Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2023 Academic Circles

Born into an ordinary family and with only a bachelor's degree in medicine, despite his exceptional medical skills, Bian Mu has yet to naturally integrate into the higher-level academic circles of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. For him, the Little White Building represents the ceiling to accessing higher academic levels.

After Dean Yue stepped down from his post, Bian Mu's visits to the Little White Building became noticeably less frequent.

Of course, with the painstaking management of two clinics and his usual busy schedule, plus the occasional need to make outpatient visits, he really didn't have much free time.

However, that was secondary. As his reputation in the medical field grew, Bian Mu keenly noticed that the teachers at Xiaobailou had become much more distant from him. At first, he naively thought that he was busy managing his own affairs and had not made any significant academic contributions to Xiaobailou, so it was understandable that some teachers were criticizing him.

Later, Bian Mu gradually realized that things weren't quite as they seemed.

Although Bian Mu has published a few decent academic papers, perhaps due to his limited ability, they haven't had much impact. At least in the academic world, they've been completely ignored.

Normally, there's really no time to do experiments, research data, or conduct clinical comparisons... Theoretical refinement and textual polishing are even less of an option. Bian Mu himself is well aware of this. People only have so much energy. He spends more time at the clinic and pharmaceutical factory, making it difficult to calm down and delve into pure theoretical matters. The quality of his papers is therefore questionable.

Furthermore, if one wants to make any achievements in traditional Chinese medicine and its theories, it is impossible to work in isolation. One must constantly communicate with peers, especially with academic giants whose level far surpasses one's own, and exchange new academic insights from time to time. Given the current situation, Bian Mu does not have such conditions at all.

To outsiders, Secretary-General Professor Mi seemed to be quite close to Bian Mu, but in reality… Bian Mu knew better than anyone that their relationship had always been rather ordinary. For example, at small gatherings like Professor Mi's grandson's birthday party, no one ever informed Bian Mu to come and join in the fun; at the opening ceremony of the "New Concept" branch of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, Bian Mu couldn't think of inviting Professor Mi to cut the ribbon or anything like that. Perhaps, Bian Mu was intentionally or unintentionally unwilling to get too close to Professor Mi.

As Bian Mu's life experience grew, he gradually realized that the senior teachers in the small building had always mixed up their social circles with their academic circles. If Bian Mu had always kept a certain distance from these senior teachers in all aspects, he might never have been able to get deeply involved in the broader academic circles in his life.

In a sense, the incident marked by Bian Mu's inability to access the Xiaobailou high-level shared medical data objectively meant that he had always been excluded from the high-level academic circles in Lijin!
Of course, the top professional journals may be an exception to the rule that they continuously publish insightful and high-level academic papers.

however……

Academic papers are not something anyone can write at will. Currently, Bian Mu is in an awkward position where he has no one to rely on. Even if he racks his brains to write an academic paper that he thinks is passable, not only is it laborious and time-consuming, but his actual academic attainments will still be very limited. Therefore, in terms of academic exchange alone, Bian Mu has always been in a "three-low state" of low level, low frequency, and low quality.

Today, Bian Mu finally met a highly skilled female doctor with whom he got along quite well, so he naturally chatted for a while longer, and was happy to share some of his insights that he was not usually willing to share publicly.

Chu Fang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "I remember... Cai Yong from the Three Kingdoms period once said, ... Calligraphy originates from nature. Once nature is established, yin and yang arise. Once yin and yang are established, the forms are complete... If we replace the subject 'calligraphy' with the two types of patients, old and new, it seems to make perfect sense!"

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu was momentarily stunned.

Dr. Chu is indeed somewhat different from other well-known doctors; his academic comprehension is indeed slightly higher.

With a smile, Bian Mu replied, "Dr. Chu's elevation of this issue to the level of ancient, simple philosophical understanding is indeed refreshing, more or less... The new type of patient originates from the bustling daily life of today, that is, nature. Once the new living atmosphere takes shape, the new Yin-Yang dialectical relationship naturally undergoes a very significant change. Once the new Yin-Yang dialectical system is initially established, a considerable number of patients' diseases naturally form a completely new contradictory pathological basis. For example, those who use all-electric kitchens all day, almost never take public transportation, have a diet that is half Chinese and half Western, and have many various electrical appliances that are essential for work and life around them all year round... These patients naturally cannot be judged as new or old based on age. Although I have never met that 87-year-old patient in person, it is not difficult to see from the medical records..." It's clear that the old man actually lives a very fashionable and refined life. Conversely, some people in their twenties and thirties, working professionals, come from modest backgrounds, some from economically underdeveloped rural areas, accustomed to poverty since childhood. Coupled with the considerable daily expenses in Lijin, they've always been frugal and haven't kept up with the times. They might never even dine at a restaurant like this in their entire lives. Their lifestyle is very outdated, and their yin-yang principles are naturally quite old-fashioned. What Dr. Han and his team could easily handle with their traditional prescriptions and empirical formulas quickly became less effective with that elderly patient. Many of their experiences were completely ineffective. Take pulse diagnosis, for example; using old methods to treat new ones, Dr. Han's palpation failed to detect the hidden, deep infection…”

"Oh... I see! Clinging to outdated ideas! Inflexibility! All medical principles are interconnected. Your new insights are an inspiration to our profession. From now on, when I make house calls, I'll definitely take a thorough look at the patients' lives to see if they should be categorized as modern or nostalgic. Hehe... I've benefited immensely, truly immensely!"

"Dr. Chu, you're too kind! This consultation also touches upon another medical proposition of our 'Digital Medicine' school. Dr. Chu, please listen and see if there are any logical flaws. Please point them out! Our school believes that comprehensive screening of information transmission is a new direction for TCM diagnosis. Take that 87-year-old man, for example. He subconsciously believed that his severe perianal cyst leading to a serious anal fistula infection was a personal ailment, something that wouldn't kill him, so he let it go! The devastating effect of this internal, continuous information transmission on his serious condition was something that his TCM colleagues, like Dr. Han, would never have considered. Based on this low-level diagnostic premise, when prescribing medication and treatment methods, it was naturally impossible to choose more advanced, effective, and precise treatment methods from the reverse perspective of information transmission. The combination of these two factors almost cost the old man his life!" Bian Mu patiently reiterated another new insight: the theory of information transmission!
Upon hearing this, Chu Fang was immediately taken aback.

"The year before last, yes! In the first half of the year before last, I did some short-term advanced training in Beiqi. A foreigner, an internationally renowned expert in our field, gave a lecture entirely in English, and he mentioned similar academic insights. At the time, we were saying that it would be a long time before a complete, mature, and feasible specific plan could be actually applied in clinical practice! I didn't expect that you guys had already taken the lead! It means... Dr. Bian often travels overseas to actively participate in various academic exchanges!"

Hearing this, Bian Mule was delighted.

"To this day, let alone going abroad, I haven't even touched the lintel of any of the major tourist attractions in China!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Fang immediately realized that Bian Mu was indeed extraordinary.