InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "it's vexing!"

Simon Tam (can_swear) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-08-08 18:37:00

Entry tags:

!log, linda carter, simon tam

How very ... primitive
Who: Simon, Linda
What: coping -- or trying to -- with the medical "knowledge" in 1964
When: Monday evening
Where: Diner near the Welcome Center
Rating: Low
Status: --

Simon had acquired a number of medical texts to familiarize himself with the accepted processes and procedures of the day. Most of what he read horrified him beyond words, and he couldn't even find a place to begin correcting it. He didn't think corrections and change would be welcome, which was going to make working very, very interesting.

But it wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten into an argument with a doctor. He let his thoughts stray briefly to their heist on Ariel, to the bypass patient. Here though ... what he knew when so far beyond what they knew.

He'd carted his books to a diner, mostly because he was tired of the four walls of his room. He was glad to have a room, of course, but left alone, he spent too much time delving into his thoughts, and that rarely put him in a good mental place. So instead, he'd come out to the diner with some books, and was currently nursing a coffee. He'd had a dish of ice cream prior to that, after enjoying a very large hamburger and fries. At least this reality had food going for it. Still, he'd rather have tasteless protein on Serenity than all the hamburgers in this world.

Pushing away his thoughts, Simon turned the page in the book. His blue eyes skimmed down the page before he shook his head, making a few notes on the notepad he'd purchased. "It's a wonder they managed to procreate at all," he muttered. Between birth defects caused by smoking and drinking, and the disregard for the female reproductive system ...

He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair again. By now, it was sticking up in any number of odd ways and he was sure he had a harried look, but he honestly couldn't believe some of the things he was reading.

"They were lucky they didn't kill all their patients," he muttered incredulously as he jotted down a couple more notes. If at all possible, he intended to try to weed out the blatantly harmful practices, and to do his best to discourage drinking and smoking in pregnant women, but it was an enormous task and he was one man.

Still, he had to start somewhere, and as long as he was stuck here, he may as well try to make a difference.

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roomontheright
2011-08-09 01:47 am UTC (link)

Linda had taken advantage of her one day off to make some house calls, delivering medication and advice among a few that still needed to rest.
The amount of running and arguing and work had left her accomplished and a bit hungry.

As she moved around the diner, looking for a place to seat, a young man surrounded by books caught her attention. More specifically, his books caught her attention.

"My father will be proud to know that someone's taking their reading seriously," she said casually as she on the table next to the man. "Are you looking for something in particular?"

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can_swear
2011-08-09 01:55 am UTC (link)

Simon glanced up when someone paused by the table and commented on his reading material. He shook his head to the question, his lips moving silently for a moment before his brain caught up with what he wanted to say.

"Nothing in particular. I was just ... familiarizing myself with the ... standards of today's medicine," he replied. There may have been an edge of bitter sarcasm to his voice, but he wasn't trying to be antagonistic. It was just difficult to comprehend. At least he hadn't been thrust back further in time. He'd go mad if he had to try to deal with fourteenth century medicine or something like it.

"Just so I know what I'm getting into ... at work." It felt so odd to say that, and his expression reflected it. Work. A job. Here. All he wanted was to get home, but people seemed of the mind that was an impossibility. So his options were adapt or starve, and he guessed he preferred adapting to death.

He gestured for her to have a seat and join him if she was inclined, because he wouldn't mind talking to someone other than himself for a bit.

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roomontheright
2011-08-09 03:14 pm UTC (link)

"I'm going to guess you are not from around here," she said. Amazing how things like this could be said on a regular basis these days.

She sympathized with the new arrivals. Linda couldn't imagine what would itbe like to be taken away from the life you knew, having to start over in an unfamiliar world.

She accepted his invitation with a smile. "May I ask where you're going to be working?" She recalled the doctors she had talked to on the posting boards.

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can_swear
2011-08-09 03:41 pm UTC (link)

"Not from this where or this when," he agreed as he shifted some of the books out of the way to clear space on the table. He wondered if he was supposed to be admitting things like that, but she had asked so he thought it stood to reason she had an idea.

"I don't know," he admitted. "It was suggested I look into Metropolitan general, but I was also giving consideration to starting somewhere smaller. I'm not sure I'm up for the frustrations of fighting hospital politics to change some of the more harmful practices. I ... couldn't make myself adher to some of these procedures. Not the ones we -- I, doctors in my time -- know are more harmful than beneficial. It's ... they're just so outdated."

Well, obviously they were outdated relative to his time. "If I thought I could get away with it, I'd start my own practice but I don't have the means to do that. Not yet."

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roomontheright
2011-08-11 01:53 am UTC (link)

She nodded, his story becoming familiar after hearing similar versions all over town and the operating rooms.

"Oh, in that case we may have spoken over the boards. I'm Linda Carter," she added, offering her hand for a shake. "I cannot possibly imagine the differences between medicine in your time and ours."

She couldn't help a sight when he spoke. "Easier said than done." She leaned a little closer. "I've been working on getting a place of my own for years, but so far is only a dream."

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can_swear
2011-08-11 01:59 am UTC (link)

Simon nodded slightly, though he wasn't sure he'd caught a name on the boards. "It's possible. Simon Tam," he introduced himself as he shook her hand. "It's ... there are some very significant differences. I mean, the way they treat medicine here, it's a wonder the human race survived," he said. It was an exaggeration, and he knew it, but compared to what he knew, and relatively speaking, the 'advanced' medicine here made him cringe.

