The Unsolicited Prescription
Kyungwoo recalled a case he had read about with great interest in a medical journal.
Joy Milne, a resident of Scotland, possesses an extraordinary sense of smell. As a former nurse, she began noticing a "heavy, deep, musky scent" on her husband ten years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Upon attending a support group for Parkinson’s patients, she detected the same scent on others, noting that it grew stronger as the disease progressed.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested her ability by giving her twelve T-shirts—six worn by Parkinson’s patients and six by healthy individuals. Milne correctly identified the shirts of the patients in six out of seven cases. Furthermore, the owner of the seventh shirt, whom she had flagged as a patient, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eight months later.
If she possessed a sense of smell that rivaled a dog’s, then surely a real dog would be even more sensitive.
"That’s right. I forgot to take my Parkinson’s meds last night. Maybe that’s why I fell when I got up at dawn to take them."
"So Deokgu brought the young man here because he was worried about me? Oh, you clever thing..."
Deokgu must have been keeping a close watch on the elderly woman who emitted that unique scent. This morning, when the water bowl remained empty and she didn't come out despite his barking, the dog must have decided to fetch help.
"You're right. He really is the neighborhood police officer."
As Kyungwoo looked at Deokgu and praised him, the dog let out a single "Woof!" and trotted back out.
Glug, glug.
Kyungwoo poured water from the bottle on the bedside table to give the medicine to the elderly woman.
[Patient Name: Kim Geum-rye]
[Medication: Madopar, Choliatin Soft Capsule, Husad, Apito]
After checking the name and the drugs on the packet, he reached for the water cup, only to spot a bag of herbal medicine from the public health center nearby.
[Banha-baekchul-cheonma-tang]
As he handed the water and pills to the grandmother, Kyungwoo asked, "Grandma, I see some herbal granules here. Where did you get these prescribed?"
"Oh, from the young Oriental medicine doctor at the health sub-center."
He had already heard plenty about the public health doctor working at the Baejae-ri health sub-center. It was a doctor in their final year who had moved to Baejae-ri about six months ago, and they were said to be quite passionate.
'This prescription...'
After waiting for the grandmother to settle down after taking her medicine, Kyungwoo checked her pulse.
"Let me take a look at you."
"Oh, you're the Oriental medicine doctor, right? Yes, yes. Thank you."
He calmly observed her pulse and physical condition. As he felt more closely, various pieces of information flooded in, beyond the characteristic lethargy of Parkinson’s.
The heavy lower back pain caused by her hunched posture.
Her dimming vision and the blurriness in one eye.
And...
'A wiry pulse, and a choppy pulse?'
If it were just a wiry pulse, it could be attributed to Parkinson’s, but the presence of a choppy pulse, which indicated blood stasis...
"Grandma, do you fall often?"
"No, not really. My body feels a bit sluggish and my hands shake, but this is the first time I've just toppled over like today."
"Did you feel the strength suddenly drain from one side of your body before you fell?"
"Oh, yes! That's right! It felt like the strength went out of my right leg."
'As I thought.'
The reason for the fall wasn't Parkinson’s. It was the precursor to a stroke—a condition Parkinson’s patients are twice as likely to contract as the average person. It was a highly dangerous state that could lead to a full-blown stroke within a day or two if left unchecked.
Rustle.
Kyungwoo brought the herbal medicine over and showed it to the grandmother. "Grandma, don't take this medicine anymore."
"Why? The doctor at the health center had such a stern look on his face and told me never to skip a dose."
"I'll bring you something better."
It was a relief. The stroke-prevention medicine he had brewed just in case a few days ago had found the owner who truly needed it.
"And I'm going to perform acupuncture."
"Right here?"
"Fortunately, I carry my needles with me."
Kyungwoo pulled two needle pouches and some disposable alcohol swabs from his pocket and began the procedure.
Baihui, Fengchi, Quchi, Hegu, Zusanli, Xuanzhong, Taichong.
