The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

I arrived at work early in the morning as usual.

It wasn’t unusual to see Grandma Heo Soon-nam sitting there, as she typically visited twice a week as the first patient of the day.

However, today she was accompanied by a middle-aged woman and a young man.

‘Oh, who’s that?’

I recognized the middle-aged woman as someone I had seen before.

She was the one who had been demanding a refund at Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic.

“Doctor, I’m here~. Did you miss me?”

“I missed you terribly. How was your back while you were away?”

“I couldn’t come because they begged me to attend some exhibition at my gallery in Seoul. Fortunately, my back was fine even on the train ride!”

“That’s good to hear. We start at 7 AM, so please wait a moment.”

I nodded a greeting to the new mother and son patients and entered the examination room. I needed to change clothes and turn on the computer to prepare for consultations.

Were they acquaintances of the Grandma? It seems they were quite dissatisfied with Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic’s methods.

Since they couldn’t get a refund, they’d probably try the medicine for at least two more months.

But at 6:58 AM, a loud voice came from outside.

“I’m telling you, I got blisters after the acupuncture!”

It was a man’s voice. What’s going on?

“Please sit down and wait. The doctor will see patients in order starting at 7 AM.”

“I came early because I need to get to work soon!”

“There’s someone who arrived before you, so it’ll be about a 10 to 15-minute wait…”

It was Kim Jinsang, whom I had seen as my last patient three days ago. He was banging on the desk, demanding to see me. Last time he came right before closing, asking for treatment… and now early in the morning?

Does he have any sense of common courtesy?

“Eek!”

“Hey, you! Tell the doctor to come out!”

“Please calm down.”

I hastily put on my clothes and went out to grab Kim Jinsang’s arm. I couldn’t leave my employee alone to deal with someone like that.

“Doctor, should I call the police?”

Seo In-ae responded as calmly as she could, but I could see she was frightened.

“It’s alright.”

I declined calling the police for now and said,

“Please calm down and tell me what happened.”

I forcefully pulled Kim Jinsang away from the desk. I advised Seo In-ae to sit down and rest for a moment, then apologized to the other patients who had arrived earlier.

“I’m sorry you’ve been waiting, but would it be alright if I deal with this person first? I’ll be quick.”

“Th-this…!”

“Go ahead.”

The middle-aged woman, presumably Heo Soon-nam’s daughter-in-law, responded. She appeared to be stopping Grandma Heo Soon-nam from immediately standing up and gesturing angrily at Kim Jinsang.

It was complete chaos.

“You say you got blisters? Since when, and what do they look like?”

I asked Kim Jinsang without letting him into the examination room. If there had been no witnesses, I might have resolved this quietly, but since the new patients had already seen him causing a scene, it was better to clearly demonstrate that there was no problem.

I calmly gazed at Kim Jinsang.

Unlike when he was shouting for the doctor to come out, he flinched slightly when I questioned him.

“Look here. I got acupuncture on Monday, and blisters started appearing on Tuesday. Do you know how much I suffered because there was nowhere open at night?”

Kim Jinsang rolled up his sleeve to show me.

His skin was red and inflamed, with blisters scattered about.

It was a mix of erythematous maculopapular rash and vesicles.

Seeing the blisters seemed to reignite his anger, which had momentarily subsided, and he continued in an agitated tone.

“You said it wasn’t a herniated disc! But when I went to the neurosurgeon yesterday and got an X-ray, they said it was a herniated disc! The doctor scolded me for a long time, asking why I got acupuncture!”

“First of all, I never said it wasn’t a herniated disc. I said it wasn’t frozen shoulder or a rotator cuff tear. I clearly left open the possibility of a herniated disc.”

I replied calmly.

Not remembering the disc discussion wasn’t a big issue.

But.

“Regardless of whether there’s a herniated disc or not, the cause of the pain you’re feeling now, Kim Jinsang-ssi, is not a cervical disc. And of course, these blisters weren’t caused by the acupuncture. I mainly treated your shoulder area, but the blisters have spread to your inner forearm, haven’t they?”

“W-well, isn’t it an allergic reaction or something? The doctor said it was because of the acupuncture! What are you going to do about this? It hurts even more than before, and it’s so itchy I feel like I’m going crazy!”

This was a somewhat serious problem.

“Did the doctor clearly state that this happened because of the acupuncture? After seeing these blisters with their own eyes?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

“Which neurosurgery clinic was it?”

“The one across from the station, Hankukil Neurosurgery.”

Kim Jinsang hesitated slightly, not expecting me to ask for specifics, but he provided the name of the hospital.

Hankukil? Is that the doctor’s name? A graduate of Korea University?

“Hankukil? That’s the one who said I needed to have 9 pins inserted in my back for surgery! I’m glad I didn’t do it! I said I didn’t want surgery and would just get physical therapy and acupuncture, but he flew into a rage asking why I’d get acupuncture, so I never went back!”

Grandma Heo Soon-nam finally chimed in.

Her words seemed to further diminish Kim Jinsang’s confidence.

But I wasn’t angry at Kim Jinsang in the first place. If a doctor says something, a patient who doesn’t know better could easily believe it.

“Assistant, please search for their phone number and tell me.”

“Ah, yes. It’s 051, 203…”

“Are they open now?”

“Yes, they open at 7 AM like us.”

I turned on my phone and dialed the number. Then I put it on speaker.

– Hello, this is Hankukil Neurosurgery.

“Hello, this is Han Yeowon, the Doctor of Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic. A patient named Kim Jinsang who was treated by you yesterday claims that you told him the blisters he developed were caused by the acupuncture he received at our clinic. I’d like to confirm if this is true. Could I speak to the Doctor, please?”

– Oh? Yes, I’ll ask. Please hold for a moment.

