As gyneacological conditions
constitute most of the patients I see in the UK, I was looking forward to the
gynaecology department. It turned out that we would observe three different
doctors two of whom are the children of Han Ling Bai 韩百灵 (1909-2010) who, according to our
interpreter, ‘ was a real celebrity’. From the beginning it was quite clear
that there was indeed something very celebrity like about Han Yan Hua 韩延华 (1952-), the oldest of the two siblings. To begin with the number
of patients waiting was the greatest I had seen up to that point; everything
was prepared to the fine details by her students for the doctor’s arrival, one
of whom patiently waited for her at the hospital entrance to carry any bags. The
doctor’s jacket was then swiftly put into a protective bag hanging on the wall
and swapped for the white coat followed by the removal of two mobile phones
from her handbag. The whole process was a smooth and effortless dance which
only took a couple of minutes.
In finding out that I was from
Italy Han Yan Hua vivaciously enumerated
various Italian cities she recently visited and boldly added how the food
and ‘Italian noodles’ in particular were
terrible and the wine just ok. I nodded and gave a big apologetic smile for my
country not living up to her expectations although at that right moment I would
have happily swapped the worse Italian meal for my canteen dinner which I am
sure was the cause of msg related insomnia more than once. Smile and just go with the
flow is my latest survival technique while I feel the cultural divide opening
up like a gigantic crack under my feet.
The clinic set up itself was also
like a perfectly oiled machine. Some of the basic information already gathered
by the sternest looking student, Han Yan Hua swiftly proceeded to the five minutes long
consultations. Most physical examinations were carried out at the same time behind
a flimsy pink screen on a table that pointed in the direction of a window with
open curtains which gave onto a busy road. Brisk, unapologetic but efficient to
the receiving end.
While at the current dermatology department I have mastered the art of floating between patients and literally almost hugging the person who computerises all information in order to take a snapshot, keeping track of what was
happening at the gynae clinic was much harder because of the combination of a more crowded space and somewhat more hierarchical set up.
Luckily I
discovered most prescriptions were a variation of eight major formulae written
by her father which we finally managed to get hold of. That paired with
starting reading one of Han Bai Ling’s books and a couple of his daughter’s articles allowed for placing
some of the puzzle pieces together in a setting where there was not little time
for any discussions.
A large number of patients
sought treatment for pcos and were often diabetic, a reflection of the doctor’s
main area of specialization. Han Yan Hua treatment approach to pcos is fairly straightforward; the physician is of
the opinion that most cases involve a pathology of spleen and kidneys, where
kidney deficiency is the root and phlegm and damp the branch.
Han Yan Hua strongly
believes in the use of western medicine in low dosages and for short period of time to begin
with. She often suggested a course of treatment of metmorfin for three months
together with a
modification of her own formula called yi shen hua shi tang 益肾化湿汤.
If after
taking those herbs the patient developed a slippery and rapid pulse, swollen
abdomen and breast distention which signified the imminent arrival of
menstruation she would prescribe yi shen hua shi tang plus herbs like chuan
xiong, tao ren, dan shen, hong hua, yi mu cao to invigorate blood and regulate
the menses.
Han Yan Hua more than once
pointed out her belief in having a few formulae as a basis to be modified
appropriately according to diagnosis. Despite perhaps not being the most
exciting way of practicing to observe, it did seem to serve its purpose as a
few patients reported of successful stories and certainly contributed to such
an efficient running of the clinical day. Will I be back for more…I still
haven’t decided.
Yi shen hua
shi tang益肾化湿汤: tu si zi, ba ji tian, shan zhu yu, gou qi zi,
huai niu xi, xiang fu, bai shao, dan nan xing, cang zhu, chen pi
