Myth

Talking about professionalism, on several recent occasions, I encounter people making comments on Hua Tuo (華佗), the legendary Chinese doctor who lived in the Three Kingdoms Period.

There are, in general, two matters to compliment: Hua was regarded as the pioneer of surgery in ancient China, and, as a doctor devoted to patient care, his life and doings should be introduced to our medical students as part of the curriculum of medical ethics.

For the part on surgery, I must say my first concern is it remains debatable whether Hua did really exist. (I discussed briefly here on this matter some years ago. See http://ccszeto.blogspot.hk/2010/08/blog-post_19.html) Nonetheless, even if he was, consider the following scenario:

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Patient: Doctor, I have a headache.
Doctor: Yes, you have wind in your head and need a surgery - I shall open up your skull and fix the problem.
P: Oh, doctor, may I ask for your experience? How many similar cases have you operated on in the past?
D: Nop. You are the first one.
P: Em... Do you have any training in surgery, or have you ever try it in animals - pigs or monkeys or what-so-ever?
D: Never. I am the pioneer of this field, and animals are quite different from human.
P: In that case, have you ever open up the brain of any dead body to study its structure - so that you know what you expect to find when you open up mine?
D: Don't be silly. Cutting up dead people's head is not ethical. We all regard it as a humiliation of human dignity.
P: Alas, in that case have you ever read any textbook on neuroanatomy?
D: Of course not. There is no such kind of book around.

I'm afraid you will agree with me if this very patient agrees to be operated, he would, instead, need to see a psychiatrist.