I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 100



100th episode. Curable Diseases, Incurable Diseases (3)

100th episode. Curable Diseases, Incurable Diseases (3)

Natalie was touching the heart specimen bottle on the desk in the examination room. Anyone else would have been annoyed, maybe…

But this patient is genuinely not malicious. It seems like the neural pathways needed to realize she might be making someone feel bad are broken.

I decided to just understand.

Streptococcal pharyngitis and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Those two diagnoses were the conclusions I’d reached about Ms. Natalie.

“So, the cat that’s been hanging around in front of the dorm is now two of them. I don’t really like cats, but there are probably way more people who like them than those who don’t, right?”

“Ms. Patient.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“You’re talking a lot off-topic.”

“Ah. I hear that a lot, but I don’t know where to start fixing it. I had an interview last time, and another professor said something similar. I thought it was a compliment, saying I was active, but now that I think about it, maybe it was criticism.”

I sighed.

“Give your mouth a rest. Let me explain.”

“Ah, yes. Sorry.”

“It seems like you don’t have a cold, but rather a bacterial throat infection, so we’ll treat it with medication. It’s easily treatable with antibiotics.”

Natalie nodded.

“Okay.”

“Ah, could you try that once?”

“Ah-“

I looked into Natalie’s mouth.

I could see her tonsils were a bit swollen. As expected, it looks like a bacterial throat infection, and she’ll get better quickly with antibiotics.

“Patient. I’m saying this seriously.”

“Yes.”

“Besides the throat infection, it seems you might also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. You might not know it, but this is also a treatable condition.”

“Really?”

“You’ll get better if you take medication.”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Also known as ADHD.

It’s a condition where there’s a problem with the regulation of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain’s neural circuits.

The exact cause isn’t known, and the mechanisms and symptoms are also mixed with psychological factors, making it a bit complicated. But literally, it’s a type of neurological disorder where attention is impaired and one can’t stay still.

Natalie became quiet. Whether she was shocked or seriously considering it. The noisy student closed her eyes tightly and pondered for a while.

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t seem to want to believe it. More than having a condition, she didn’t seem to believe there was medication for it.

“This…doesn’t really make sense. Just taking some medication, and your personality changes?”

“Well, doesn’t drinking moderately make your personality better? This medication is similar.”

Natalie’s expression turned slightly gloomy.

“To the doctor, do I seem like I have such a weird personality that I need treatment?”

Yeah. Very weird.

But I couldn’t say that. This is probably a symptom of ADHD too. Rapid mood swings. They call it tension, in everyday terms.

Natalie’s tension had noticeably dropped compared to when she first came in. Limp and wilted like wet spinach. She looked a little pathetic.

“Well, Natalie.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think when you see people wearing wigs, glasses, or using canes?”

“It’s understandable.”

“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a real medical condition. But it’s not about having a problem or being wrong. It’s just that sometimes, it can be inconvenient.”

Natalie sighed.

“I guess so.”

“I’m not trying to criticize you. I’m just telling you that you have choices.”

“Still… it feels like something fundamental might change… it’s a little scary. Is this really okay? If you were the one suffering, would you have taken that medication?”

I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.

“The effects of the medication are temporary. It barely lasts a day. I’m not trying to use medication to fix your personality…”

“For example, you’re saying that you can offer a choice of taking it for a few days when you need to focus on studying for an exam, or right before an interview, or in similar situations?”

“Yes.”

“It’s obvious, though. You can’t change a person or their personality in a short period with medication, and that’s not our goal with such a dangerous endeavor.”

“So, it’s unconditionally good?”

“Where does anything unconditionally good exist? It’s an issue that needs serious consideration.”

Natalie groaned and pondered for a long while. It was a common occurrence. A disease often coexists with a patient for a long time, having a significant impact on the formation of their personality.

Especially with young patients.

