Chapter 939: Chapter 940: Being Looked Down Upon
In other areas, a crowd quickly gathered, and the students started getting busy. However, the Traditional Chinese Medicine section remained eerily quiet. Even when a few people approached occasionally, they mostly inquired about basic wellness tips, with hardly anyone genuinely intending to seek medical help.
At this moment, one of the students said, "Itâs always like this. These days, very few people truly trust Traditional Chinese Medicine. Sigh, being assigned to the wrong major ruins lives."
"Exactly. We were all deeply affected by being reassigned. Back then, I didnât even choose the Traditional Chinese Medicine major, but I was assigned to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Collegeâitâs simply awful."
Many students at the Traditional Chinese Medicine College had not initially chosen the Traditional Chinese Medicine major while applying to Ningjian Medical University. However, to avoid being left without a placement, they had opted to accept reassignment. Consequently, around eighty percent of the students ended up in the Traditional Chinese Medicine College this way.
Thus, genuine enthusiasts of Traditional Chinese Medicine were extremely rare. Most of the students were simply aiming to earn a diploma, without hoping to become renowned doctors. They merely wished to use the diploma to secure a job in the future.
Seeing how neglected the Traditional Chinese Medicine section was, many of the students increasingly lost hope for this major.
For this voluntary clinic event, other majors required a rigorous selection process to qualify, whereas in the Traditional Chinese Medicine College, anyone who wanted to participate couldâbut there still werenât many willing to show up.
At this moment, a fifty-something professor approached with a group of students. He turned to the old professor on the Traditional Chinese Medicine side and said, "Professor Wang, why donât you give up your spot to us? Hardly anyone is visiting your section, yet youâre occupying space while our students are overwhelmed, and the area is too small for us."
Professor Wang Qing, from the Traditional Chinese Medicine College, immediately darkened his expression and retorted irritably, "Out of the question."
"Come on, Professor Wang. I know youâre upset, but the fact is Traditional Chinese Medicine really canât compare to Western Medicine. Youâre like the cuckoo occupying the magpieâs nest here. Weâve got so many patients waiting for usâhow can you justify preventing them from getting treated?"
"Whoâs that?" Song Xiaodong whispered to Lu Yaobing beside him.
Lu Yaobing leaned over and whispered into Xiaodongâs ear, "Thatâs Professor Wu Xianyuan from the Internal Medicine department. Heâs never seen Traditional Chinese Medicine in a good light, and his relationship with Professor Wang Qing isnât great either. Heâs deliberately trying to rile up Professor Wang."
Professor Wang Qing glared and said, "What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on Traditional Chinese Medicine? The illnesses your Western Medicine treats, our Traditional Chinese Medicine can treat just as well."
Wu Xianyuan chuckled softly and replied, "Professor Wang, while I wonât deny that Traditional Chinese Medicine can still treat certain illnesses, the fact is that we in Western Medicine can treat the same conditions with just a few pills, whereas with Traditional Chinese Medicine, patients need to consume large amounts of herbal remedies and require extended periods of time to recover. With such convenient treatment methods available, why insist on using your outdated Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
Professor Wang Qing, clearly a person with a fiery temper, slammed the table and snapped angrily, "Traditional Chinese Medicine is something passed down from our ancestors. No matter how unique Western Medicine might be, dismissing what our ancestors left behind shows a lack of respect for our roots."
Wu Xianyuan curled his lips and countered, "Professor Wang, donât try to escalate this to a political level to intimidate me. Yes, Traditional Chinese Medicine is part of our cultural heritage, but it should be treated as such! With more advanced medical techniques available now, you canât stay stuck in the past. That kind of thinking is no different from the closed-door policy of the past."
Professor Wang Qing remained stern-faced and replied, "Hmph! You tell me not to bring politics into this, yet your words themselves steer the conversation in that direction. Iâve never denied the merits of Western Medicine, but the thing I despise most is people like you, who, with a bit of skill in one area, disdain othersâ medical approaches."
In his heart, Song Xiaodong couldnât help but admire Professor Wang Qing. While the old professor seemed to have a temper, he was clearly principled and steadfastâespecially in his dedication to Traditional Chinese Medicine, which was truly admirable.
Wu Xianyuan shrugged and said, "Alright, alright, Professor Wang, I wonât argue with you anymore. But tell me this: with so many patients here, none of them are coming to you. Weâre overwhelmed, and we donât have enough space. What do you propose?"
Professor Wang Qing rolled his eyes and replied, "Then let them come to us for treatmentâthat solves your issue, doesnât it?"
Wu Xianyuan said, "Do you think I can just make them come over? Fine, Iâll give it a try. Attention all patients! Our Internal Medicine section has limited space and too many people waiting for treatment. I encourage everyone to consider checking out the Traditional Chinese Medicine section instead."
But the patients lined up at the Internal Medicine section didnât budge.
Wu Xianyuan looked exasperated but maintained a tone of mockery as he said, "See, Professor Wang? Itâs not that I donât want to send them overâitâs that they simply donât trust Traditional Chinese Medicine."
Professor Wang Qingâs expression darkened further. With a heavy snort, he stood up and declared loudly, "Patients, let me assure you that our Traditional Chinese Medicine is in no way inferior to Western Medicine. You are welcome to come and let us treat youâweâll be just as effective at curing your ailments."
However, the patients still didnât move. Instead, one person remarked directly, "Forget it. Even if Traditional Chinese Medicine works, it takes far too long to show results."
Another person shook their head and said, "The main issue is that Traditional Chinese Medicine requires slow, careful conditioningânot as fast as Western Medicine. Nowadays, people live fast-paced lives and have less patience for gradual methods. Plus, drinking herbal medicine is just so unpleasantâwhy not just take some pills or get a quick injection instead?"
Wu Xianyuan chuckled and said, "Professor Wang, did you hear that? The public has sharp eyes. Come on, give us the space already."
Just then, a sixty-something old man waiting in the Internal Medicine line suddenly lost his balance and collapsed to the ground. The crowd immediately dispersed, gasping in shock.
Both Wu Xianyuan and Professor Wang Qing set aside their arguments and rushed over, followed closely by several other doctors.
"This is badâa heart attack!" Despite his attitude, Wu Xianyuan undeniably had strong expertise; with just a glance at the patientâs condition, he urgently exclaimed.
Professor Wang Qing also checked the patientâs pulse. His brows furrowed with a knowing look, understanding the severity of the illness.
"Quick! Get a stretcherâthe patient needs to be rushed to the emergency room! Chen Bing, start performing CPR immediately!" Wu Xianjin instructed, calling over a male student who promptly began compressing the patientâs chest.
Wu Xianyuan turned back and asked Professor Wang Qing, "Professor Wang, do you have any solutions now?"
Professor Wang Qing withdrew his hand from the patient, stepped back, and felt a pang of frustration. Cases like this were indeed ones Traditional Chinese Medicine couldnât handleâWestern Medicine was the only option in emergencies of this nature.