Chapter 8 - Expert Consultation
Director Zhao was very clear about Ye Shulan’s intentions. He waved his hand to let Doctor Wang, who was as big as Meng Dawei, leave, and then took out the medical record of Shen Muqing and asked Executive Zhou to organize an expert consultation to come up with a feasible treatment plan.
Executive Zhou was in his 50s, and his mind gradually began working. He wanted to go further before retirement and see if he could enter the administrative establishment, and retire with the secured job of the health bureau. Naturally, he fully cooperated with Director Zhao’s request.
The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Changjiang Hospital was one of the best in China. Director Huang Guangwei was also a famous surgeon.
With Director Zhao’s Shang Fang Baojian, Executive Zhou immediately contacted all the cardiologists in Ning Hai and conducted expert consultations overnight.
Director Zhao knew the status of Ye Shulan and he wanted to go a step further. This was the best opportunity to impress him, and he had turned down countless entertainments and stayed up late to attend the consultation.
The heart experts who were outstanding in Ning Hai got the news and flocked there. After all, no one would dare to refuse Director Zhao.
Even some retired elderly cardiologists were invited to come. And at the request of Ye Shulan, several experts of traditional Chinese medicine also arrived.
The conference room was quite wide, and it was packed in less than two hours. The experts in the meeting were deputy chief physicians, most of whom were head physicians.
Any of these experts could be the most precious doctor in a hospital, hence Executive Zhou was touched while looking at them and really wanted to take a chance to scoop some up. However, Director Zhao was watching them like the Buddha, so he could only start the consultation after exchanging greetings.
In order to help the experts to understand the condition, Shen Muqing’s medical records and color Doppler echocardiogram report were copied and handed out to each person.
Those top cardiologists from Ning Hai frowned at the report, their faces full of thoughts, and they started intense discussions.
Ye Shulan and Shen Muyang, mother and son, sat quietly and listened. The more they heard, the more irritated they felt. And the more they heard, the greater their headaches and the more desperate they became.
The cardiologists had analyzed the condition very well and talked about the condition.
Shen Muqing’s condition was very complicated; not only suffering from patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary stenosis, heart valve stenosis, and severe viral myocarditis, but the worst part was aplastic anemia.
As far as treatment was concerned, no one was willing to speak because severe viral myocarditis and aplastic anemia were almost incurable diseases and they could only be slowly recuperated. In addition, there was heart disease. It could be said that a death penalty had been imposed. No one dared to give her an operation or propose a reasonable treatment plan.
The traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Doctor Hu, was almost 80 years old. He finally sighed helplessly and said through his sparse beard, “Even if the gods were to come, this disease would be difficult to cure.”
“Hmph. Of course you don’t have the skills, you group of quack doctors.”
Finally, Shen Muyang could not hold his fire and cursed with a livid face. One after another, these experts said things reasonably. But when it came to the treatment plan, they could only shake their heads and sigh.
“What did you say? Filthy-mouthed boy, such big words.”
“Who do you think you are? How dare you insult us?”
“We came because of the respected Director Zhao. What qualifications do you have to say that we are quacks?”
“Hmph. I have completed no less than 300 cases of heart surgery, and I have never been insulted as a quack. Director Zhao, we need an explanation.”
“We are here to volunteer for consultation, not to be insulted. If you can’t give us an explanation today, we will never let it go.”
… Shen Muyang’s sentence was like smacking a hornet’s nest. This group of famous doctors were the top talents in the medical field with lofty statuses and were all respected by people. They had never been scolded like this.
They even ignored Director Zhao’s face and started cursing. Mr. Hu was so angry that his body was shaking. He stared and pointed at Shen Muyang, thundering things like filthy-mouthed boy.
Director Zhao had a face of embarrassment, and he was at a loss. These elites in the medical profession were not showing him respect but his position.
Shen Muyang had not watched his words and had offended everyone, so Director Zhao did not know how to deal with it.
Director Zhao could not afford to offend Ye Shulan. Although he could somehow afford to offend these doctors, he dared not to offend them. Especially after some of these old experts retired, they would be out of his control; therefore, he would have to be polite upon seeing them.
This made him secretly complain that Shen Muyang really did not know how to be social. These experts were kind enough to stay up late to come to the consultation. Even if they could not come up with a treatment plan, Shen Muyang should be polite and let them go home. There was no need to be so rude and offend so many people.
“You shut up!” Ye Shulan saw the anger of the crowd, glared at Shen Muyang, and suggested that he stop talking. She was about to stand up and apologize.
Who would have imagined that Shen Muyang would then sneer at the crowd? “You are not convinced that you are quacks? A young man in his early 20s can use a few silver needles to contain my sister’s condition. Aren’t you quacks?”
The scene was suddenly quiet, and all the experts looked at each other. From their point of view, Shen Muqing would die right from the onset of the disease. How could someone stop the disease with just a few silver needles?
Shen Muyang still seemed to think that that attack was not sufficient enough. He continued with a sneer, “I know that you don’t believe it, and you are not convinced. Director Huang, take my sister’s inspection report from today and show it to them to see if I am telling the truth.”
