The Hospital Is a Zoo

Wang Geduo

Guangdong People’s Publishing House

June 2024

56.00 (CNY)

This is a unique logbook from a hospital’s general duty office. The author is not a doctor， a patient， or a family member， yet from the perspective of a “bystander” in the hospital， he captures the myriad aspects of life， the vast spectrum of human emotions， and the countless struggles and uncertainties that occur between life and death within its walls.

Wang Geduo

Wang Geduo， a journalism graduate， unexpectedly found his way into a hospital and became a “bystander” in the medical world. Though not a doctor， he possesses some medical knowledge; though not a patient， he spends every day in the hospital; though not a family member， he deeply experiences the joys and sorrows of those around them.

Humans are fragile; just one tiny insect can be enough to threaten our lives. Yet， we are also strong， because we can always find people to support each other， providing us with the most solid strength， both physically and spiritually.

This is a story a colleague once told me.

The patient was a 31-year-old worker from a mine， who had been recruited from the countryside to work in Taiyuan. On his way home from work， he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his finger. When he looked at his hand， he saw that an unknown insect had bitten his thumb. He shook the insect off and stomped it to death， thinking nothing more of it.

That night， he woke up in pain; his thumb was throbbing intensely. He thought it might just be an infection and decided to deal with it the next day. However， when he woke up in the morning， he found that his thumb was swollen and his joints were starting to ache. So， he went to one hospital. The doctor took one look and said， “You need to transfer to another hospital immediately; we can’t handle this.”

On the way to the new hospital， the patient started to develop a fever， and his entire hand began to swell， with severe pain spreading up his arm. When he arrived at our hospital， the doctors immediately administered antibiotics and performed a debridement procedure on his thumb， initially diagnosing a deep infection. Under normal circumstances， with antibiotics and proper cleaning of the wound， this should have been sufficient. However， that night， the patient’s entire hand turned dark and blackened， losing all sensation. The doctors conducted an emergency exploration and found that the area around the bite was completely necrotic and spreading rapidly. Without amputation， his life could be at risk.

The doctors spoke with the patient’s wife before the surgery. She was also from the countryside， not much educated， but kind and sensible. She said， “Do whatever is necessary to save his life.” That night， the doctors amputated the patient’s thumb. According to hospital regulations， only one person was allowed to stay as a caregiver. During the night， the doctor on duty saw the wife sitting with a young child， about three years old， in the fire escape. He informed her that only one caregiver was allowed to stay overnight. She heard him but didn’t respond.

Later， around 10 p.m.， when the doctor was doing his rounds， he heard the faint sound of a child in the restroom. He realized that the wife and child were hiding there to avoid being caught during the checks， but he chose not to report it to the nurses. He understood that for a rural family， the loss of the primary breadwinner’s ability to work would be devastating. At around 11 p.m.， he saw the three-year-old boy sleeping soundly in his father’s arms.

But the ordeal wasn’t over.

On the third day， the patient’s forearm started showing signs of ischemia. An emergency exploration revealed that the necrosis had spread to the forearm， and further amputation was necessary to control the infection. The patient and his wife sat together at his bedside. The patient said， “What am I going to do now that I’m disabled? I’m just a useless burden.” His wife reassured him， saying， “It’s okay. You’ve taken care of me all these years. Now it’s my turn to take care of you.” After the forearm amputation， the patient’s life was finally saved. He told the doctors that he had three children --- the eldest was nine， the second was seven， and the youngest was only three. He never imagined that a single insect bite could lead to such a situation. “Maybe this is just fate.”

Later， his wife started a breakfast stand selling things like fried dough sticks and tofu. Despite the hardships， the couple remained as close as a pair of geese， weathering the storms of life together. Their three children grew up well under their care， and the youngest boy even got into university.

I asked my colleague， “How do you know so much about what happened afterward?” He replied， “I was that three-year-old boy， and the doctor who operated on my father later became my mentor. I used to wonder why an insect bite led to my father’s arm being amputated， but after studying medicine， I understood that it was the only choice at the time.”

Once， when I visited my colleague’s home， I met his father， who had lost one of his forearms. Despite the wrinkles on his face， his laughter was hearty and joyful. His mother， a gentle old lady， quietly listened as we talked， all the while smiling at us.