lot of affection for each other. Some soldiers gave me photos as souvenirs when they left the hospital, and some said to me, "Head nurse, I’m leaving. I don’t know when I can meet again!" They need psychological comfort and help, but while helping them, I am more educated.
▲ In 1952, Ling Xiuzhen (left) took a group photo with his colleagues in the surgical team at the 13th Army Hospital.
Dong:How long have you worked there?
Ling: The operation team rotates every four months. Originally, it was stipulated that everyone only participated in one phase. After I finished my first phase as head nurse, the organization arranged for me to stay and continue to work as the secretary of the operation team. At that time, the team leader was Zhang Jinzhe [9]. So I returned to Concord in early 1953 and worked there for less than a year.
There was tension and happiness in that life. The soldiers in the ward and our diet were good. After dinner, everyone gave back a big apple and put it on the bed, which meant peace. Xingcheng is near the sea. Every Sunday, the team members can go to the sea together. I also use my spare time to organize employees of the 13th Army Hospital to play basketball with the surgical team.
▲ In 1952, Ling Xiuzhen (second from the right in the back row) enriched the amateur life of the volunteer surgical team to resist US aggression and aid Korea by organizing basketball games and other cultural and sports activities.
Dong:What impact does this work experience have on you?
Ling: I haven’t done much work in recent months. If I have time, I can do more. The deeds of the volunteers should be publicized. They fought bravely at the front line, paying for us and bleeding for us. What should we do? We should at least help. After I come back, I often think of those soldiers, especially those who meet soldiers at work. I will be very kind to them. Before I went to work in Concord, I tried my best to live. After I joined the volunteer operation team to resist US aggression and aid Korea, I wanted to not only live, but also know why I lived. This experience is really a great education for me, and I didn’t go in vain.
▲ In 1952, Ling Xiuzhen (second from left) and Zhang Jinzhe (third from left) took a group photo with the military instructors.
Everyone is in charge and manages the ward together
Dong:After you came back from the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, you worked as a head nurse in a neurological ward for more than 30 years. What did you learn from being a head nurse?
Ling: The management of the ward mainly depends on the head nurse. The nurses have done the specific operation. The head nurse should worry more about the management. If there is something to discuss, let’s unite as a fist and move forward. It’s very important for the head nurse to take the lead. If you just say no, you have to do it, and you have to be sincere. If you are sincere, you will keep your word, and comrades will see it.
After working for decades, I have never had a knot in my heart with anyone, but I am very honest with them, so that everyone is happy and the work is done well. At present, our comrades on the eighth floor still often get together and miss their work. This friendship was formed by helping each other and uniting with each other at work. So I think it’s easy and not easy to be a head nurse.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen works in the ward.
Dong:Do you have any innovative practices in nursing work?
Ling: Shame, there is no innovation in my life, just trying to do a good job in ordinary work.
After the downfall of the Gang of Four, the hospital called for rectifying wards, strengthening clinical nursing and improving the quality of medical care. How to do it? I discussed it with my comrades, and everyone came up with ideas. Some old comrades suggested that we should restore the effective system in the past. We classify the work of the ward, so that "everyone is in charge of everything, and everyone is in charge", and everyone is the master of the house.
Rectifying the ward begins with the companion system. At that time, there were 43 beds, 23 accompanying family members, plus doctors and nurses, and dozens of people were going back and forth in the ward. It was really chaotic. Some people said that our ward was a small Dongan market, so we must reduce our companionship. There was a patient who was completely paralyzed, but he was conscious and weighed more than 200 kilograms. More than one person at home took care of him, and two nurses in the ward struggled to turn him over. Hearing that the ward asked the family members not to accompany the bed, the patient immediately began to cry, and the family members were also uncomfortable. We patiently explained to him, and the comrades also took good care of him. Three days later, the patient said, "Head nurse, I don’t need my family to accompany me. You are doing better than them!" We have completed the task of the hospital, and the patients feel quite good, which is the result of our joint efforts.
To prevent patients from falling out of bed, one of our nurse comrades, Lao Sun, thought that patients fell because there were no fences on both sides of the bed, so it might be useful to weave nets. I brought him a thick rope, and he made a net and put it on both sides of the bed, so that the patient was safe. When a nurse visited, she found a patient in a net bag, so she quickly got him up. So for so many years, we have never had a patient fall.
