The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

2019 • 05 52 Dr Lin Shinn-zong implants a microchip into the brain of a patient. umanistic Medicine Half the Brain, Twice the Life I came to know Xie Rui-teng when I was chief resident physician at Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei. That was more than 30 years ago, when he was just 23 years of age. He had been in an accident that had injured his spine and deprived him of his ability to walk. I operated on him and helped him regain his mobility. He was an outgoing and warm person, so we stayed in touch after his surgery. Years later, I left Tri-Service and joined Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital in eastern Taiwan. Rui- teng was strong, healthy, and 11 years younger than I, so I was surprised when he came to seek Can you live with only half your brain? Can you still function in life? Lin Shinn-zong, a renowned neurosurgeon in Taiwan and the superintendent of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, recounts a story that testifies to the resilience of the human body and spirit. Narrated by Lin Shinn-zong Written by Tu Xin-yi Translated by Wu Hsiao-ting Photographs by Zeng Xiu-ying my help again one day in 2004. By that time, he had started a family and had had two kids. As soon as he sat down with me in an outpatient clinic, he said to me, “Something is wrong with me, Superintendent. Several doctors have diagnosed me with a stroke or cerebral embolism, but...” He extended his arms in front of him, his fingers trembling slightly. “I feel that their diagnoses aren’t right.” I had seen countless patients with his symptoms, so I was pretty sure what his problem might be. “You are likely suffering from Parkinson’s disease,” I said, “but yours seems