Say Hello to Black Jack 6

Say Hello to Black Jack, Volume 1, Chapter 6 (pp. 83.5~94.5)


<83.5>
=Kazuo Miyamura, age 38.
=He runs a small liquor store over in Shimono village.

=He was brought in from Tomihisa Hospital just last night.
=Based on his symptoms and his ECG, he's been diagnosed with angina.
[note]ECG; electrocardiogram

=He may need bypass surgery depending on the test results...


<84>
#6: The First Lie

=We're getting the test results this afternoon!
=We'll let you know as soon as possible.

=Uh... You might be worried about having a young doctor like me, but...
=I'm officially in charge of looking after you!

=So... If there's anything you need...
=Please don't hesitate to ask.


<85>
=2 days after switching from surgical to internal—
=We're once again swamped in work, with no time for proper meals.
[x3]=DRIP

=He—y//Saitoh, Dekune—!
=Time to make rounds—//Then we're checking those test results—
=Yes sir!!

[label]=Tempura Soba
[bubble]=Yummy

=Here in the first internal department, we treat patients suffering from heart attack, angina, and other heart-related diseases.
=Hello—
GRUCK
=Which is why it's sometimes called the circulatory department.

=Therefore,
=The vast majority of the patients here suffer from heart problems.

=How are you, Mr. Tamura?
=You're getting a stent tomorrow, right?
[note]Stent; A "brace" used to maintain the size of the inner area of the vein after it has been enlarged, allowing for improved blood flow.

=Are you nervous again this morning?
=No, I'm fine today.

=This instructor's a pretty nice guy, huh—
=He's kinda homo though...
[x3]=ROLL

[sign]=First Surgical Department

THUMP...


<86>
=How are they?
=Mr. Miyamura's test results...

[x2]THUMP..

=91% in the LCX...
=93% blockage in the LAD.
[x2]SCRATCH
[note]LCX; Left circumflex coronary artery//LAD; Left anterior descending coronary artery

=Could block up completely any time.
=That would be instant death.

=Instant death...?

=You saw it during the rounds...
=Heart disease isn't just for old people.
[x2]SCRATCH

=Heart attack ranks #3 in cause of deaths in Japan behind cancer and strokes. That's 6.42 million patients...
=1 in 20 people in Japan die from heart attacks.

=1 in 20 people...
=Means we need to get him surgery as soon as possible, right?

=No no, we can only decide on surgery after the next meeting with the cardiac surgery department.
=That's how it works.

=What do you mean...?


<87>
=Here's a true story from our hospital a couple years ago.
=The coronary artery burst while they were running a cath-scan in the internal department.

=Cath-scan?

=What we were doing just now.//You insert a catheter into the coronary artery and test for things like vein structure.

=The blood pressure dropped quickly and the body went into shock...
=We called the cardiac surgeons immediately... Nothing more could be done without an emergency operation.

=The professor is currently unavailable.
=Please wait until the evening surgical meeting.

=Evening!?
=We can't wait that long! It's not even noon yet! There's nothing going on in the operating rooms!!

=We can't operate without the professor's permission.//Please wait until he returns.

=That patient ended up dying...

=The professor is the only one that matters...
=They've got no interest in covering for a physician...

=That's how our cardiac surgeons work...

=The next department is farther than a foreign country...
=That's reality in a university hospital...


<88>
=So...
=We have the results from the tests.

=Uh... The heart pumps blood flow to the entire body,
=But the heart itself also needs blood...

=So the coronary artery...
=The thin veins running along here, supply it with blood.

=In your case...
=We've found that the base of the left veins are clogged up.
GLANCE

=S-So...//To make sure the veins doesn't clog up completely,
=We're going to give you medication that makes the blood smooth, and expands the size of the veins!

=Liar.

=We won't know the details until the next surgical meeting.
=But they might operate on you over at the surgical department!

=He's actually going to die unless he gets immediate surgery...


<89>
=Feeling guilty?

=There's nothing you can do about the hospital system.
=Your job is to stand strong with the patient.

=Doctor's don't treat sickness,//They treat humans.

=Doctors can only try and cure the patient.
=The patients are the ones who are cured.

=Please don't hesitate to ask if there's something you want to know.
=I'll answer as best I can.

=Mr. Miyamura,//I'm just a lowly intern, but...
=Even interns have their role to fulfill in the hospital.

=I mean, we were normal people just a few months ago.


<90>
=Don't you think that makes us.
=The doctors closest to normal people...?

FART

=Not me, I guess...
*foul odor*

*sigh...*

=You see...
=I don't even understand why I became a doctor...

=My full name is Eijiro Saito.
=My parents taught English in junior-high, and I'm their second son.

=Saito's a boring family name...
=I hated that and studied really hard...

=This might sound childish...
=But I hated myself for being so "normal."


<91>
=My goal was just to get into Eidai medical school.
=I hadn't really thought about what it means to be a doctor...

=When I got in, a lot of the people around me were really well off...
=And that made me hate myself even more... But...

=My parents went so far in debt...
=Just to get me into school.

GRIP

=I...
=Want to become a good doctor...!!

=Hey Doc...

=You know...
=I don't know why I'm here right now...


<93>
[x2]TH-THUMP

=Half a year ago my left shoulder started to hurt.//I went to the clinic nearby and they said it was just tension.
=But it didn't get better at all, so I went to a bigger hospital...

=But all they did there was tests, and didn't make me better at all.
=The doctors told me the tests take time, so I just took their word for it...

=And then I keeled over while I was at work...

=They carried me over to the usual hospital,
=But they told me they couldn't do anything and sent me over here...

=I live in Shinano village...
=There's another university hospital on the way...

=Why'd I get sent all the way over here?

=Well, because...
=Tomihisa Hospital is an Eidai affiliate//And it must've been easier for their doctor to transfer you here

=So it was just convenient for the hospital...?

=Hey Doc...
=My life is in your guys' hands, right...?


<94.5>
=Can I,
=Really trust you guys...?