Zhang Tingdong
Zhang Tingdong (; born on November 8, 1932) is a Chinese medical scientist, pharmaceutical chemist, and educator in Harbin Medical University, 1st affiliated Hospital, and is best known for discovering of using arsenic trioxide to treat leukemia, which was regarded as a significant breakthrough of anti-leukemia medicine in the 20th Century and improvement for the lives of people with leukemia. Early life. Zhang was born November 8, 1932. Education. In 1950, Zhang graduated from Harbin Medical University. In 1963, he also earned doctorate degree of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ever since, he has worked in the 1st Affiliated Hospital  of Harbin Medical University, specializing in Hematology of Integrative of Chinese and Western Medicine Career. In March 1971, Han Taiyun of the 1st Affiliated Hospital started to treat cancer patients with a formula he collected from traditional Chinese medicine doctors, presumed using an oral formula, a mixture of many ingredients, including arsenic chemicals, mercury chloride, and cinobufagin venom toad. Later, Han Taiyun turned the formula into an injection form, called "713" "cancer spirit" administered by intramuscular injection. For certain tumors, it worked and became a local hit. But Han Taiyun gave it up because the formula was too toxic for  some patients, including renal toxicity and hypertension. Zhang is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine at First Clinical Hospital affiliated to Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China. In 1972, Zhang picked up Han Taiyun's work or started to cooperate with Han Taiyun to continue working on this formula. Instead of working on many cancers, Zhang Tingdong focused mainly on leukemia. Also, instead of using a mixture of many ingredients, Zhang Tingdong started to test each individual component of the formula. He found that arsenic component is effective, mercury chloride was not effective but caused renal toxicity, and cinobufagin venom  toad was not effective but caused high blood pressure. Their first paper was published in 1973. Zhang Ting, Pengfei Zhang, Wang Shouren, Han Taiyn at the Heilongjiang medical reports. They used "cancer injection" (also called "1st cancer spirit") in the treatment of 6 cases of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. They used arsenic trioxide as the main ingredient, with some trace "pink powder (mercury chloride)". After the treatment, 6 patients with symptoms have improved, including a chronic leukemia acute patients as well. They also mentioned that arsenic trioxide is effective in treating acute leukemia.