A prime example is the deaf. In some cases, modern medicine, like implantable hearing aids, can restore hearing, but the aftermath is the real problem.

A person who could have lived as an ordinary deaf person among deaf people suddenly has to live as a somewhat strange ‘normal’ person overnight.

In reality, many people refuse treatment for this reason. The disease forms part of the patient’s personality, and if the disease disappears, the person has to change.

From that perspective, Natalie’s worries are understandable. She probably thought of herself as creative, outgoing, and someone who sees what others can’t.

What should I say, what should I treat, to help Natalie? I thought about it for a bit.

Umm.

“Since we have time, there’s something I’d like to say to you, Natalie. I had a senior colleague who had Asperger’s. We discovered a disease.”

“He must have been a good person.”

Hans Asperger.

A Nazi collaborator who provided the theoretical basis for the extermination of people with intellectual disabilities. I don’t think my senior colleague Hans was a good person.

Of course, there are people who make arguments in his defense, but that’s my opinion. It’s also a fact that he sent disabled children to euthanasia facilities.

Anyway.

“My senior Asperger said this.”

“What did he say?”

What was it he said? I pondered for quite some time, trying to recall the specific words Asperger had used. It was something very poetic, I think.

Let’s just put it this way.

“It seems like you need a touch of madness to succeed in art or science. Someone who can turn their back on the ordinary, see the world from a new perspective, and walk paths no one else has dared to. That’s what we need, right?”

“Huh.”

“Of course, your specific diagnosis is different from mine, but you get what I’m saying, right?”

“No. I don’t understand.”

Natalie shook her head.

What should I say to make it clear?

“You’re different from other people, and that’s a gift from God. But even gifts can get tiring to carry around.”

“So you’re saying I should take medication?”

I shook my head.

“Earlier, you asked if *I* would take that medication, right? To be honest, I absolutely wouldn’t. I’m a freak who looks down on ordinary people. I wouldn’t take any medication that makes me like everyone else.”

“Okay.”

“But you’re not like that, are you? You have friends, you’re a young student with excellent social skills. You’re a different person from me.”

Natalie slowly nodded, as if she finally understood. It took a while, but I’m glad the message finally got through.

“Explain to me what kind of medication it is.”

Adderall. A drug made of mixed amphetamine salts. Amphetamine is a rather unique substance.

This time, instead of a pill bottle, I put four pills in a small wooden cup and handed it to the patient.

“I’ll give you three days’ worth. If you feel anything negative after taking it, you don’t have to keep taking it.”

Natalie was fidgeting with her hair. This patient couldn’t even wait a second, she’s already taken something of mine again. Restless and distracting.

“Why? Isn’t it better if I take the medication consistently for a certain period so the illness can properly heal? It scares me to take it on my own terms, sometimes yes, sometimes no.”

“First. Your illness isn’t one that gets cured. You’re taking this so your daily life can become easier. The medication doesn’t fix your personality.”

“Ah.”

“Second. Amphetamine makes ADHD patients calm and able to focus, but it has the opposite effect on people without ADHD.”

“How is that possible? We’re still the same species, shouldn’t the effects be similar? Like, both of us would feel good.”

Truth is, I don’t know exactly either.

“It’s a drug that activates the brain.”

“Yes, yes.”

“A normal brain, when activated more, makes the person more active. But an ADHD patient’s brain is already sluggish, which is why they act out – they’re bored. This medication brings it back to normal, so they calm down.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s like how food amazes someone who is healthy and stops a starving person from begging for food. Think of it that way.”

Natalie glared at the four pills. Like they had done something wrong.

“Try the pills for three days. Tell me if there’s a change in your behavior, if your mood is better or calmer, and what the people around you think. The most important thing is…”

“The most important thing?”

“Tell me if you want to continue taking them.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then that’s it.”

“What if I say I don’t want to now?”

“Still, that’s it.”

Mint scratched her head.

Why isn’t he here, that guy.

“He’s late…”