父亲的病.docx
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父亲的病.docx
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父亲的病
Father’sillness
Itisprobableovertenyearsnowsincethisstoryofawell-knowndoctorwasthetalkofthetownins-:
Hechargedonedollarfortyavisit,tendollarsforanemergencycall,doubletheamountforanightcall,anddoubleagainforatripoutsidethecity.Onenightthedaughterofafamilylivingoutsidethecityfelldangerouslyill.Theysenttoaskhimoutthereand,becausehehadmoremoneyatthetimethanheknewwhattodowith,herefusedtogoforlessthanahundreddollars.Theyhadtoagreetothis.Oncethere,hesimplegavethegirlaperfunctorylookingover.
“Itisn’tserious,”hesaid.
Thenhemadeoutprescription,tookhishundreddollars,andleft.
Apparentlythepatient’sfamilywasveryrich,forthenextdaytheyaskedhimoutthereagain.Themasterofthehousemethimatthedoorwithasmile.
“Yesterdayeveningwegaveheryourmedicine,Doctor,”hesaid,”andshe’smuchbetter.Sowe’reaskedyoutohaveanotherlookather.”
Hetookhimasbeforeintothebedroom,andamaiddrewthepatient’shandoutsidethebedcurtain.Thedoctorplacedhisfingersonthewristandfounditicycold,withoutanypulse.
“Hmm.”Henodded.“Iunderstandthisillness”.
Quitecalmlyhewalkedtothetable,tookoutaprescriptionfrom,andwroteonit:
“Paythebeareronehundredsilverdollars.”
Beneathhesignedhisnameandaffixedhisseal.
“Thisillnesslooksratherserious,Doctor,”saidthemasterofthehouse,behindhim.“Ithinkthemedicineshouldbealittlemorepotent.”
“Verywell,”saidthedoctor.Andhewroteanotherprescription:
“Paythebearertwohundredsilverdollars.”
Beneathhesignedhisnameandaffixedhissealagain.
Thisdone,themasterofthehouseputawaytheprescriptionandsawhimpolitelyout.
Ihaddealingswiththisfamousphysicianfortwowholeyears,becausehecameeveryotherdaytoattendmybythattimeverywellknown,hehadnotyetmoremoneythanheknewwhattodowith;still,hisfeewasalreadyonedollarfortyavisit.Inlargetownstodayaten-dollarfeeisnotconsideredexorbitant;butinthosedaysonedollarfortywasagreatsum,bynomeanseasytoraise—especiallywhenitfelldueeveryotherday.
Heprobablywasuniqueinsomerespects.Itwasgenerallyagreedthathisprescriptionswereunusual.Iknownothingaboutmedicine:
whatstruckmewashowhardhis“adjuvants”weretofind.Eachnewprescriptionkeptmebusyforsometime.FirstIhadtobuythemedicine,thenlookfortheadjuvant.Heneverusedsuchcommoningredientsastwoslicesoffreshginger,ortenbambooleavesminusthetips.Atbestitwasreedroots,andIhadtogototherivertodigthemup;andwhenitcametosugar-canewhichhadseenthreeyearsoffrost,Iwouldhavetosearchfortwoorthreedaysattheleast.But,strangetosay,Ibelievemyquestwasalwayssuccessfulintheend.
Itwasgenerallyagreedthathereinlayhismagic.Thereoncewasapatientwhomnodrugscouldcure,butwhenhemetacertainDr.YeTianshi,allthisdoctordidwastoaddphoenix-treeleavesastheadjuvanttotheoldprescription.Withonlyonedosethepatientwascured.“Medicineisamatterofthemind.”Becauseitwasautumnthen,andthephoenixtreeisthefirsttofeeltheapproachofautumn,whereallotherdrugshadfailed,Dr.Yecouldnowusethespiritofautumn.Whenspiritreactedonspirit,thepatientwasthus....Althoughthiswasnotcleartome,Iwasthoroughlyimpressedandrealizedthatallefficaciousdrugsmustbedifficulttoget.Thosewhowanttobecomeimmortalsevenhavetorisktheirlivestogodeepintothemountainstoplucktheherboflonglife.
Aftertwoyearsofhisvisits,Igraduallycametoknowthisfamousphysicianfairlywell;indeedwewerealmostfriends.Father’sdropsygrewdailyworse,tillitlookedasifhewouldhavetokeeptohisbed,andbydegreesIlostfaithinsuchremediesassugar-canewhichhadseenthreeyearsoffrost,andwasnotnearlyaszealousasbeforeinfindingandpreparingadjuvants.Onedayjustatthistime,whenthedoctorcalled,afterinquiringaftermyfather’sillnesshetoldusveryfrankly:
“I’veusedalltheknowledgeIisaDr.ChenLianhehere,whoknowsmorethanIdo.Iadviseyoutoconsulthim.I’llwriteyoualetterofintroduction.Thisillnessisn’tserious,though.It’sjustthathecancureitmuchmorequickly....”
Thewholehouseholdseemedratherunhappythatday,butIsawhimoutasrespectfullyasevertohissedan-chair.WhenIwentinagain,Ifoundmyfatherlookingveryputout,talkingitoverwitheveryoneanddeclaringthattherewasprobablynohopeforhim.Becausethisdoctorhadtreatedtheillnessfortwoyearstonopurpose,andknewthepatienttoowell,hecouldnothelpfeelingratherembarrassednowthatthingshadreachedacrisis:
thatwaswhyhehadrecommendedsomeoneelse,washinghishandsofthewholeaffair.ButwhatelsecouldwedoItwasafactthattheonlyotherwell-knowndoctorinourtownwasChenLianhe.Sothenextdayweengagedhisservices.
