"Does this have anything to do with Traditional Chinese Medicine?" Cole was even more curious. What Zhu Yanyi had said today seemed very different from what she knew before.
"Of course it does." Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly. "Senior Brother, please tell them about the basics of our medicine. I’ve been talking for so long and I’m thirsty. Let me have a sip of tea."
"Alright, you drink your tea. I’ll explain the basics." Gu Jingtian smiled helplessly. In his heart, he knew that if he explained well today, Traditional Chinese Medicine would leave a deep impression on everyone present. This would effectively complete the task given by the Medicine Elder.
She paused, took a sip of tea, and then said, "The foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine is 'Observation, Listening and Smelling, Inquiry, and Palpation.' Observation means looking. You look at a person’s complexion, the color of their tongue, the spirit in their eyes, and everything visible. By looking, you can understand everything. For example, Mr. Anton, the whites of your eyes have a slight yellowish tint, and there is a dark shadow around your eyes. This indicates symptoms of hemorrhoids. Furthermore, your cheeks are slightly yellow, which suggests external hemorrhoids. Am I correct?"
Among the more than ten people sitting with Gu Jingtian were four representatives from Russia.
Anton’s expression changed slightly. He glanced at Gu Jingtian, coughed, but remained silent. However, the people around him understood from his reaction that Gu Jingtian was right. They looked at him with surprise. It was incredible. Just by looking at someone’s face, he could tell what illness they had.
"Listening and Smelling has two meanings. One is through smell—smelling the body’s odor, including the scent of excretions." Gu Jingtian paused deliberately here, scanning the room before continuing. "I know that in Western medicine, you can test urine and stool. But in ancient China, we also had testing. This testing was 'smelling.' By smelling the body’s odor, excretions, and other related scents, we could judge a person’s illness. For instance, the representative sitting next to me—I don’t know your name right now—but from your sweat, I smell a stuffy, dry odor. This indicates you once suffered from body odor, but it was cured by surgery later. Is that right?"
"Yes, how did you know?" This representative was Cyril, from the United States. He had indeed suffered from severe body odor in the past, which was cured by surgery. That was also why he studied medicine.
Gu Jingtian pointed to his nose. "Because I can smell odors and judge your condition through them. Of course, 'Listening and Smelling' also means listening. You listen to the patient describe where they feel uncomfortable and judge their illness based on their description. The third basic character is 'Inquiry.' This is also about language, but it is not the patient speaking. Instead, it is us, the doctors, asking the patient about their daily life. By combining this with the patient’s own description, we determine the specific details of their illness. The last one is 'Palpation.' This is what you find most mysterious."
Gu Jingtian thought for a moment, then looked at another American representative, Maxie. "Sir, please extend your left hand."
Maxie didn’t know what Gu Jingtian wanted to do, but he cooperated and extended his hand. Gu Jingtian placed his fingers on Maxie’s wrist. After about ten seconds, he let go. "Sir, you have severe stomach problems. In fact, you have been hospitalized at least four times for stomach ulcers caused by stomach issues. Is that correct?"