Ward clothing management is also a difficult problem, because there are many serious patients and frequent changes, we will arrange special personnel to take charge of it, set a number of rules, and strengthen the inventory when handing over to the laundry room to ensure that the number is correct and will not affect everyone’s use.
One of the ways to improve the quality of medical care is to strengthen morning and evening care. Because there are many patients in the neurology department who are bedridden and have urinary incontinence, they are prone to bedsores, so we give them a "small bath" in the morning and evening, so that the patients are clean and comfortable, and we can also carefully observe and detect the changes in the patient’s condition in time. When the shift is over at the bedside, patients with slight early signs of bedsore will be marked at the bedside, so no patients here have ever had bedsore.
Besides clinical nursing, other auxiliary things should also be done well. We also rectify the ward environment, standardize the management of goods, make everything in its place, clean the environment and so on. When the hospital summarizes the work of rectifying the ward, I will be assigned to make a report to the whole hospital to introduce our experience on the eighth floor.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen gave a report on ward management experience to the whole hospital in Concord Auditorium.
Dong:"Everyone is in charge of everything, and everyone is in charge of something" is a particularly good idea, which is why the neurological ward has been rated as an advanced group for many years, right?
Ling: Work depends on everyone’s efforts to do it together, so everyone is happy to have achievements. Although things in the ward are trivial, everyone has the idea of being the master of their own affairs, and it is easy to manage them well if they are serious and responsible. We often check the established rules and measures. For example, at the morning meeting, everyone has a piece of paper and a pen, so I ask, where is the laundry bag? Where is the treatment tray? What should be in the first aid tray? Like an exam. In addition, there are good people and deeds that I also focus on promoting at the morning meeting. Mobilizing the masses and doing things is also training the masses, which is one of my gains. Our ward has produced five head nurses.
We emphasize not to get together in the office, encourage all nurses in the ward to patrol and observe the patient’s condition, and also find many patients’ condition changes in the process. A nurse found that a patient had a bad complexion, poor breathing, rapid pulse and unequal pupils during her patrol, and she was particularly anxious. She quickly said to her colleagues passing by, "You should prepare 20% mannitol as soon as possible and pull the rescue vehicle, and I will tell the doctor!" When the doctor came, the rescue vehicle was in place, and the infusion was given immediately, and the patient’s pupil slowly recovered. Later, neurosurgery consultation was invited, and after the operation, the patient recovered and was discharged. Without solid professional knowledge, the patient could not be found and rescued in time.
In addition to improving nurses’ knowledge of diseases in clinical practice, we also organize training, such as asking senior nurses to tell young or unfamiliar nurses about some nursing technical operations; Some professional knowledge, we ask a specialist doctor to talk about it, and everyone has improved through learning. The medical staff in the first ward on the eighth floor are very United and the working atmosphere is harmonious, so everyone is not bitter or tired when working.
Dong:Are there any patients who impressed you particularly during your work in the neurology ward?
Ling: There was a 21-year-old boy, Xiaoliang, who I remember very clearly. He was a patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome, with quadriplegia, respiratory muscle paralysis and lobar pneumonia. He went to the ward for immediate rescue and entered the iron lung [10]. He can’t breathe by himself, and he relies entirely on iron lungs to press him to breathe, and he sucks oxygen. Despite the shortage of manpower, we took out three classes of people to do intensive care, sucked sputum for him under protection and isolation, and observed the amount and color of sputum. His body can’t move, so we scrub and move his limbs. He can’t speak, but he is conscious and has an expression on his face, so we will write and communicate with him. Write "Your leg hurts, doesn’t it?" Show him. As soon as he closes his eyes, we will know that he is right. Once, I wrote several wrong words, but I accidentally touched his nose. He smiled, so we wrote "Is it a nose?" He closed his eyes and it turned out that his nose was itchy.
He can’t leave oxygen for a moment. Once, Comrade Lao Sun knew that the oxygen in the hospital was running out. On his way to work, he ran back to tell the comrades in the ward: "Our hospital’s oxygen truck is back, so you should change it quickly!" On another occasion, the iron lung could not support Xiaoliang’s breathing, and the Haiyan ventilator needed to be replaced. The Union Medical College Hospital didn’t have it, so it was necessary to borrow it from the 301 hospital. Comrade Lao Wang forgot to eat and immediately borrowed the machine. However, it takes several hours to borrow the machine. During this period, Xiaoliang’s breathing is not stable. We quickly made a careful nursing plan. Before the ventilator was borrowed, we organized nurses to maintain his breathing with artificial balloons without interruption, in order to gain valuable time for treatment. You see, everyone is working hard for a patient. How lovely these actions are.
