Surgery Godfather-Chapter 1901 - 1313: A New Model of Medicine (Part 2)
Robert: "’The kidneys govern the bones.’ If the kidneys here are not the anatomical kidneys but some kind of functional system, then regulating this system might impact bone health. This could explain why chronic kidney disease patients often have osteoporosis."
John Ansen: "’The heart rules the mind.’ Clearly, the heart here is not the physical organ but the governor of consciousness and thoughts. Perhaps the ancients observed the significant impact of emotions on health, even though they didn’t understand the specific mechanisms."
August: "I need a concept correspondence table: ancient concepts vs. modern possible corresponding systems or functions, otherwise it’s easy to get confused."
Yang Ping: "I suggest we undertake a project: reinterpret the core concepts of the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ using the language of modern systems biology. It’s not a simple translation, but a conceptual mapping and conversion of ideas."
Manstein: "I agree. This might be the first time in medical history that the most advanced tools of system science are used to decode the oldest medical wisdom. Regardless of the outcome, the process itself is immensely valuable."
The seminar lasted three hours, and by the end, everyone was still wanting more.
Robert: "Ladies and gentlemen, may I propose that next month we organize a special forum: ’Dialogue Between Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science’?"
Griffin: "Great idea, but we must avoid turning it into cultural performance. We need solid cross-disciplinary research as the foundation."
Yang Ping: "I propose that each of us select a concept from the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ and explore it using modern research methods. For instance, ’Qi’ could be studied through bioenergetics, mitochondrial function, or even intercellular communication. In six months, we’ll share our preliminary findings."
Everyone: "Agreed!"
Robert: Professor! This book I have is in traditional vertical script. Can you help me identify a character? I’m not sure if I read it correctly.
Yang Ping: Robert, you’re reading the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ in vertical script?
Finally, finally, the traditional vertical script caught the professor’s attention!
Robert: Yes, it’s a bit challenging, but I can manage.
Yang Ping gave him a thumbs up.
Traditional vertical script!
The group members were all full of admiration.
Robert wanted exactly this effect. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
...
After the seminar ended, Yang Ping shut down the computer.
Xiao Su gently pushed the door open, carrying a freshly brewed cup of Longjing tea, the aroma spreading through the air.
"Can they understand?" she asked, placing the teacup on the desk.
"These guys did alright, understanding more deeply than I expected." Yang Ping leaned back in his chair, rubbing his sore eyes, "Manstein almost immediately grasped the essence of the balance concept, August is searching for actionable pathways, Robert... he can actually read traditional vertical script."
Xiao Su glanced at the bookshelf, where the book that sparked a global sensation, ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’, stood prominently in the most conspicuous spot—a common textbook in Chinese medicine colleges, with a light green cover, ordinary paper, priced at 28 yuan.
"Is it now some kind of sacred artifact just because you mentioned it in a lecture?" Her tone carried concern and a touch of worry.
Yang Ping picked up the teacup, watching the tea leaves slowly unfurl in the hot water: "That’s exactly what worries me. When an idea is symbolized and mystified, its rational core tends to get obscured. Have you seen those videos of the groups reading for healing? They don’t even understand Chinese, just follow the pronunciation, yet claim to have been healed. It’s utterly ridiculous."
Xiao Su sat down across from him: "This reflects a certain genuine desire. The more advanced modern medicine becomes, the more people feel its coldness—expensive machines, fragmented specialties, dizzying jargon. When people get sick, they need not just technical interventions, but also meaning, connection, and a holistic understanding. And when one is trapped in a terminal illness, what patients need most is hope."
Yang Ping was silent for a moment.
He recalled a late-stage tumor patient he saw last week. All targeted drugs had been tried, and all chemotherapy regimens had failed. During the last round, the patient did not ask about test indicators but instead asked: "Professor Yang, is there still hope?"
Now the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ has evolved into a form of hope, a kind of hope outside the existing medical system.
Rational scholars also hope that the ideas it brings can lead to some breakthroughs in medicine, while the mystics regard it as their last hope.
Yang Ping noticed that many top academic journals have also engaged in this grand discussion during this time.
’Science’ magazine published a lengthy commentary titled ’When Modern Medicine Meets Traditional Medicine—The Birth of a New Medical Paradigm’.
The article stated:
"We are witnessing a rare moment in the history of medicine: not a substitution of old and new, but a creative encounter of different knowledge traditions. The efforts of Professor Yang Ping and his international collaborators mark a turning point—traditional medicine is no longer merely ’complementary and alternative’ but has become a source of new scientific questions.
This is essentially a dialogue between two conceptions of time: modern medicine’s ’instantaneous time’ (rapid intervention, immediate effect) and traditional wisdom’s ’cyclical time’ (seasonal changes, life rhythms). The combination of the two may give rise to a new medical model that is both agile and sustainable.
It’s worth noting that the core methodology of this movement is translation—not the translation of language, but the cross-model translation of concepts, methodologies, and values. This process inevitably involves misreading, correction, and re-creation, which is precisely the essence of knowledge growth."
Meanwhile, the BBC filmed a documentary, ’The Modern Echoes of Inner Canon of Huangdi’, which doesn’t linger on mysticism but delves into the laboratory: under the lens, scientists measure the electrical characteristics of acupuncture points with microelectrodes, observe brain network changes during meditation using fMRI, and analyze the action modes of herbal compound formulas with metabolomics.
The British Museum’s special exhibition places the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ within the context of global medical history—alongside Ancient Egyptian medical papyri, the ancient Greek Hippocratic Corpus, and the ancient Indian Ayurveda classics. The exhibition’s conclusion states, "All these traditions are asking the same question: How does life maintain balance? How is health defined? Different civilizations have provided different answers, and all these answers are part of the common human heritage."
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization expert group began a cautious evaluation. A French philosopher wrote in the assessment report: "The value of the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ lies not only in its historical age but in its representation of early human thought on the holistic nature of complex life systems. In an era of increasingly fragmented algorithmic cognitive processes, such holistic thinking is itself a precious piece of ’human memory.’"
Seeing all this, Yang Ping felt at ease. His unintended recommendation had caused the surge of interest in the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’. Those participating in the craze expressed the same psychological needs, regardless of whether they were driven by irrational mysticism or rational science. They viewed this new medical paradigm as hope.
The global attention sparked by the ’Inner Canon of Huangdi’ is a mirror reflecting the dual cravings of this era: on the one hand, a longing for the miracles of technology; on the other, a quest for holistic care and the meaning of life; on one side, a reliance on specialized disciplines; on the other, a call for cross-disciplinary integration.
The current craze is at a threshold: will it remain a cultural phenomenon, media sensation, or commercial hype, or will it lead to a profound evolution of the medical model?
Yang Ping decided to harness this enthusiasm and guide it toward profound medical evolution—a rare opportunity.
He decided to establish a dedicated fund for Traditional Chinese Medicine within the project funding body, inviting researchers worldwide with interest to participate in this work.
Yang Ping vaguely felt that if the concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine were integrated with modern medicine, it could not only unlock the mysteries of tumors but also pave a new path for the treatment of many diseases.
