Who was Wu Lien-teh, the Google-honored doctor who fought the scourge of Manchuria and invented the chinstrap against the coronavirus

The use of jugular, quarantine and the rest of the health measures that the majority of humanity uses to prevent the contagion of coronavirus have a manager: the Dr. Wu Lien-teh. For this reason, today Google honors with its traditional doodle to the Malaysian doctor considered the father of Chinese public health since he saved the population of this country from the Manchu plague (pneumonic plague in 1911) which caused hundreds of deaths per day.

Wu Lien-teh was born in Penang, one of the Malaysian provinces and, at only 17 years old, got a scholarship to study at the prestigious Cambridge University, England. Around this time, his career took a meteoric rise. Wu Lien tea obtained his doctorate on March 10, 1879, two years earlier than expected, and became the first student of Chinese descent to earn this degree. He obtained several academic awards and completed his training in Germany and France. Although private medicine allows him to gain prestige and money, Wu Lien-teh has always maintained his passion for public health.

The scourge of Manchuria, the epidemic that led Wu Lien-teh to invent the jugular

In the fall of 1910, an unknown disease caused hundreds of deaths a day in northwest China.. In four months, it spread to five provinces and six cities, killing more than 60,000. The epidemic transformed into an international health crisis when the residents of Harbin threw the bodies on the streets and left the city.

Before the amazement, the government summoned Wu Lien-teh investigate the epidemiological situation. Three days after arriving in the city affected by the epidemic, Wu performed the first autopsy on a woman with the disease. After your studies, concluded it was pneumonic plague (Manchurian fish) which could be transmitted by breath and human fluids, similar to coronavirus. These statements went against the general belief in the West, where it was believed that the vector of contagion of the disease was contact with rats or bites of fleas.

Wu Lien-teh’s plan to fight the epidemic

The innovative doctor set a precedent for the management of epidemics and pandemics like the one the world is going through because of Covid-19. Wu Lien-teh pushed the the creation of special hospitals for infected patients, quarantine stations, the implementation of restrictions on the movement of people to prevent the spread of the virus and contagion monitoring equipment.

However, Wu is best known for his revolutionary idea of ​​designing and manufacturing a special surgical mask. made from cotton and gauze, to which he added several layers of fabric to filter saliva droplets. In addition, he recommended that this mask be used by the entire population to avoid contagion.

Another of his greatest contributions to the fight against the epidemic was discovering that the corpses of the Chinese winter would serve as an incubator for the plague virus. For this reason, Wu Lien-teh offered to remove corpses and unburied coffins from the cemetery for mass cremation, an act strictly prohibited by law and constituting a sacrilege according to popular tradition.

Fortunately, the sanitarist convinced the authorities and on January 30, 1911 3000 corpses and coffins were cremated. This measure made it possible to reduce the number of deaths due to the plague of Manchuria and on March 1, 1911 no new infections were recorded.

THE NATION