A Great Doctor in the Countryside

 

 There is a Japanese folk tale known as “The Doctor in the Countryside.” It is the story of a doctor who lived deep in a forest. One day, there was an emergency in the village: a patient needed the doctor. He was called. He tried to take a short cut to the village but encountered a giant snake, which swallowed him whole. Inside the snake, he used a laxative, which enabled him to get out safely and to finally reach the patient.

 I live in a countryside of sorts too. And, one day, I came across a great doctor.

 When my late father was alive, he had cataracts. The result of his visual acuity test was less than 20/100. So, he had an operation at the nearest general hospital. Apparently, the doctor who operated on him did a great job. My father’s visual acuity test result became 20/10.

I was highly impressed and said to the doctor, “You must be a great doctor.”

He answered, “I only did what I had to.”

That’s what a great doctor would say.

I have had eye problems from my birth, so I wanted him to become my family doctor. When I made this request, he said, “Sorry. I have to move to a different hospital in the downtown area next month.”

 He was probably headhunted.

 In the folk tale, a great doctor came back from a giant snake; in the modern world, a great doctor could never come back from a city.

Picture by saki