ChenLianhe’sfeewasalsoonedollarforty.Butwhereasourfirstwell-knowndoctor’sfacewasplumpandround,hiswasplumpandlong:
thiswasonegreatdifferencebetweenthem.Theiruseofmedicinewasdifferenttoo.Ourfirstwell-knowndoctor’sprescriptionscouldbepreparedbyoneperson,butnosinglepersoncouldcopesatisfactorilywithDr.Chen’sbecausehisprescriptionsalwaysincludedaspecialpillorpoweroranextra-specialadjuvant.
Notoncedidheusereedrootsorsugar-canethathadseenthreeyearsoffrost.Mostoftenitwas“apairofcrickets,”withanoteinsmallcharactersattheside:
“Theymustbeanoriginalpair,fromthesameburrow.”Soitseemsthateveninsectsmustbechaste;iftheymarryagainafterlosingtheirmatestheyforfeiteventherighttobeusedasmedicine.Thistask,however,presentednodifficultiestome.Inhundred-PlantGardenIcouldcatchtenpairseasily.Itiedthemwithathreadanddroppedthemaliveintotheboilingpan,andthatwasthat.Butthentherewas“tenardisiaberries.”Nobodyknewwhattherewere.Iaskedthepharmacy,Iaskedsomepeasants,Iaskedthevendorofherbmedicines,Iaskedoldpeople,Iaskedscholars,Iaskedacarpenter:
buttheyallsimpleshooktheirheads.LastofallIrememberedthatdistantgreat-uncleofmine,theoldfellowwholikedtogrowflowersandtrees,andhurriedovertoaskhim.Sureenough,heknew:
theardisiawasashrubwhichgrewatthefootoftreesdeepinthemountain.Ithadsmallredberrieslikecoralbeads,andwasusuallyknownasNever-Grow-Up.
Youwearoutironshoesinhuntinground,
Whenallthetimeit’seasytobefound!
Nowwehadtheadjuvant,buttherewasstillaspecialpill:
broken-drumbolus.Broken-drumbolusesweremadefromtheleatherofworn-outdrums.Sinceonenamefor“dropsy”is“drum-tight,”theleatherfromworn-outdrumscannaturallycureit.GangyioftheQingDynasty,whohated“foreigndevils,”actedonthesameprinciplewhenhepreparedtofightthembytrainingacorpsof“tigerangels,”forthetigerswouldbeabletoeatthesheep,andtheangelscouldsubduethedevils.Unfortunatelytherewasonlyoneshopinthewholetownwhichsoldthismiraculousdrug,andthatwasnearlytwomilesfromourhouse.However,thiswasnotlikethecaseoftheardisiawhichwegropedinthedarktofind.AftermakingouthisprescriptionDr.ChenLianhegavemeearnestanddetailedinstructionsastowheretoobtainit.
“Ihaveonemedicine,”Dr.Chentoldmyfatheronce,“whichappliedtothetonguewoulddoyougood,I’msure.Forthetongueistheintelligentsproutoftheheart....Itisnotexpensiveeither,onlytwodollarsabox....”
Myfatherthoughtforsometime,thenshookhishead.
“Thispresenttreatmentmaynotprovetooeffective,”saidDr.Chenanotherday.“Ithinkwemightaskadivinerifthereisnotsomeavengingspiritbehindthis....Adoctorcancurediseasesbutnotfate,isn’tthatcorrectOfcourse,thismaybesomethingthathappenedinapreviousexistence....”
Myfatherthoughtforsometime,thenshookhishead.
Allthebestdoctorscanbringthedeadtolife,asweknowfromtheplacardshangingoutsidetheirhouseswhichweseewhenwewalkpast.Butnowaconcessionhasbeenmade,forphysiciansthemselvesadmit:
“Westerndoctorsarebestatsurgery,whileChinesedoctorsarebestatinternalmedicine.”ButtherewasnoWestern-traineddoctorinS—atthattime.IndeedithadneveroccurredtoanyonethattherewassuchathingintheworldasaWesterndoctor.Hence,wheneveranyonefellill,allwecoulddowasaskthedirectdescendantsoftheYellowEmperorandQiBotocurehim.InthedaysoftheYellowEmperor,wizardsanddoctorswereone;thusrightdowntothepresenthisdisciplescanstillseeghostsandbelievethat“thetongueistheintelligentsproutoftheheart.”Theisthe“fate”ofChinese,whichnotevenfamousphysiciansareabletocure.
Whenhewouldnotapplytheefficaciousremedyonhistongueandcouldnotthinkofanyavengingspirithehadwronged,naturallyitwasnousemyfathersimpleeatingbroken-drumbolusesforoverahundreddays.Thesedrumpillsprovedunabletobeatthedropsy,andfinallymyfatherlayathislastgasponthebed.WeinvitedDr.ChenLianheoncemore-anemergencycallthistime,fortensilverdollars.Oncemore,hecalmlywroteoutaprescription.Hediscontinuedthebroken-drumboluses,however,andtheadjuvantwastoomysteriouseither;sobeforeverylongthismedicinewasready.Butwhenwepoureditbetweenmyfather’slips,ittrickledoutagainfromonesideofhismouth.
ThatendedmydealingswithDr.ChenLianhe;butIsometimessawhiminthestreetbeingcarriedswiftlybyinhisfastsedan-chair
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