Surgery Godfather

"Mr. Morris, I'd like to hear your opinion. If there are no other issues, we will schedule their surgery." John Ansen came to the ward to visit his fellow countryman, using a very Chinese approach: he brought a fruit basket filled with fruits Americans like to eat—cherries, strawberries, and such.

Compared to American fruits, these have a better taste.

John Ansen believed that this Chinese way of visiting patients was much more practical than the American practice of giving flowers. Flowers are useless; they end up being disposed of like trash by the cleaners, and sometimes their scent can pollute the air and cause allergies for some patients.

Fruits, on the other hand, don't have these risks. It's truly a healthy way to visit patients, and he hoped it could be promoted in the United States in the future.

"That's wonderful, Uncle John Ansen, can we have the surgery now?"

"Is this true? Dad, you're amazing, have you agreed to the surgery?"

The conjoined twins clapped their small hands excitedly. Due to the linkage of their head, neck, chest, and abdomen, they suffered from severe spinal deformities, making many movements difficult. Even if they were born accustomed to this way of life, they were still in pain.

Morris forced a smile at his daughters and then gave his wife a look to distract them.

"I happen to have some questions about the surgery to consult with you."

Morris led John Ansen out of the ward and into the hallway.

"Let's talk privately. Those little ones are too noisy right now."

"Then let's go to the meeting room."

John Ansen took him to the meeting room, which was specifically for doctors and patients to talk.

They sat down and closed the door.

"I… I'm sorry, Dr. John Ansen, but I need to think it over. Let's postpone the surgery. I just can't feel at ease about this; I don't know why, but I always feel that the medical team here treats the surgery too lightly. This relaxed attitude actually makes me uneasy. I feel like the risks of this surgery haven't been fully assessed, which is very dangerous. You're a doctor, you understand what I'm saying. I hope you can understand me; I am their father." Morris looked very guilty because coming to China was highly recommended by John Ansen, and at the time Morris was very happy and came without hesitation, but now he was indecisive.

John Ansen could understand Morris's thoughts. The more one is a neurosurgeon, the more one might think this is too far-fetched, because their knowledge dictates or limits their thinking, and their experience tells them that there is no precedent, and doing it this way is not feasible.

So, sometimes knowledge helps you, and sometimes it confines you.

If it were before, John Ansen would have thought the same, having the exact same mindset as Morris, but now it's different. John Ansen had been educated many times by the cases he personally witnessed from Yang Ping. Education makes progress, it broadens one's vision.

"I completely understand your thoughts. If it were before, before knowing Professor Yang, I would think the same way. But since I saw Professor Yang perform surgeries, I would never think that way again. You and I are ordinary people; don't view us too highly. We became experts in others' eyes because of long-term focus on this profession, education, platforms and long-term dedication. It's actually education that's to thank, not our innate talent. But Professor Yang is different; he's the only doctor I've seen who can be called a genius. So let's not measure a genius with our way of thinking. Problems mathematicians couldn't solve for a thousand years, problems that ordinary people couldn't solve in a lifetime, were solved by Gauss in one night. That's a genius. We are ordinary people, Professor Yang is a genius, and you must admit this fact to objectively view this matter. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You have to be clear, he is my teacher. What kind of person can be my teacher in this world?"

John Ansen patiently and earnestly guided Morris. He knew where Morris's doubts lay; he had experienced it himself. But changing a person's preconceived notions is harder than anything.

"But I always feel there's too much exaggeration in this. Professor Yang's plan for the surgery seems too perfect, so perfect that it feels fake. Like completing the separation of head and neck in the time of a single local anesthetic—it's insane. He even told me he wants to correct their severely deformed spine and let them live completely normal lives. And... my education taught me to use common sense to judge things; anything that violates common sense is false. Please forgive my bluntness." Morris held onto his judgment.

John Ansen smiled and said, "I appreciate your bluntness, but also please forgive my forthrightness. For ordinary people, using common sense as a basis for judgment is not wrong, as it can significantly reduce the error rate of judgments and the cost of making those judgments, which is a somewhat reliable lazy method. But we are different. We are the ones propelling medical advancement. If we use so-called common sense to judge at all times, then we can only follow the beaten path and stand still. If Newton, like ordinary people, used common sense to judge, he couldn't have achieved such great accomplishments in physics. Mr. Morris, as a peer, I have to frankly tell you that this way of thinking will also determine that your professional level will lag far behind mine, and the fact is, it does."