Xiaoliang was treated in neurology for 318 days, including 4 months and 22 days of intensive care, 71 days of artificial respirator, more than 200 barrels of oxygen and more than 120 infusions. With the joint efforts of many departments, through the treatment of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine and the close cooperation of medical care, Xiaoliang finally recovered and was discharged. Everyone was overjoyed to see the patient cured and discharged from hospital.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen (third from the left in the front row) took a group photo with her colleagues.
Dong:Do you regard the ward as another home?
Ling: It’s not another home. I wish it were a main home. I think the work in the ward is the main thing, and a lot of work is also taken home. When children are young, they don’t have time to take them to the park to play. As for my half, he is also quite supportive, because he works in the Chinese History Museum and has time to go to and from work, which is not necessarily the case here. What’s more, the neighbors are also good. They help look after the children, so they also worry.
My family told me that you have no home. I said, isn’t my ward home? Ha ha. This ward is a home. It’s a pleasure to do it well. The patient is grateful to you and the doctor is happy. I didn’t do enough work all my life. After retiring in 1986, Corey kept me, and I was willing to stay in the clinic for another four years.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen’s family portrait
On-duty clinic to help patients with heart
Dong:What are the differences in nursing work from ward to clinic?
Ling: The job content is really different. Although they are all neurological diseases, the patients in the ward usually lie still there, while the patients in the outpatient department are mobile. They leave as soon as they come today, which is different in nature and different in work focus. When I was in the outpatient department, I also stressed the need to observe patients more.
For example, I once met an old lady holding a boy and sitting in a chair in the waiting room crying without talking. I asked her why she was crying, and she said that they were from other places, and the doctor didn’t prescribe medicine for the child, so she called them back for treatment. The local hospital diagnosed encephalitis sequela, and there are not many treatments in neurology. We advised her not to feel bad, and found an old doctor to see her. It was also this diagnosis that gave the child some nutritional medicine, and the old lady went back with confidence. If we hadn’t observed and found the old lady’s problem, it wouldn’t have been solved. How uncomfortable she was with her child in her arms, and so was her family when she went back to her home. Everyone who gave them that piece said that they were not satisfied with the Union Medical College Hospital. If this is solved, she will be calm and there will be no problem.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen is at the neurological service desk.
Another time, I saw a gay man yelling there, and the little girl next to him was crying, so I went over and asked what was going on. The gay man said that the doctor would give the child an EEG examination, but the child had lice on his head and had to get a haircut first. The girl was seven or eight years old. She wore two pigtails and didn’t want to get a haircut. As soon as she said it, she began to cry. I took them to Dongdan to find a barber shop and asked them to give the girl a haircut with a curtain. The girl looked in the mirror and was very happy. When she came back, she had her EEG done. They are Mongolians, and they don’t speak Mandarin very well. They keep saying thank you to us. Outpatient service is basically this kind of thing, that is, more care and observation are needed to help patients solve problems in time.
It seems quite simple to work in the outpatient department, but sometimes there are many problems, involving many aspects, such as patients from other places, ethnic minorities, farmers, overseas Chinese, etc. We should all think about what the party’s policies are for different groups and implement them.
▲ In 1989, neurology medical staff took a group photo in the outpatient clinic. From the right in the front row: Ling Xiuzhen, Huang Huifen, Tan Mingxun, Feng Yingkun, Zhao Baoxun, Guo Yupu, Tang Xiaofu and Li Shunwei.
Dong:I heard that you also carry out health education for patients, mainly through what forms? What effect has it achieved?
Ling: We also think it is very important to educate patients. At that time, it was mainly through oral preaching, blackboard newspaper, small cards and other forms. In addition to disease knowledge, there are also common sense science such as preventing gas poisoning. Some patients read it and said, I have to go back and clean up the stove at home.
Besides listening and watching, there are also thoughts. We guide patients to think carefully about when they got sick, whether they saw a doctor, what treatments they had, what the treatment effect was, and what the situation is now … So when they see the doctor, they will be comprehensive and the doctor can better understand the condition.
