The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 309

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 309

It’s not a question with a definitive answer.

Even the treatment goals are ambiguous. Both immunity and physical ability are abstract concepts that cannot be measured.

There are many herbal medicines that can supplement these areas. Ssanghwatang, Bojungikgitang, Sipjeondaebotang, etc. – any of them would be helpful.

But if you try to meet the patient’s demands by adding joint medicine, respiratory treatment medicine, and even weight loss medicine for dieting, it becomes a complete hodgepodge.

[1. Confirm priorities.]

[2. Conduct a full-body symptom inquiry for pattern identification.]

[3. Set the top treatment priority and provide guidance on expected treatment duration.]

In situations like this, I tend to set priorities and focus on treating at least one thing properly.

If you try to do everything, patients remain uncertain whether they’ve improved even after taking medicine for a month.

Lee Ahreum and Jeon Minji, perhaps because they’ve been observing me, wrote down answers that weren’t much different.

[1. Priority questions / 2. Inquiry for pattern identification information / 3. Check medical history and current medications / 4. Explain that treatment must be sequential]

[Confirm patient and guardian priorities. / Gather information needed for pattern identification by asking about systemic symptoms / Decide whether to go with tonifying medicine to build physical ability and promote growth, or go with ephedra formulas for respiratory treatment and weight loss]

Though the expressions were slightly different, it was essentially the same story.

Lee Ahreum wrote almost identically to me, while Jeon Minji’s explanation was a bit longer and more specific, but would likely follow a similar protocol in actual consultations.

“Wow! They’re identical. As expected, we should check priorities first in situations like this, right?”

“Ah… I was wondering whether I should just tell them to start with weight loss, but I used my own method instead. I’m relieved it seems correct.”

“There’s no right or wrong. Everyone can do it their own way.”

Lee Ahreum found it interesting, while Jeon Minji, still anxious but reassured, picked up her pen.

Besides this patient, I had prepared many more problems.

I played the same game several more times with the prepared hypothetical patients and recent patients I’d seen.

“If a patient comes with wrist pain, what would you do first?”

[Ask about current medical history, check the injured area]

[Visually examine the painful area and palpate / Ask how they got injured or when the pain started]

[Ultrasound scan first]

“Oh…”

“You could do the scan first too!”

Sometimes different answers came up.

“If you’re walking down the street and see a man collapsed and bleeding, what would you do?”

“Huh? Shouldn’t we call an ambulance and police…?”

“Check vitals! Oh wait, no – check safety first to see if the perpetrator is still around!”

“But what if the man is mafia and refuses ambulance transport?”

“What?”

Sometimes the two couldn’t understand the problem, so no discussion took place.

There were many issues beyond treatment direction.

I also asked specific questions about where to place acupuncture needles for certain conditions, what medicine to use given all the inquiry information, and how to respond to side effect complaints.

Even so, the possible situations were fairly standard, and most could be answered without difficulty since they had experienced them at least once while working as private practitioners or attending physicians.

“Oh, a patient is here.”

“It’s my patient. I asked at the front desk and they said observation is fine. Think about how you would treat them.”

“Yes!”

The day passed in a flash as we observed patients when they came and did case studies during breaks.

“How was today for you?”

“It was very fulfilling. Writing it out like this really revealed what I know and what I don’t know.”

When I asked for her thoughts, Jeon Minji blushed slightly.

“You know more than you thought, right?”

“Yes. Doctor Han, I was surprised that my answers matched yours and Director Lee’s. I feel like I’m not going down the wrong path.”

At first, she worried about whether each answer was correct and agonized over writing them, but gradually her hand movements became more comfortable.

The pressure about the game disappeared, and chatting with Lee Ahreum and me became easier too.

“Thank you both for being so considerate. Actually, I envied Director Lee a lot, but you welcomed me and treated me so well that I’m even embarrassed.”

“Eh, me?”

No wonder she was happy when I suggested visiting the headquarters.

Lee Ahreum scratched her head sheepishly.

“I can’t even compare to a hair of Doctor Han or Dr. Hwang… Actually, I thought Director Jeon was enviable for being able to see various patients. I’m curious what foreign patients’ pulses are like!”

“Huh? Oh, they’re not that different.”

We chatted about the patients Jeon Minji had been seeing while leaving work together.

Hmm, next time I should ask her to give a separate lecture on pulse diagnosis at the study group.

Since she’s been gaining tremendous experience, she probably has something to learn from a different perspective than Kim Chunsik, who studied theory first, or me, who actually reads qi.

“There are definitely things Director Lee can grow from being at headquarters. Please take as much as you can while staying in Busan. I’ll try my best to pass it on too.”

“Thank you.”

“And since you’re a private practitioner in Jeju, there will be experiences unique to that, and there are definitely advantages to running a special clinic with Director Yu. Look at the positive aspects. Just like patients get better faster when they think positively that treatment alone will help them improve, right?”

“Really… I think so too.”

Jeon Minji nodded while fidgeting with her answer sheets she had brought.

Just being able to come to Busan was possible because she was with Yu Gyeonghun.

She seemed to handle complaints even better than me.

Actually, I haven’t had much direct experience dealing with them because Seo Inae is so competent.

“Could you give me more problems in the future? Doing this made me understand why we take exams.”

That’s something a professor would be very happy to hear.

“You really are model students. Saying exams are good.”

“But you’re the only one here who graduated as valedictorian!”

What’s with bringing up graduation grades from ages ago. I changed the subject.

“Haha, don’t you have any other questions?”

