On March 23, a SARS patient was admitted to the Emergency Treatment Department.

Over the following days, the patient's condition worsened and by March 26, he had difficulty breathing. The only way to save his life was to cut open his trachea and connect his lungs to a respiratory machine.

The operation was dangerous. When the patient's windpipe was cut open, a great deal of mucus which had accumulated in the lung would be ejected.

Anyone whose skin came into contact with this mucus faced the danger of being infected by the killer SARS as well.

An experienced doctor who had been following the Hippocrate's Oath for 33 years, Liang was aware of the danger.

Liang's hospital, one of the most authoritative in Shanxi, had been burdened with treating confirmed and suspected SARS patients since early March.

Shanxi is the third worst SARS-hit area on the Chinese mainland. According to the Ministry of Health, the province had recorded 450 SARS cases by yesterday. The figure was lower than those of Beijing and Guangdong, but more than other provincial regions.

As the most senior doctor at the Emergency Department, Liang shouldered greater responsibility than his colleagues. He always stayed at his office at night. Because the hospital was short of hands, he even did the daily cleaning work himself.

Now Liang's subordinates - six doctors and nurses at the Emergency Department - gathered around in his office, waiting for him to make a decision.

There was no time to be hesitant.

"Let us begin the operation," said Liang, who suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.

The operation continued for several hours, and all seven doctors and nurses worked without rest during the whole process.

But it was all in vain and the patient passed away several days later in spite of the hospital's efforts.

And a total of 19 medical personnel at the People's Hospital, including Liang, became infected.

On April 7 - 12 days after he became infected - Liang began to feel discomfort. He did not pay much attention to it at first, attributing it to his chronic pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes and hypertension, which he had developed years ago.

But on second thoughts, he decided to quarantine himself at home because of the possibility of SARS and inadvertently infecting others.

His condition worsened. Three days later, his body temperature rose, and his breathing became increasingly difficult. It was at that time that he informed the hospital.

On 8 am, April 24, Liang passed away.

"He had good reasons to go missing during the fight against SARS, but he never did. I feel proud of him," said Liang's wife Bai Cuilian, who is also a doctor.

In 1970, Liang joined the People's Hospital after he graduated from Shanxi Medical Institute. He won praise from his colleagues and the hospital for his hard work.

Between 1996 and 1999, he served as a member of the Chinese medical team to Cameroon.

(China Daily May 26, 2003)