We do this propaganda, everyone is quiet, and the order of seeing a doctor is better. Later, the hospital encouraged us and awarded us a tape recorder, so we recorded well and told stories related to people’s health and life, which everyone loved to hear.
Dong:You have done a lot for patients. Have any patients done anything that moved you?
Ling: A female middle school teacher from Taipusi Banner, Inner Mongolia came to see a doctor and did many tests, but the results haven’t come out yet. She told us that she couldn’t wait any longer because the school was about to start and she couldn’t delay the students’ class. I say you go first, and we’ll concentrate these test results on the doctor and write a diagnosis for you after reading them. Later, I sent her the examination and diagnosis results, which solved her problem. She was so moved that she wrote a thank-you letter and sent a big bag of soybeans. We have "three disciplines and eight points for attention" [11], and we don’t take the needle and thread from the masses, so we sent the soybeans back to her.
Some brought us potatoes and wrote letters of commendation, and some suggested that we print out popular science materials and sell them to everyone as a bonus for nurses … People still have to get along with each other in good faith. From the interests of patients, you did the right thing, and everyone will support you. On this correct basis, we will unite and work together, and gradually it will get better and better.
▲ Ling Xiuzhen works at home.
Be indifferent to fame and fortune and walk with love
Dong:How is your life arranged after retirement?
Ling: My life is quite dull. I went abroad to stay with my daughter for two years after retirement. When I came back, I thought it was not a problem to just stay here, so I ordered a lot of newspapers and magazines. Some articles were quite good, so I cut them out and pasted them into a book. I sorted out ten boxes of state affairs, heroes, health knowledge, flowers and birds, Chinese paintings … I wanted to wait for the children to come back and show them how many great events have taken place in the country. This is an education for them, and this is the most content of my life. In addition, I also learn health knowledge from the Internet. I insist on walking for 30 minutes every day in the corridor outside the door. It was very difficult at first, but it became natural after a long time. I haven’t thought about how to live a long life, and I don’t think I’m old now. I don’t feel that way.
▲ In 1996, Ling Xiuzhen took a photo at the Washington Botanical Garden.
Dong:What do you think of the profession of nurse, from the dream of being a nurse to the life of nursing?
Ling: I chose this profession and still love it. Nurses are an indispensable and important part of medical treatment. I don’t have much knowledge and technology, and that’s all I can do, so I’ll do it well and contribute my strength to this. I’m glad to help others a little.
Dong:During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, you won the third-class merit. In 1981, you were named as a model worker in Beijing, and in 1983, you won the national March 8th Red Flag Bearer, and you were the first national March 8th Red Flag Bearer in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. After several decades, what do you think of these awards?
Ling: I don’t think it’s anything. I don’t think all these praises seem like a thing. When the prize is awarded, this meaning will pass.
▲ In 1981, Ling Xiuzhen was rated as a model worker in Beijing, and her photos and deeds were exhibited at the Working People’s Cultural Palace. Ling Xiuzhen and her lover Ao Ping took a group photo in front of the photo.
▲ In 1982, Ling Xiuzhen was awarded the honorary title of Beijing Model Worker in 1981.
▲ In 1983, Ling Xiuzhen won the honorary title of National March 8th Red Flag Bearer.
Dong:What is the most fulfilling thing for you?
Ling: I didn’t achieve anything, but I worked hard to unite my comrades in my work and accomplish the tasks assigned by the party together. In response to the hospital’s call to clean up the ward, after half a year’s work, I was able to report to the whole hospital as a typical example. Although it was a small achievement, it was the result of the joint efforts of comrades, who forged a deep friendship in the process. Up to now, they still miss me. I think this is an achievement. I hope I can pass on the story of the eighth floor and inspire young people to do a good job.
▲ On November 10th, 2022, a "sister" on the eighth floor celebrated Ling Xiuzhen’s centenary birthday. From the left in the front row: Jiang Xueling, Liu Xiuying, Ling Xiuzhen, Cui Liying and Gao Meili; From the left in the back row: Liu Xiurong, Wang Weihong, Wang Lifang, Zhang Yuzhen, Mei Chen, Zu Yunling, Yu Guoying, Ao Hong and Yu Hongyue.
Dong:What messages and instructions do you have for young people?