"It's ... I'll find a way to work around it and try not to make too many waves." A wry smile pulled his lips. As much as he'd like to change everything right now he knew that change was a process -- and usually a slow one.

If he came in flailing and making declarations about how wrong everything was, he'd be written off as a quack. So he'd ... do what he could in an environment that wouldn't drive him mad, if he could find one.

He had to agree that actually starting his own practice here was probably a pipe dream. Which was too bad, really. But if he was stuck here (and he was hoping he wasn't) then maybe it would be something he could have in twenty, thirty years, depending on how things went for him.

"What's it like, at the general hospital? As far as ... everything," he said. He knew it was vague, but he would take what he could get as far as information went.

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roomontheright
2011-08-11 02:35 am UTC (link)

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tam," Linda said. "And my father used to say something similar everytime he read something on medicine through the years."

"I hope you do fine. And feel free to ask me for any help if there's anything I can do for you."

"Life at Metropolitan General is... interesting. We've had our share of trouble. But medically speaking, it's one of the best in New York City. I graduated from their nursing school. The only thing these days seems to be the reluctance of most doctors to see some of the newcomers. It's motly about not knowing how to deal with the injuries or problems they bring and being too proud to actually ask the patient." She shook her head at the thought.

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can_swear
2011-08-11 02:39 am UTC (link)

He nodded to acknowledge her offer, though he was more focused on her statement about the doctors' reluctance. That wasn't right. That wasn't right at all. He knew what it was like to feel intimidated in the face of an inexplicable injury (though lately all he'd had to tend to were gun shots and electrical shocks resulting in bruised spines).

Pride, he also understood, though he liked to think he was on the more humble end of being a doctor. His brow furrowed as he thought about that. He did want to help. He'd sworn an oath to help. Not here, of course, but he'd sworn it all the same. Maybe it would be best if he opted to deal with large hospital politics if only to put himself in a position to help the most people.

"Is there ... what do you know about the ... ah. The newcomers? The sorts of injuries they come in with?"

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roomontheright
2011-08-12 01:01 am UTC (link)

"Some of them are what you normally see," Linda said. "Gun shot wounds, car accidents, trauma. But sometimes there more serious things - injuries made with swords, people bitten by the "Weevils". And of course there's the part where right medical treatment is no easy to figure out at first. Maybe most patients don't like the idea of 1964 medical care."

In her own, Linda had been lucky. She knew enough and did her best to calm down patients as they told her what was happening. Now if they could have that attitute with all the staff.

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can_swear
2011-08-12 01:22 am UTC (link)

"Weevil," he echoed. "Like a beetle?" That was the only context he had of weevil and he was curious how that was a medical risk. Maybe if there were enough weevils involved ...

"I've dealt with sword wounds," he admitted. "Believe it or not," he added with a grin. Mal seemed to have a penchant for inciting guys with swords to stab him, though Simon couldn't fathom why.

"I'm not that crazy about the idea of 1964 medical care," he admitted with a glance at the books. "I don't know how much you know about the medical community here, in general, but ... how open would they be to a stranger attempting to teach them actual advanced medicine?" He imagined the answer was 'not very' but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Even if he could only get a few doctors, some respected ones, they could maybe spread the ideas he was selling.

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roomontheright
2011-08-15 02:01 pm UTC (link)

She shook her head. "There seem to be these... it's hard to describe. But they're big and those fangs..." Linda shuddered. "A man wrote about them. Apparently they exist in his world and even with their technology and advances, being attacked by one is almost a death sentence."

"Not everyone would be open to it," Linda admitted. "But there's always someone willing to, specially if it will help their patients in the long run."

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can_swear
2011-08-15 02:21 pm UTC (link)

Simon was sort of waiting for something more of a description besides big and fanged, but when none seemed to be forthcoming, he just nodded. He'd just ... watch out for big things with fangs. Granted, big was relevant. Big for a beetle? Big for a cat? Big for a man?

He decided it probably wasn't a real worry just now. If it was, surely he would have heard about it before now.

Unsurprised by her assessment, he nodded again. No, not everyone would be open to it, but maybe if he could get it started, there'd be a ripple effect. He could hope, at any rate. "That's ... that would be good," he agreed quietly. "If just one or two were willing to abandon ... at least the more harmful practices, it would be a step in the right direction."

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	roomontheright 2011-08-16 01:49 am UTC (link)
	"I am afraid my description is no good. Most of the information I've gotten it from patients and witness. But there is at least a man out there who knows how to deal with them - or as close as he can get." "Medical care wouldn't advance if it weren't for people willing to take a risk for the sake of their patients," she added. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

can_swear
2011-08-16 01:58 am UTC (link)

Simon thought that was convenient -- that someone present knew how to deal with a ... well, he could only assume it was a monster. It made him wonder if it had somehow come through with him, and in that same thought, he wondered if whatever had brought him here had brought some reavers along. He hadn't seen one, but that didn't mean anything.

"No, but not everyone is motivated to take risks. I mean, there's the mentality of if it's not broken, don't fix it. Except they don't know that it is broken, because to them, this probably is the pinnacle of current medical advancement," he explained. He recognized that he was sliding into lecture mode and he attempted to rein himself in before he really got going. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just ... I feel very strongly about this."

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