Huang Guang Wei, who had not said a word, sighed and took out the latest inspection results of Shen Muqing. He smiled bitterly. “Everybody, take a look, this is indeed a miracle. The miracle created by a 22-year-old young man with only seven silver needles that has restored the heart enlargement caused by dilated cardiomyopathy. According to my analysis, her dilated cardiomyopathy will not recur again any time soon.”
“That’s impossible. It’s impossible for the heart to recover from dilated cardiomyopathy with just a few silver needles. This is absolutely impossible. There is no scientific basis at all.”
Director Song of the Cardiothoracic Department of Renhe Hospital simply did not believe it.
“Silver needles? It looks like traditional Chinese medicine. This is simply pseudoscience.”
Speaking was Dr. John Mac, a returning medical doctor from Puji Hospital, who had always believed that traditional Chinese medicine was a pseudoscience.
“How can you say that? You’ve been studying abroad for a few years, so you have forgotten your ancestors in a foreign name? How is traditional Chinese medicine a pseudoscience? Chinese medicine has always been linked to metaphysics, yin and yang, the five elements, and the Supreme Ultimate. Don’t worry if you understand it.”
A Chinese medicine doctor, Doctor Zhang, retorted with anger.
“Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. Li Shizhen, Hua Tuo, Bian Biao, these historical people of medicine—which of them is not a traditional Chinese medicine doctor? Do you dare say that they didn’t exist? Young man, who thinks worshiping foreigners is the most important thing, don’t forget that you are a black-haired, yellow-skinned Shenzhou person, don’t forget your ancestors.”
Doctor Hu was angry while giving his indisputable lessons.
“Humph, I admit that traditional Chinese medicine existed in the past, but after many wars in China, the ancient medical techniques have not been passed down. Current Chinese medicine is simply a means of monetary deception. There is no scientific basis there, and it is pseudoscience.”
John Mac did not show weakness, and his retorted sharply.
“Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are two completely different disciplines. There are reasons in their existences and there is nothing worth arguing.”
“I think that John Mac is right. The traditional Chinese medicine in history was really great, but now? Hehe…”
“Cupping glass, scrapping therapy, poking bodies with a needle, and drinking some Chinese medicine with harsh smells. Which of these works? It always comes down to us, who learned Western medicine, to save lives with scalpels.”
“It cannot be said this way. Western medicine works in some ways, while Chinese medicine has certain therapeutic effects in some aspect.”
“Traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to preserve things. Its effect is not obvious, but in fact, it can restore things back to their original state and find the root of the disease to cure it. Western medicine is where the problem is treated, with a quick effect, but the symptoms remain uncured. Each has its own advantages.”
… For a time, all the experts expressed their opinions, and they quarreled fiercely. Some were biased toward traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and some were biased toward Western medicine. Some were also unbiased and only watched with cold mocking eyes.
The entire conference room was as noisy as a vegetable market. Shen Muyang’s face was getting darker and darker because, at this moment, Shen Muqing’s latest inspection report was still in the hands of John Mac. He had not even taken a look at it.
As his temper was bad in the first place, he suddenly became furious and screamed, “Everyone, shut up!”
The scene was suddenly quiet. Everyone looked at him with their eyes open, ready to attack en masse.
Shen Muyang did not wait for them to speak, he stuck out his index finger and pointed at John Mac, and said coldly,
“Fake Foreign Devil, as you trash Chinese medicine, I think you should first look at my sister’s latest inspection report and then talk. If you dare to speak another word, believe it or not, I will throw you down on your knees.”
John Mac wanted to have the courage to say “give it a try”, but he saw the murderous look in Shen Muyang’s eyes, and let his lips linger for a long time without daring to speak.
This was the eighth floor, if he was really thrown down by this rude guy, he would be dead.
“A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him.” John Mac comforted himself in his heart, as he looked at the latest inspection report.
Doctor Hu, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, was very relieved. Although Shen Muyang did not appear to be a kind person, he supported Chinese medicine. So he decided not to argue with this unworthy idiot.
“This… how is this possible? Was this really treated with traditional Chinese medicine?”
When John Mac picked up the previous inspection report, his face turned extremely ugly, and he whispered in disbelief.
“Of course. When my sister was sent to the hospital, the silver needles had not even been pulled out. Now they are still stuck in her chest.”
After seeing Shen Muyang’s triumphant expression, his face suddenly changed and became worse. He did not know if the silver needle could be left in. Could it always be done like that?
“What happens if the needles are not pulled out?” For the first time, Shen Muyang gave birth to remorse. He thought that he should not have hit the kid that hard, not until that kid pulled out the needles.
At the same time, Ding Ning in the intensive care unit was also worried if the seven silver needles were pulled out. It was necessary for the needles to stay for 12 hours. He did not pull out the needles out because of this.
If someone pulled them out before 12 hours, the girl’s illness would immediately recur. He hoped that the doctors would not be so stupid.
Although he did not like Shen Muyang or Ye Shulan very much, this girl was innocent, and he did not want her in danger.