Ling: For young comrades, I hope that one should listen to the Party’s words, and the other should be strict with oneself, work hard and strictly abide by various rules and regulations. Without rules, Fiona Fang cannot be established. At the same time, we should innovate, strive to be a nurse who has both ability and political integrity and serves patients wholeheartedly, be the vanguard of the nursing field in China, and win glory in the world.
Concord has trained many medical and nursing talents. Concord’s work is very rigorous and strives for perfection, and it has treated countless difficult and serious patients, which is a great contribution. I hope that in the future, we will continue to protect people’s health, walk with love and create greater glories.
▲ In the Lantern Festival in 2023, Ling Xiuzhen was at home in Beijing.
annotate
[1] The school was founded in 1904 by American missionary Fu Shan and his wife Fu Kemud. It was originally a seven-year primary school. In 1923, it was changed to a six-year primary school and enrolled junior high school students. In 1927, the school name was changed from Fuyu Girls’ School to Fuyu Girls’ Middle School, and it is now the second middle school in Tongzhou District, Beijing.
[2] On September 24, 1937, the Japanese army occupied Baoding until it surrendered in August 1945. In the past eight years, the Japanese army carried out a cruel "three-light policy" in Baoding, causing numerous tragedies.
[3] The school was established in 1915, with a four-year academic system. The courses are set according to the requirements of the Chinese Nurses’ Association. Besides theoretical study, we also need to practice in Boji Hospital.
[4] Zhang Shumin, a former head nurse of beijing jishuitan hospital internal medicine clinic.
[5] Taigu Renshu Hospital is a missionary hospital, which was founded in 1904 by the American congregational couple Willoughby A. Hemingway, and is now the Taigu District People’s Hospital in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. In 1917, Renshu Hospital established the first nursing school in Shanxi. In 1920, the Nursing School of Renshu Hospital was officially registered in the Chinese Nurses’ Association, with a four-year academic system. The school accepts both men and women, and must be at least 18 years old. Women who are married do not accept it, and they are not allowed to marry before graduation. Students can only obtain the graduation certificate after completing the four-year course and passing the examination of the Chinese General Nurses Association.
[6] That is, the meaning of currency depreciation and inflation.
[7] Nie Yuchan (1903-1997), a native of Funing, Hebei Province, was a famous nursing scientist and educator, the first China-born principal of the Nursing School of Peking Union Medical College, and once served as the director of the nursing department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
[8] Wu Weiran (1920-2016), a famous surgeon, was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu.
[9] Zhang Jinzhe (1920-2022), born in Tianjin, was an expert in pediatric surgery and an academician of China Academy of Engineering.
[10] Iron lung is the first machine to replace the function of human organs. The air pump in iron lung can adjust the internal air pressure by pumping air and exhausting air, so as to press the chest to stimulate breathing, which can help patients who cannot breathe spontaneously to maintain normal breathing and prolong their survival time.
[11] The three major disciplines are: First, all actions are subject to command; Second, don’t take the masses; Three, all seized to the public. The eight points for attention are: first, speak kindly; Second, the sale is fair; Third, borrow things to return; Fourth, you have to pay for damaged things; Fifth, don’t beat people and swear; Sixth, do not damage crops; Seven, do not molest women; Eight, do not abuse prisoners.
Oral history column of old experts
Since 2017, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has set up the "Old Experts Oral Historical and Cultural Heritage Education Project". Through the collection and arrangement of words and images on the personal life history, major historical events and witnessed discipline development of Concord’s predecessors, it records and reflects the struggle history of Concord people in adhering to tradition, making great efforts and creating brilliant achievements, combs the historical context of the hospital and various disciplines, and analyzes the mystery of Concord’s century-old foundation. WeChat official account, the official WeChat of Concord, opened a column on the oral history of old experts, and published some oral contents of the old-timers in the form of interviews for readers.
Producer: Wu Peixin
Editor: Chen Mingyan
Finishing: Dong Lin Yan Xiaobo
Photography: Sun Liang
Camera: Liu Yushuan
Video: Li Yuanjing
Editor: Chen Xun Li Yuanjing
The contents of this article are excerpted from two interviews with head nurse Ling Xiuzhen, some of which are from Ling Xiuzhen’s personal file, and some of the pictures in this article are provided by Ling Xiuzhen.
