She lifted up her shirt and slowly walked the tips of her fingers down and round a path leading to the exact location where those trails had lingered. She placed my cold hand on her white, confusing breast. How could she trust me like that? Continue reading Hall
A la señora H le fallaban los riñones. Le aquejaba también una anemia severa, por lo cual necesitaba una transfusión de sangre – un procedimiento al que ella se había rehusado. El Dr. Tsao se sintió confundido. En Taiwán, no es común que un paciente se rehúse a recibir un tratamiento recomendado por sus médicos. Por el contrario, los pacientes tienden a estar de acuerdo con estos, por deferencia, aun si más tarde deciden no seguir las “órdenes” médicas recibidas. En lugar de utilizar la autoridad de la que usualmente dispone, el Dr. Tsao simplemente tornó su atención al paciente y preguntó: ¿Por qué? Continue reading Cartas desde Kaohsiung
Mrs. H’s kidneys had failed. She had also developed severe anemia necessitating a blood transfusion, a procedure which she had refused. Dr. Tsao was somewhat perplexed. Patients in Taiwan don’t typically refuse treatment. If anything, they tend to agree with the physician out of deference and decide later not to carry out the ‘doctors orders.’ Rather than resorting to force of authority, however, Dr. Tsao simply turned to the patient and asked a simple question – Why? Continue reading Letters from Kaohsiung
At the operating room he found his patient: a little girl. She had already received the appropriate liquids, and machines had been installed on her body. Thus, he began. “Scalpel.” “Forceps.” “Suture.” Everything was quick to arrive. He was sweating. “Her heart, doctor,” he heard. Come on! Answer me! he whispered as his hand pressed and released, pressed and released, pressed and released the small heart. Wake up! Wake up! Come on, wake up, for goodness’ sake! Continue reading Variante XXI (English translation)
Stethoscopes & Pencils 