The neurosurgery clinic staff who answered the phone seemed quite flustered.

If they were spouting such nonsense about blisters appearing after acupuncture, they must have been habitually disparaging traditional medicine, telling patients not to take herbal medicine or get acupuncture. Was I the first Korean medicine doctor to actually call them out on it?

– …This is Hankukil.

Soon, the call was transferred. So it was a name, not a Korea University graduate.

At least he didn’t avoid the incoming call, which was fortunate.

“Kim Jinsang-ssi came to our clinic today, saying that you told him the blisters were caused by the acupuncture he received at our clinic. Is that correct?”

– Well, I… I said there was a possibility. I didn’t diagnose it as 100% certain, it was just a clinical assumption.

“So you saw these blisters and diagnosed acupuncture allergy or infection as the primary possibility, is that right?”

– He said he had just received acupuncture! Isn’t it reasonable to think that way? There’s no evidence it’s not a side effect of acupuncture…

“You spoke loudly to the patient, but now you’re worried about being sued, aren’t you?”

I chuckled. He made a bogus diagnosis and even scolded the patient, but now he’s stammering when confronted with a complaint call.

“I could understand if a doctor from an unrelated department missed it, but a neurosurgeon doesn’t even recognize the pattern of herpes zoster blisters?”

– Herpes zoster? Ah…!

I could sense him flinching over the phone.

It seemed Hankukil had just realized his misdiagnosis.

“You said there’s no evidence? If we do a virus test, we’ll see which diagnosis is correct. How can you so confidently blame the Korean medicine clinic when you’re so ignorant?”

– Ah, well, that… I’m sorry.

Hankukil, who had been floundering, finally managed to utter an apology after a long pause.

“You’re saying I have herpes zoster?”

Kim Jinsang, who had been listening to the conversation on speakerphone, asked.

“Yes, the pain from the beginning was herpes zoster neuralgia. It’s common for the pain to start first and the blisters to appear later, which makes it difficult to distinguish before the blisters are visible.”

“Ah… I see. The pattern is exactly the same.”

In the meantime, Kim Jinsang had searched for herpes zoster on his mobile phone and compared it to the condition of his arm, finally understanding.

His expression may be rough, and yes, he showed nearly criminal violent tendencies.

But he wasn’t a patient who was completely unreasonable.

“Of course, the doctor who blamed the acupuncture despite seeing these characteristic blisters is quite…”

“A quack!”

“His competence is questionable, so you should reconsider your next visit.”

Grandma Heo Soon-nam interjected once again.

No, if you say it like that, you might get sued for defamation of character based on facts. They’re probably both recording this conversation.

“Go to an internal medicine or dermatology clinic right away to get an antiviral prescription, and you can continue with acupuncture treatment. Don’t worry, you received good treatment early on, and it’s not an acupuncture allergy.”

“Ah… I see.”

That was the extent of my explanation to Kim Jinsang.

I addressed Hankukil again through the speakerphone.

“Please properly apologize for misdiagnosing, talking nonsense to the patient, and groundlessly disparaging acupuncture.”

– Ugh…

“If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to…”

– I’m sorry.

“Be specific about what you’re sorry for.”

– …I apologize to the patient for not detecting the herpes zoster earlier and not administering antiviral medication sooner. I’m also sorry for assuming the cause was acupuncture without proper knowledge. If the patient visits us, we’ll prescribe medication and fully refund yesterday’s consultation and examination fees.

Hankukil prostrated himself and apologized to me and the patient. A clear declaration of surrender.

“Sigh…”

I was still angry, but there wasn’t much more I could do at this point.

I exhaled deeply and wrapped up the call with Hankukil.

“We occasionally get patients who couldn’t be cured at your hospital. If I hear one more time that you’ve been talking nonsense about Korean medicine treatments… you’d better be prepared. Study more before you practice medicine.”

– Yes, yes. I’m sorry.

“Take care then.”

As I ended the call, Grandma Heo Soon-nam, who seemed to have a lot to say, shook off her daughter-in-law and approached the desk.

“Don’t you ever go back there after getting that refund! I thought that quack only treated us old folks carelessly, but look at him yapping nonsense everywhere!”

“Ah, yes…”

“And you! Do you think yelling at the top of your lungs will make a young doctor submit? You should be quiet in a hospital!”

She scolded Kim Jinsang in a voice louder than anyone else’s. Her daughter-in-law pressed her forehead with a gesture that suggested she couldn’t control the situation, while her grandson seemed amused, smirking slightly.

“I’m sorry.”

Overwhelmed by her force, Kim Jinsang repeatedly bowed his head to Grandma Heo Soon-nam, me, and Seo In-ae.

Hmm. Maybe I didn’t need to intervene after all?

“Doctor, don’t worry. I’ll go to the senior center and spread the word that this doctor is a quack!”

“Haha, thank you.”

I patted the Grandma’s shoulder to calm her down, then summarized the situation once more.

“Alright, Kim Jinsang-ssi, if you’re in a hurry to get to work, go to an internal medicine or neurology clinic to get medication first, then come back tomorrow morning. You need to take antiviral medication.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see the Grandma and her two companions now. I’m sorry for startling everyone.”

“It’s not your fault, Doctor! We all know that!”

The Grandma waved her hand dismissively, and smiles appeared on the faces of her daughter-in-law and grandson.

The grandson, in particular, seemed to find the whole incident quite entertaining, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Patient Jung In-sung and guardians, please come to the examination room.”

Seo In-ae, having completely regained her composure, called out the Grandma’s grandson’s name.

So the grandson was the patient.

Well then, I need to focus on the patient!

Grandma Heo Soon-nam has entrusted him to me again, so I must provide the best treatment possible, right?