LINGUIST List 6.727

Wed 24 May 1995

All: A Plea from Peking University

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1. Helen Dry, please post

[Moderators' note: we're usually pretty strict, possibly rigid, in
refusing to post messages having nothing to do with linguistics. But we're
making an exception with the message below. We're convinced it's
genuine; and it's the first message LINGUIST has received from China. Also,
LINGUIST is the largest academic list, so we can disseminate it widely
fast. Even though you aren't physicians, maybe you know of someone
who can help Zhu Ling? -Helen & Anthony]


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>Received: from usthk.ust.hk by usthk.ust.hk (PMDF #2850) id
> (01HPU2ZK9GOO8Y7A3Rusthk.ust.hk>; Thu, 27 Apr 1995 13:33:54 +0800
>Date: Thu, 27 Apr 1995 13:33:54 +0800
>From: Willis Wai Lun CHAN Physics Department HKUST (PHWLCHANusthk.ust.hk>
>Subject: a mail from Peking University
>To: 93809374cityu.edu.hk, 94870331cityu.edu.hk
>Message-id: (01HPU2ZK9QBU8Y7A3Rusthk.ust.hk>
>Organization: The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)
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>MIME-version: 1.0
>Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
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>
>
>For all, please read and forward the mail to as many people as possible.
>This girl desperately needs help. The more this circulates, the better
>chance that someone who knows what to do can be found. Thanks!
>
>
>
> Hi,
> This is Peking University in China, a place of those dreams of
>freedom and democracy. However, a young, 21-year old student
>has become very sick and is dying. The illness is very rare. Though
>they have tried, doctors at the best hospitals in Beijing cannot cure
>her; many do not even know what illness it is. So now we are asking
>the world -- can somebody help us?
> Here is a description of the illness:
> The young woman -- her name is Zhu Ling -- is a student in
>the chemistry department. On DEC. 5, 1994, Zhu Ling felt sick in
>her stomach. Three days later, her hair began to fall out and within
>two days she was completely bald. She entered the hospital, but the
>doctors could not find the season for her illness. However,
>after she was in the hospital for a month, she began to feel better
>and her hair grew back. Zhu Ling went back to school in February,
>but in March her legs began to ache severely, and she felt dizzy.
>She entered XieHe(Harmony) Hospital - the most famous hospital in China.
>On March 15, her symptoms worsened. She began facial paralysis, central
>muscle of eye's paralysis, self-controlled respiration disappeared. So `
>she was put on a respirator.
> The doctors did many tests for many diseases including anti-
>H2V, spinal cord puncture, NMR, immune system, chemical drug
>intoxication ANA,ENA,DSONA,ZG and Lyme, but all were
>negative, except for Lyme disease(ZGM(+)).
> The doctors now think that it might be acute disseminated
>encephalomyelitis(ADEM) or lupus erythematosus(LE), but the
>data from the tests did not support this conclusion.
> The doctors are now treating Zhu Ling with broad-spectrum
>antibiotic of cephalosporin, anti-virus drug, hormone, immun-
>oadjuvent, gamma globulin intravenous injection and have given
>her plasma exchange(PE) of 10,000 CCs. But Zhu Ling has not
>responded -- she reamers in a vegetative state, sustained by life
>support.
> If anyone has heard of patients with similar symptoms -- or
>have any ideas as to what this illness could be, please contact us.
>We are Zhu Ling's friends and we are disparate to help her.
> This is the first time that Chinese try to find help from
>Internet, please send back E-mail to us. We will send more crystal
>description of her illness to you.
> our email is: caiqqmccux0.mech.pku.edu.cn
>
> Thank you very much
> Peking University
> April 10th, 1995
>==========================================================================
>
>
>----- End forwarded message