This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Professor Wang certainly understood, but he didn’t bother to focus on the choice of words and continued to ask, ”Nonsense. What does being angry have to do with liver cancer?”

Du Heng shook his head slightly. ”I’d like to correct Professor Wang again. Cancer is the term used by Western medicine. I diagnosed it as a carbuncle, so please don’t get it wrong again. As for the relationship with anger, I have to ask Professor Wang a question—have you ever heard the phrases ’anger injures the liver, joy injures the heart, grief injures the lungs, worry injures the spleen, and fear injures the kidneys’?”

”Of course I’ve heard them. Aren’t these just a few phrases that you traditional Chinese medicine practitioners always babble about? Again, does this have anything to do with liver cancer?”

”It’s critically related,” Du Heng said seriously. ”When a person is angry, the lobes of the liver swell, and the liver qi inverts. Furthermore, after extreme anger, the lobes of the liver become excessively distended and hollow, making recovery very difficult. This is why some people say their liver hurts when they are angry. If the lobes of the liver are distended and hollow, and liver qi inverts, it’s just like feeling a stitch in one’s side. You tell me, is it painful?

Moreover, anger always generates fire. The more anger, the stronger the fire. Strong fire will dry up the liver blood. Once liver blood is dried up, the liver qi will become even more desiccated. With no blood to nourish the liver, it is easier for a person to get angry. Frequent anger will further damage the liver, forming a vicious cycle. If liver fire accumulates and doesn’t dissipate in time, it will stagnate and transform into fire toxin, ultimately culminating in a carbuncle.

This is the origin of ’anger injures the liver.’ With this explanation, can Professor Wang understand?”

Professor Wang had thought that Du Heng would also use some imaginary theories involving the five elements, like the previous TCM doctors, to explain the patient’s condition. He had already prepared his counterarguments. But he hadn’t expected Du Heng to so plainly state the impact of emotions on the liver. Although it still contained terms like liver qi and liver fire, the addition of ’liver blood deficiency’ made everything understandable.

Moreover, this explanation was so straightforward that even a primary school graduate could understand it. Being asked if *he* understood felt somewhat insulting.

But even if he felt insulted, he couldn’t find any reason to refute it. Du Heng had already laid an ambush by highlighting the theoretical differences between them. Besides, what Du Heng said was logically coherent. The only terms that didn’t align with his own understanding were ’liver qi’ and ’liver fire’. Yet, as a Chinese national, even one practicing Western medicine like himself, these terms were still comprehensible.

Professor Wang’s face turned even darker. ”Theoretical consistency isn’t difficult; it’s merely self-justification. But how can you make four doses of decoction medicine effective? That’s the key.”

Du Heng remained perfectly calm. ”And what if I can?”

”I will pack up and leave immediately. As long as you, Doctor Du, are in Jinzhou, I will never come back. But what if you can’t?”

In the process of asking and answering, both of them got caught up in the heat of the moment, their tempers flaring. For a moment, they seemed to forget where they were and whom they were treating.

However, Professor Wang was a formidable outsider, and his roots were in Yangcheng. Although his questioning might have contained some personal bias, it was ultimately for the patient’s best interest. Others couldn’t find fault with him; in fact, his diligent and responsible attitude was praiseworthy.

As for Du Heng, he was inwardly assured, extraordinarily confident in treating this illness, and had Wu Shengnan’s father as a safety net. As long as he ultimately cured the patient, he would be Mr. Bai’s benefactor, even if it meant enduring heated confrontations or, hypothetically, publicly berating Professor Wang.

Both had their own plans and their own assurances. As their tempers flared, the confrontation intensified. Hearing Professor Wang’s counter-question, Du Heng immediately said, ”If I can’t do it, I’ll arrange a banquet of ten tables at Jinzhou Hotel and apologize to you, Professor Wang, with three kneels and nine bows.”

”Fine. How will you treat it?”

Unexpectedly, Du Heng waved his hand and continued, ”Don’t rush. Whether you leave or not, Professor Wang, is up to you. But there’s one condition: you have to make something clear before you leave.”

”What?”

”The special medicine.”

Professor Wang’s eyes widened, and his body even trembled slightly. ”What do you mean?”

Du Heng was unmoved and said softly, ”I want the complete pharmacological test report, all the experimental data, and all the approval documents for this special medicine. Listen carefully: all of them.”

Unexpectedly, Professor Wang decisively shook his head. ”That’s impossible. This special medicine hasn’t been launched yet. All the pharmacological test reports and experimental data are top-secret. I cannot give them to you.”

Du Heng smiled faintly. Now that the conversation had reached this point, his objective was achieved.

In many tumor treatments nowadays, if doctors determine that a patient has certain financial means, they might recommend a special medicine. This is especially true for doctors who cooperate with large pharmaceutical factories.

Some doctors will call it a special medicine. Others will explicitly inform the patient that the medicine is still in an experimental stage, detailing potential side effects and clarifying that the choice to use it rests solely with the patient.

However, no matter which type, they are essentially just using patients for experimentation.

Moreover, ninety-nine percent of these experiments are non-compliant human trials. Some lack proper approval procedures, while others have already begun human experimentation concurrently with animal testing.

So, having brought the conversation to this point, Du Heng didn’t insist further. He believed that as long as he could successfully treat Mr. Bai, Mr. Bai himself would be more than willing to have a thorough discussion with Professor Wang about this special medicine.