Chapter 10 On-Site Diagnosis

Clap! Clap! Clap! At that point, someone started clapping. The clapping was sparse and tentative, but it quickly grew louder. Soon, the applause was so loud and lasted so long that it echoed throughout the entire building. "Well said," someone shouted. "To hell with modern medicine! How am I inferior to the other doctors simply because I am a traditional medicine practitioner?" another hollered. As soon as the applause subsided, Gabriel jumped to his feet. After clearing his throat, he glanced at Aiden, who stood beside him. "Aiden, I've always wanted to say what Cole said earlier. Hence, please be neutral when creating banners in the future." Aiden's face went dark, and he uttered, "The contractor must have cut corners this time. I distinctly remember telling them to include traditional medicine in the text. They must have forgotten. I will make sure they include those words next time." Gabriel smiled, and his eyes blazed with passion when he heard that. With a traditional medicine practitioner like Cole in Broynia, traditional medicine will one day overpower the field of modern medicine and become the world's most recognized field of medicine! "Alright. Let the competition begin!" Aiden announced it with a hand gesture. He changed the subject because he had nothing further to say. The competition had begun, and the conference's theme was an on-site diagnosis. Patients from all over the world were seated on one side of the hall. They suffered from rare diseases, and some of them even had terminal conditions. Most patients had no financial means to visit a hospital, and no doctors were willing to take on their cases. Therefore, they had no choice but to attend this medical conference hoping to find a cure. "Would you dare to accept my challenge, Cole Stuart?" Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hall. As Cole turned around, he saw Michael Baxter of Benevolence Hospital making his way to the stage. "What are you doing up there, Dr. Baxter? Get off!" Madison shouted hastily. "Dr. Young, here is my resignation letter. I am no longer a doctor at Benevolence Hospital at this moment. We're at a medical conference, and I feel compelled to challenge him as a doctor. I have to show him how advanced modern medicine is!" Then, he hurled his resignation at her and continued to stride up the stage. "You've gone mad, Michael! Get off, right now!" she yelled. However, Michael paid no heed to her and focused on Cole, questioning him while his eyes burned with passion. "Do you dare to accept my challenge?" Cole smiled faintly. "What will be the basis for our competition?" "Since this is a medical skills competition, let's compete by diagnosing these patients. The victor will be the man who can make the most precise medical assessments and administer the most effective treatments." Following that, Michael turned and looked at the panel of judges. "What do you think, Dr. Calhoun?" Aiden responded with a nod. "Yes, there is a prize for the conference champion. I'll present you with the prize if you emerge victorious." His response clearly showed that he knew Michael, who was, after all, his top student. Moreover, he was aware of Michael's medical skills. "Alright! Will the first patient please come up?" Soon, a staff member led the first patient onto the stage. "Do you want to go first?" Michael asked. "It's fine if you go first. Anything goes just fine with me." Cole stepped to the side and crossed his arms. "I see. You're scared!" Michael huffed coldly before pulling a tongue depressor from his kit. Afterward, he approached the patient and said softly, "Tilt your head up and open your mouth." Then, he meticulously examined the patient's entire body for the next thirty minutes. "There is something hard in your left kidney. You are most likely experiencing constant pain and urination difficulties. I suspect you have a kidney stone, and it's quite serious." After hearing that, the patient nodded vigorously. "That's right. I have kidney stones. I have ignored it for too long, so I am frequently in excruciating pain." "It's not that serious, so all you need to do is head to the hospital to undergo surgery. It is a minimally invasive kidney stone removal procedure that will cost approximately ten thousand. After that, you'll be fine," Michael remarked with a grin. However, the patient's face twisted in agony when he learned the cost of the operation. Meanwhile, Aiden and the other judging panel members affirmed the patient's diagnosis by nodding their heads. "Amazing! He diagnosed the patient so quickly." Soon, Michael held his head high after taking in the attendees' acclaim. "Cole, I'm done. You're up next!" "Well, he has kidney stones. There's no need to examine him," Cole responded. "Hmph! You haven't even examined him. What makes you so certain?" Michael's face was disdainful as he continued coldly, "Are you giving the same diagnosis on purpose so that we can call it a draw?" As soon as those words were spoken, everyone began whispering about Cole. "That is the patient's condition. What else do you want me to say?" Cole asked, frustrated. "Hmph! Do you even know how to do anything but bicker?" Michael shot him a scornful look. "You can say what you want, but your kidney stone treatment is surgery, whereas mine is not." Then, Cole took out a pen and paper, and with a few quick strokes, he scribbled out a prescription, which he tossed to the patient. "Get the herbs listed, boil them, and drink the concoction once per day. After ten days, you should be able to pass the stones." "Can this treat my kidney stones, doctor?" The patient gave Cole an expression of utter bewilderment. "You have kidney stones, and decreased kidney function, most likely due to excessive intimacy. If you don't believe me, ask Dr. Howard," Cole stated while pointing at Gabriel. After looking at the prescription, Gabriel's face contorted visibly in shock. "Amazing! This is brilliant! In addition to cleansing the kidneys and removing kidney stones, this prescription nourishes the kidneys to improve kidney function and treat other conditions. You're exactly what I said you were, Cole." When everyone in the hall heard what Gabriel had to say, they were all taken aback. Suddenly, Aiden snatched the prescription from Gabriel, but his expression froze in shock at what he saw.