“So what’s the answer to that stabbed man problem from earlier?”

“…Ahem, you should head home quickly. It’s gotten quite late.”

And I changed the subject again.

Indeed, normally you wouldn’t encounter a stabbed patient on the street.

Just 10 years ago, sword fights breaking out in inns was an everyday occurrence, but these young people nowadays, really.

* * *

The next day, Thursday, was my day off. The day after that, Friday, was Lee Ahreum’s day off.

“Yewon, I heard you did something interesting the day before yesterday….”

Perhaps hearing about it from Lee Ahreum on my day off, Hwang Sanghun quietly came to the examination room and brought it up.

“Do you want to try it too, older brother? Really?”

“…Is that not okay?”

“No, of course it’s great!”

At his dejected expression, I hurriedly waved my hands.

Fortunately, Jeon Minji said it was fine too, so this time the three of us solved problems together with Hwang Sanghun.

“Wow, there really is a reason why so many patients specifically seek out Dr. Hwang.”

His answers were at least three times longer than mine, Jeon Minji’s, and Lee Ahreum’s.

A good case of his somewhat anxious personality manifesting as thoroughness.

Jeon Minji really came to the clinic every single day.

She was so enthusiastic that I wondered if it was okay for someone who came to rest.

I had to forcibly send her to tourist areas, saying she needed at least one day to play to her heart’s content.

“I’ll work hard when I go back too. Thank you for inviting me!”

By the time she was returning to Jeju Island, her face was filled with motivation similar to what I’d seen in the early days of opening her clinic.

Hmm, even if I couldn’t pull her out of the valley of despair, I hope I at least gave her the strength to climb up on her own.

After returning to medical practice like that, a few days later.

– How’s the progress of that maehyeokgi patient from last time? I’m curious if the Geumsuyukgunjon was effective.

To Kim Chunsik’s question, Jeon Minji answered very brightly.

– Yes yes! She’s more than half better. She says she wants to take it for another month, and I think we can get to 100%. Thanks to coming to Jeju Island, her illness is healing, and she even thanked me saying she was glad to meet me…!

She even got slightly teary-eyed. It seemed she had been very worried about whether this patient would recover.

– That person gave me boxes of tangerines as a gift. Would you directors like to share some? It’s an amount that the two of us couldn’t finish even if we ate them all year.

“An outsider gave tangerines as a gift to someone from Jeju Island?”

– That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Yu Gyeonghun also seemed pleased despite grumbling.

– Since it’s famous as a tourist course, she came in just thinking about having a consultation once, but then decided on treatment. She realized it wasn’t something to neglect after talking seriously with Minji. She gave the gift saying she almost failed to cure it even after resting well.

– Ah, I thought from the beginning that she was a patient who came specifically to get medicine… I guess I was wrong.

Hmm, normally a patient who came determined to get medicine probably wouldn’t request the Martial Arts Alliance Leader concept.

“She got better thanks to you taking it seriously and providing consultation. Regardless of the patient’s intentions, please continue giving the best medical advice you can, just like you have been. Whether they accept it or not will be the patient’s choice.”

– Yes. I should do that!

In the end, this patient became a good opportunity for Yu Gyeonghun and Jeon Minji to feel the reward of Seongsumoorim Traditional Medicine Clinic.

Other directors also mentioned cases where they treated patients who learned about Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic through the fame of the Jeju branch or Mancheonhwa-u.

…Why on earth are there people who learn about our clinic thanks to Mancheonhwa-u.

Just as Jeon Minji and the maehyeokgi patient’s case was wrapping up like that.

Kim Chunsik raised his hand saying he had something to discuss.

– Does Dr. Kim also have concerns?

– It seems like the Professor knows everything.

I also thought it probably wasn’t about traditional Korean medicine content.

– Ah, I’ve reached a conclusion about my concern. I wanted to get some recommendations.

– Recommendations?

– I’ve been thinking hard about it, but I think it’s time to bring in a vice director. There are too many patients for me to handle alone.

Did he like seeing Jeon Minji hand over patients to Yu Gyeonghun and rest?

He’d been mulling it over since going to Saudi Arabia, and it seemed he’d finally made up his mind.

“It’s the season when new graduates are coming out, so hiring shouldn’t be difficult.”

– Mm. I’ll post a job listing, but if any of you directors know junior colleagues, I’d like to see them first.

Ah.

From a hiring perspective, utilizing personal connections is definitely good. You can do reference checks too.

– But since we graduated long ago, most of us probably don’t keep in touch with junior colleagues, right?

Chu Miyoung shrugged and asked Lee Ahreum, but she also shook her head saying she didn’t have anyone suitable.

Kim Chunsik, who taught students until just a few years ago, would probably have the widest network.

“Let’s post the job listing. If anyone comes to mind, I’ll tell them to apply.”

The other directors also seemed to lack suitable candidates, nodding in agreement with my opinion.

I think I’ve heard people say they want to come here and there… but I don’t know anyone well enough to recommend them.

Well, if they really want to come, they’ll apply.

Three days later.

Kim Chunsik posted a job opening.

[This is a disaster.]

[Huh? Are there no decent candidates?]

He clutched his head at the flood of resumes pouring in.

[What kind of job posting gets over a hundred resumes in just one day? I-I can’t just not read them all…!]

[Whoa. Is it because we’re in Seoul?]

It wouldn’t be this overwhelming in just one day simply because we’re in Seoul, hmm.

…Come to think of it, this was the first time we were hiring a Vice Director through open recruitment.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————