The first person in the world to discover "chlamydia".
The first Chinese in the world to discover an important pathogen.
Presided over the first "Biological Product Manufacturing Inspection Regulations" in New China
He led the team to isolate the world's first trachoma pathogen, and in order to test the experimental effect, the pathogen was personally "planted" in his own eye, thus reducing the incidence of trachoma in mainland China from more than 50% to less than 10%.
Too many labels have come to this particularly respected microbial expert, "risking his life" and "testing the virus", what kind of extraordinary experience does this man known as the "father of Chinese vaccines" have?
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Warriors in the medical profession
"Why can't China produce a 'Pasteur of the East'"?
This is the goal set by Tang Feifan after coming into contact with medicine, and in his opinion, China cannot fall behind in the level of medicine that is available abroad.
Since then, it has become Tang Feifan's lifelong struggle to invent a method of prevention and prevent hundreds of millions of people from infectious diseases.
From giving up engineering to study medicine at the age of 17 and applying for Xiangya, to later choosing to become the Oriental "Pasteur" and being admitted to the Department of Bacteriology of Peking Union Medical College to continue his studies, Tang Feifan has been striving for himself to become a medical leader.
During the three years in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Tang Feifan was proficient in various experimental techniques, but in order to make his skills more exquisite, Tang Feifan chose to go abroad for further study.
Tang Feifan's goal is very clear, since he wants to invent a disease that can prevent hundreds of millions of people, then it is necessary to study bacteriology, in the years at Harvard, this leader in the field of medicine is favored by American tutors, but Tang Feifan has always been determined.
"My country's scientific undertaking is very backward, and I hope to contribute to the development of my country's microbial science. ”
Carrying his bags again, full of knowledge accumulated abroad, Tang Feifan's eyes were full of determination, and the first thing he did when he returned to his motherland was to do research.
"Try your best" and "as soon as possible" is Tang Feifan's life creed, and it is also because Tang Feifan resolutely returned to China and used his knowledge to promote the country's medical development, and since then the mainland has its own virology discipline.
From 1929 to 1937, Tang Feifan published more than 20 valuable papers on the methodology of viruses, such as trachoma and bovine pleurisy.
Tang Feifan is a promising future star in the medical field.
However, just when Tang Feifan thought that everything would be fine, Japan's war of aggression against China made Tang Feifan rethink the meaning of his research.
Always strive for the motherland
Tang Feifan's goal has always been to develop a vaccine that can save hundreds of millions of people from suffering, but watching the people be displaced, the city being invaded, and becoming a slave to the country, Tang Feifan began to think about his own medical research.
After all, his purpose is to ensure the health of his countrymen, not the aggressor.
Just when Tang Feifan was frustrated, he received an invitation from Yan Fuqing, who was then the director of the National Government's Health Department, and invited him to Changsha to preside over the work of the Central Epidemic Prevention Department.
It is also for this reason that serving the people and always striving for the motherland seems to have found some meaning for his own research on the virus.
However, the war was ruthless, and Changsha was in danger several times, but Tang Feifan's desire to promote medical progress became more and more intense.
Because of the precarious situation in Changsha, the Central Epidemic Prevention Department moved its location to Kunming, and a hospital called Kunhua Hospital was the final laboratory.
It was also here that microbial research was conducted, and China's first clinical penicillin was born here.
In 1941, two American scientists found a purification method on the basis of Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, and the birth of penicillin was a powerful tool for the benefit of many human beings.
However, during the war, the United States alone could not keep up with the "supply" for penicillin, let alone China, and penicillin extraction was listed as a military secret of the United States.
In order to be able to extract penicillin, Tang Feifan led the team to start "trial production" of penicillin again and again by borrowing his own knowledge, from finding the strain that produced penicillin, to finding an environment suitable for the growth of the strain, and then accidentally extracting penicillium from a technician's leather shoes that he had not worn for a long time.
Even if it is extracted, how to cultivate qualified Penicillium has become the key. Tried again and again, failed again and again.
In 1942, Tang Feifan led the team to finally cultivate qualified Penicillium.
In 1949, the first bottle of crude penicillin products developed by China was born in the Central Epidemic Prevention Department in Kunming.
As a result, under the leadership of Tang Feifan, the Central Epidemic Prevention Department has gradually become a unique biological research base, rabies vaccine, cowpox vaccine...... Tang Feifan led the team to gradually save the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Tang Feifan, who once longed for more people to be free from the suffering of disease, is realizing his vision step by step.
After the liberation of Peking in 1949, Tang Feifan continued to lead the team to work hard for the health of the people.
It is precisely because of Tang Feifan's advice and advice that the mainland has since had a unified biological product quality management system.
It can be said that every step Tang Feifan took was extremely risky, and a large number of people appeared plague after New China.
In order to protect the people from disaster, Tang Feifan extracted and improved the only treatment vaccines that survived in the Northeast and were left by the Japanese, just to develop a vaccine that was more suitable for Chinese constitution.
In mid-November 1949, in just one month, 900 doses of live plague vaccine were issued, far exceeding the number of copies required by the central government's order.
After studying day and night, forgetting to sleep and eating, in a month, Tang Feifan led the team to develop a vaccine.
However, these are only the tip of the iceberg in Tang Feifan's contributions to the country.
In 1951, in order to eradicate "smallpox", Tang Feifan led the team to develop the ether sterilization method, and it was under Tang Feifan's leadership that the mainland controlled smallpox 16 years earlier than the world.
In 1954, Tang Feifan led the team to turn their attention to trachoma, at that time, the incidence of trachoma in mainland China was about 55%, and in rural areas, the number of people suffering from trachoma was as high as 80%.
Because of the backward level of medicine, many people suffer from infectious conjunctival keratitis because of trachoma, and even have eye blindness in severe cases.
In order to protect the Chinese people from trachoma, in 1957, Tang Feifan decided to "test the poison by himself".
Tang Feifan ordered his assistant to "drop" the trachoma pathogen into his eye, and insisted on not treating it for 40 days, just to obtain a set of clinical data.
In the two years since, the incidence of trachoma in China has dropped from just over 50% to less than 10%.
This titanic figure in the Chinese medical field, Tang Feifan has created too many medical miracles.
Unfortunately, this venerable scholar hanged himself at the age of 61 because he was falsely accused.
And the labels and achievements he left behind are the best helpers for the benefit of the people so far, and Tang Feifan, who has left too many medical works for future generations, has already become a legendary figure like "Pasteur" for the benefit of mankind as he wished back then.
Tang Feifan is a "man with a capital letter", and it is difficult to reflect the contribution of this great doctor to the people, nor his determination to resolutely choose to return to China to dedicate himself to the medical cause of the motherland.
Tang Feifan has created too many "firsts" in the medical field, and just like his original vision, Tang Feifan hopes to create research that can save hundreds of millions of people from suffering is benefiting generations of Chinese people.
And this "father of Chinese vaccines" Tang Feifan will always be remembered by the Chinese people.
Resources:
Tang Feifan - The Father of Chinese Vaccines, Science and Technology World, 2023, CNKI
Scientist Calendar | "His contribution helped the mainland eradicate smallpox 16 years earlier than the world" - Tang Feifan, 2023, The Paper