父亲的病.docx

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