Chapter 27: The Wrong Diagnosis

Upon hearing the commotion, Song Liangzuo quickly turned to look and saw two middle-aged men entering the shop. One of them was carrying an elderly woman on his back, while the other supported her from the side.

The urgent voice calling out belonged to the man carrying the woman, and they quickly made their way in, familiar with the surroundings as they headed towards the left.

Song Liangzuo noticed that the previous patient had left, and only the doctor remained, writing something down.

Sensing the noise, the doctor stopped his writing and stood up to address the newcomers, “What’s going on?”

The man set the elderly woman down and helped her sit on a chair.

From Song Liangzuo’s perspective, it was clear that the woman was quite ill. She struggled to sit upright and leaned heavily against the man for support.

“Has your home finished the medicine?” the doctor asked while beginning the examination.

“Finished, finished! My mother has taken all the medicine we got before, but her cough isn’t getting any better, and now she says her chest hurts every time she speaks! Plus, just look at my mother’s complexion, it’s not good!” the man replied anxiously.

“You said she started with fever and chills, and a few doses of medicine should have cured her, but she keeps getting worse. You prescribed her more medicine, but now she feels even more strained; every breath feels like a needle is stabbing her chest. If you can’t help her, I will go to the county office and file a complaint, saying that you’ve made her worse!” At this moment, the second man chimed in, his tone aggressive.

Clearly, the two brothers had very different temperaments—one was gentle, while the other was hot-headed.

Seeing the commotion, the owner of the shop disregarded the transaction with Song Liangzuo and quickly closed the drawer, rushing towards the patients with a sense of urgency.

The assistant poured water while the owner tried to calm down the concerned family, urging them to be patient.

Seeing this, Song Liangzuo asked his mother to set him down so he could get closer.

Just in time, he caught sight of the doctor examining the elderly woman’s tongue. Notably, her tongue was covered in purplish spots, and her lips were a bluish color.

A bluish tongue indicated stagnation of qi and blood within the body, lacking the normal red hue. A swollen tongue with purple coloration was known as “blue tongue.”

Combining the observation of the woman’s tongue with the purplish spots, Song Liangzuo preliminarily diagnosed her condition as cold-damp stagnation with liver damage.

At that moment, he heard the doctor quietly mutter, “How strange! She merely had fever and chills; how did it turn into suspended fluid syndrome?”

Suspended fluid syndrome, in traditional Chinese medicine, refers to a condition that resembles pleural effusion or accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity in Western medicine.

The causes can be either inflammation or other underlying diseases, tuberculosis, or tumors.

“What syndrome? Doctor, tell me quickly, how are we going to treat my mother?” the previously angry man glared at the doctor, his fists clenched, ready to lash out.

The doctor, already puzzled, felt the pressure of the stare and began to write a prescription, “I will first prescribe you a formula for Ten Jujube Soup. Go get that prepared, and I will prescribe other remedies after.”

The doctor quickly scribbled a prescription and handed it to the hot-headed man. Meanwhile, the assistant rushed to the herb cabinet to prepare the medicine.

Song Liangzuo continued to observe the elderly woman, noting her wan appearance, deep-set eyes, and the fact that she was sweating profusely. She was having difficulty breathing as though an invisible hand was choking her throat.

Just then, the old woman began coughing violently but with little strength, making it look like she might tumble off the chair at any moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Song Liangzuo rushed over to support her. “Be careful, Grandma!” While pretending to steady her, he discreetly placed a hand on her wrist.

After a moment, as he supported her arm, he quickly tapped her back several times, concluding that she was experiencing abdominal distension and difficulty breathing.

“Hey, where’d this little kid come from? Move aside; don’t just stand there!” the hot-headed man shouted as he rushed back when he heard his mother coughing again.

Before Song Liangzuo could respond, Wang Chunlan pulled him back protectively, eyes wary of the man’s aggressive demeanor.

At that moment, all of Song Liangzuo’s focus was on the elderly woman. From his observation of her pulse, he noted that the fine pulse typically indicated dampness and weak yang, aligning with the condition of suspended fluid. However, the rapid pulse indicated heat, which contradicted the patient’s symptoms.

In summary, it appeared that the woman was in a precarious state of health.

He suddenly recalled what the sitting doctor had prescribed—Ten Jujube Soup? It was now the wrong formula to use.

Ten Jujube Soup is a strong remedy, and the doctor had clearly overlooked the principle of tailoring treatment based on the three causes: environment (location), time (season), and the individual (age, sex, constitution, etc.).

If the medication was administered as prescribed, it could easily lead to a critical situation.

Song Liangzuo looked around; he wanted to speak up but realized that it would be inappropriate.

Not to mention that as a mere child, who would believe him? To voice his thoughts in front of the patient and their family could easily devolve into a chaotic situation.

It would be easy for the sitting doctor to dismiss him as an “ignorant child,” but the real issue would be jeopardizing their access to herbs and putting their entire trade at risk.

Thinking quickly, he decided to tap his mother’s hand to let her know he’d be okay, then he rushed over to the shop owner and whispered a few words.

The shop owner was taken aback and scrutinized Song Liangzuo carefully.

Song Liangzuo, knowing he had a good memory, continued without fear. “Don’t let my age fool you, Grandfather. I have a photographic memory; everything I’ve seen and heard, I remember. Just convey my words to the sitting doctor; he will understand.”

Seeing the owner’s skepticism, Song Liangzuo urged, “This is a matter of life and death; it cannot wait. I am not being alarmist!”

Internally, the shop owner experienced turmoil that far exceeded his calm exterior. He was doubtful that a small child could possess such medical knowledge.

However, the boy had sufficiently articulated the patient’s predicament and had specifically mentioned the “condition for attacking those with exogenous symptoms,” which meant that the prescribed medicine was indeed not suitable based on the patient’s condition.

It was ridiculous for a child to imply that the sitting doctor had prescribed the wrong remedy, yet the boy had offered reasonable evidence…

While the owner wasn’t sure about the doctor’s diagnosis, he recognized the seriousness of the situation regarding the patient’s life. After a brief moment of thought, he clenched his right fist, struck it against his left palm with an “Oh!” sound, and rushed over to whisper a few words to the doctor.