These were the so-called Zhongfeng Qichuxue (Seven Points for Stroke)—the acupuncture points explicitly stated in ancient texts as the most important for the treatment and prevention of strokes.
Of course, acupuncture wouldn't prevent a stroke if there were no signs at all, just as taking painkillers in advance wouldn't stop future pain. But in a state where the precursors were this clear, these points would be immensely helpful.
"Huh? Suddenly, everything in front of my eyes has become so bright!"
The grandmother clapped her hands in delight. "Where is your clinic, Doctor? You're truly gifted."
"It's in Yongdeok-ri... but given your current condition, it'll be hard for you to come alone, so I'll stop by in the mornings for a while. And I'll bring the medicine later, so please get some rest."
"Oh my, I'm so sorry to trouble you..."
As he stepped outside, Deokgu came running, wagging his tail.
"You rascal."
When Kyungwoo patted his head, Deokgu jumped up and down in excitement. His eyes were full of trust, as if he had known all along that Kyungwoo would fix everything.
"I need to go get the medicine for Grandma, do you want to come along?"
"Woof!"
The two retraced their steps along the mountain path back to the clinic.
"You did a great job today, so I'll take you for a drive."
Kyungwoo delivered a few days' worth of herbal medicine to Grandma Geum-rye, dropped off Deokgu, and returned to Yongdeok-ri.
Gong Chayoung, the Oriental medicine public health doctor at the Baejae-ri health sub-center, tilted her head.
'Why does it feel like the number of patients has decreased lately?'
It wasn't that she felt disappointed. How many public health doctors cared for the local residents like their own family with such passion and pride? Given the nature of the grueling medical career path, the public health doctor period was often defined as the "only time in life to slack off," so there were plenty of people who intentionally provided lackluster care to drive patients away.
But Gong Chayoung was the type to do her best with the work given to her... At her previous posting, the number of patients had gradually increased, and by the end, she was seeing over a dozen people a day.
Even here in Baejae-ri, where she had moved in her third year, she was already seeing over ten patients a day, whereas her predecessor had only seen two or three.
-Why do the patients keep increasing?
-It's because you work so hard, Doctor.
-Me? This seems like the bare minimum.
Gong Chayoung had yet to realize that her "bare minimum" was far higher than the average. Even now, she was checking who among her regular patients had stopped coming.
'It's nice to have more time to study since the patients have decreased, but why hasn't Grandma Kim Geum-rye been coming lately?'
She was a patient who particularly concerned her. Eventually, she stood up from her seat.
"Ms. Moon, I'm going to step out for a house call."
"Where are you going?"
"Grandma Kim Geum-rye hasn't come in for a week, and I'm worried she might have collapsed."
Ms. Moon smiled, as if she couldn't help but admire her. This Oriental medicine doctor might look a bit naive on the outside, but she was incredibly meticulous when it came to her patients. She was someone who would be here and gone soon, but seeing the young doctor's passion warmed her heart.
"Go ahead."
Gong Chayoung set out. 'Let's see, Grandma Kim Geum-rye's address is...'
She opened Google Maps. Walk down the new road, pass the village hall, and there’s a large tree at the fork in the road. Follow the path to the right, make three right turns, and there’s the house.
"Grandma, are you home?"
"Huh? Who is this? Why, it's the doctor from the health center."
Fortunately, Grandma Kim Geum-rye was hanging out laundry. Her movements were still slow, but it seemed nothing major had happened.
"Why haven't you been coming for acupuncture lately? I told you that you need to come at least twice a week."
"Oh... I've been getting acupuncture."
"You're getting acupuncture? From whom?"
As far as Gong Chayoung knew, Grandma Kim Geum-rye couldn't drive. Well, with Parkinson’s, she absolutely shouldn't. Had she been getting rides from other villagers to an Oriental clinic in town? Was it possible... that she didn't trust her?
