This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”If you know it, just say it. No need to make a fuss,” Du Heng gently chided Wu Buwei. After all, this wasn’t their office; there were many patients around.

Sudden bursts of excitement could give patients the impression of instability.

Wu Buwei obediently corrected his demeanor and promptly said, ”As stated in the Pulse Canon, ’If the pulse is hidden and firm, going both straight up and down, it pertains to convulsive diseases in the interior of Yangming.’”

He couldn’t help but smack his head. ”Facial redness, sweating without urination—these are symptoms of Yangming disease. How could I forget that?”

Du Heng chuckled and comforted Wu Buwei, ”You did well with the syndrome differentiation; you’re making progress. Now, let’s come up with a prescription.”

Du Jiang felt lost; he couldn’t understand what they were saying at all. His worry grew, thinking he had some serious illness. He anxiously asked, ”Du Heng, enough with the cryptic talk. Just tell me, what exactly is my illness?”

”Relax, you just have a cold. It’s just a bit severe.”

”Don’t try to fool me. You’re talking about a Sun disease and some Yangming disease, which I’ve never heard of before. Don’t treat me like an idiot.”

Feeling helpless, Du Heng said, ”Don’t believe me? Ask Fei. See if I’m lying.” He then brought over Du Fei, who was standing nearby.

Ignoring whether his question might embarrass Du Heng, Du Jiang directly asked Du Fei, ”Fei, do I really just have a cold?”

Du Fei nodded. ”Yes, you just have a cold. It’s just that everyone describes it differently. To explain it to you, the usual cold is a broad term. When we say diseases of the Sun or Yangming, we’re just categorizing it more specifically; the names are different.”

After hearing this explanation, Du Jiang felt relieved. Du Heng didn’t elaborate on the explanation; although not entirely accurate, it got the point across.

The conversation didn’t disturb Wu Buwei, who was deep in thought and finally suggested with some hesitation, ”We should use Pueraria Decoction.”

Du Heng didn’t comment on whether it was right or wrong, just said, ”Kudzu root can treat Yangming conditions, so your direction is correct, but it won’t cure the headache. How will you handle that?”

Wu Buwei once again fell into silence, his head lowered in thought.

At that moment, Du Fei interrupted, ”Xiao Heng, what about Ephedra Decoction?”

Du Heng shook his head.

From this answer, it was clear that Du Fei’s knowledge was still not as advanced as Wu Buwei’s.

Though Pueraria Decoction might not show results immediately, the direction and medication were correct. However, using Ephedra Decoction for these symptoms would be a serious mistake.

Senior medical institutions have a responsibility to mentor lower-level or grassroots medical workers. They should send staff to work on the front line periodically to address grassroots medical issues and assist grassroots medical workers’ advancement.

However, their Health Clinic never received such mentorship from senior medical institutions, and they did not provide this type of assistance to village doctors.

There were many reasons for this, but the key point, laziness, summed it up.

Du Heng didn’t show signs of dissatisfaction or impatience. Instead, he seriously explained, ”One of the uses of Ephedra Decoction is to induce sweating. However, Du Jiang is currently in a state of sweating without urination. If he takes Ephedra Decoction, he’ll sweat non-stop and his thirst will worsen, thus complicating his symptoms.”

Upon hearing Du Heng’s explanation, Du Fei regretted not thinking this through. He’d been only thinking about treating the Sun disease, considering which herbs to use, and had overlooked this critical symptom.

Heat in the head denotes the Yang energy blocked above. The Sun meridian runs up the back to the head, and the Yangming channel reaches the mouth. The disease is located at the top. If Ephedra Decoction is administered to induce sweating, uncontrolled sweating would exacerbate the patient’s urinary obstruction, causing the disease to move downwards. Isn’t that a change in symptoms! What a sigh of regret! Such a lack of careful thinking!

Once Du Jiang knew for sure he had a cold, he was no longer impatient. Instead, he became interested in the scene unfolding before him.

Even with a quick comparison, it was clear that Du Heng was far superior to the other two in terms of skill. The prescriptions they pondered over were easily critiqued by Du Heng, who could quickly point out deficiencies or mistakes. This difference was striking.

Having someone like him attend to his illness, Du Jiang didn’t mind being ”practiced” on by a disciple. On the contrary, he felt reassured and engrossed in the spectacle.

Even those who had completed their check-ups and had nothing better to do crowded around. After all, it wasn’t common for them to witness such a spectacle. Watching someone else’s blunder was always entertaining.

As more people gathered, the two participants felt more pressure, especially Du Fei, whose forehead was starting to sweat.

It was easier for Wu Buwei; being a disciple, if he made a mistake, Du Heng would cover for him, and everyone would accept it.

But it wouldn’t work for him. He was already a doctor treating patients, and the spectators were his patients. If he couldn’t answer, it would be embarrassing.

But he only had himself to blame. Wouldn’t it have been better to sit back and enjoy the show instead of sticking his neck out?

Unlike Du Fei, Wu Buwei didn’t have as many thoughts running through his mind. He was just earnestly contemplating what to do next.

Reading many books, it turned out, was ultimately useful; it allowed him to recall an answer.

”Brother, I’ve got it. Let’s modify the White Tiger Decoction.”

Du Heng wasn’t surprised. If Wu Buwei hadn’t come up with that, he’d have to copy books again when he returned.

”Let’s hear it.”

With Du Heng’s relaxed tone, Wu Buwei gained some confidence and declared, ”We use gypsum and anemarrhena to purge the fire-evil of Yangming. Bupleurum and gardenia are used to cut off the path of Lesser Yang. Ophiopogon is used to clear supplement its lung metal qi, preventing the fire-evil from ascending. Poria guides the fire down to the bladder to be discharged through urine, and any remaining Sun disease will be expelled with it. As for ginseng, licorice, and bamboo leaf, they are merely for harmonizing the viscera, implementing a combined strategy of attack and supplement.”

Du Heng nodded in approval. ”Now that you’ve explained it clearly, write the prescription.”

”Gypsum (30g), anemarrhena (6g), ophiopogon (60g)... gardenia (3g). Decoct in water and ingest. One dose alleviates the headache; two doses reduce body heat, stop sweating, and relieve thirst.”

Wu Buwei answered confidently, sure that he wouldn’t make a mistake this time.

Du Heng didn’t refute him. Seeing Du Fei wanting to speak but stopping himself, he asked, ”Fei, do you have any thoughts?”

Du Fei hesitated, fearful of making another mistake. If he got it wrong again, it would be utterly humiliating.

”Speak your mind, Fei. When treating illnesses, we should freely express our ideas for the greater good. It’s okay to make a mistake now; at least we still have a chance to correct it. If the patient has already taken the medicine and started treatment, and only then do we realize our mistake, it would be too late.”

That makes sense. Face is important, but such learning opportunities must also be seized, right? ”Du Jiang has been sick for eight or nine days, and his body is somewhat weak. I think Dr. Wu’s prescription is too potent; the Depuration Decoction would be more appropriate.”

Du Heng instantly gave Du Fei a thumbs-up, waving it enthusiastically. ”You indeed have experience as a doctor. Your consideration is thorough.”

After that, he looked at Wu Buwei and said, ”You need to think more when prescribing medication. Whether the prescription suits the symptoms is important, but whether the patient’s body can handle it is also crucial.”

”I’ll keep that in mind, Brother.”