Her pride was beginning to sting, but the grandmother said, "That person comes to give me acupuncture every morning."
"They... come to give you acupuncture?"
For a moment, the six words "unlicensed quack doctor" flashed through Gong Chayoung's mind.
"Who is giving you acupuncture?"
"An Oriental medicine clinic director with incredible skills."
"...An Oriental medicine doctor? In this neighborhood?"
"They said they're in the next village over."
It was hard to believe on many levels. It was news to her that there was an Oriental clinic nearby, and the idea of someone making house calls to perform acupuncture was even stranger.
'Is it some salesperson trying to sell expensive jade mats while pretending to be a doctor?'
"Grandma, that sounds like a suspicious person."
"No, what do you mean suspicious! They're like a savior to me."
"Sigh... what about the medicine I prescribed? Did you take it?"
"That director told me to take this instead, so I've been taking this."
What the grandmother proudly held out was a herbal medicine in a plastic pouch. Suddenly, Gong Chayoung was furious.
"Grandma! I told you that you absolutely must take that medicine! I told you it was essential for you!"
"This one works much better."
"You don't even know what this is!"
No matter how much she tried to persuade her, the grandmother stubbornly clutched the plastic pouch and insisted on taking that instead. "Sigh... do as you please! I won't be responsible if you collapse."
Gong Chayoung returned to the health sub-center in a huff, but she couldn't change her innate personality. After fidgeting for a long time, she finally asked Ms. Moon, "Ms. Moon, is there an Oriental medicine clinic around here?"
'There really was an Oriental medicine clinic...?'
Gong Chayoung was flustered. After Ms. Moon spoke with an official at the Goesan-gun health center, she informed her that there was indeed an Oriental medicine clinic in Yongdeok-ri, next to Baejae-ri, which had opened in January of this year. Even Ms. Moon said it was the first she had heard of it.
"That's strange. Why would they open in such a rural area? Since we haven't heard a peep, could it be that they only registered but aren't actually operating?"
Hearing that made Gong Chayoung even angrier. 'They're a real Oriental medicine doctor, and they're interfering with another doctor's prescription?'
She could guess what happened. They probably saw the grandmother's movements and diagnosed Parkinson’s. But the reason she had prescribed that insurance medicine wasn't just for Parkinson’s. At the very least, they should have contacted her to ask why she had prescribed it!
'They probably gave her some tonic to make her feel better for a moment so they could get paid for the herbal medicine.'
If they were pumping tonics into the grandmother in her current state, it could lead to a much bigger problem!
No matter how she thought about it, it made her blood boil. 'If they opened in such a backwater, I can imagine their level of skill. How much confidence could they possibly have?'
It was a thought born of anger, but in truth, Gong Chayoung harbored a somewhat arrogant mindset. She was a graduate of Gyeong-hyun University, the most prestigious Oriental medicine school in the country! She had even maintained the top rank throughout her school years.
'Do they look down on public health doctors as all being the same?'
Gong Chayoung jumped up and grabbed her car keys. 'If I leave this alone, a real accident could happen. I have to let them know. And I need to make sure Grandma Geum-rye switches back to my prescription.'
She drove up the village road of Baejae-ri. After getting out at the last alleyway a car could reach, she visited Grandma Kim Geum-rye's house again.
"You're back? I told you, I have to take this medicine."
"Let's go check together. If that doctor confirms that the medicine I gave you is the right one, will you take it again?"
She put the grandmother in her car and soon arrived in Yongdeok-ri.
'It's really here? There isn't even a proper sign for the clinic. Ha, are they even licensed?'
Gong Chayoung took the grandmother and opened the door to the clinic. Village head Park Chunsik happened to be sitting in the waiting room.
"Huh? Isn't that the public health doctor from Baejae-ri? What brings you here?"
She couldn't even hear him. She grabbed the grandmother's wrist and marched straight to the director's office, throwing the door open.
"Did you tell this patient not to take the medicine I prescribed?"