Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures Seminar Presentation

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Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures: Before Light
Before light is the last segment of the novel bloodletting and miraculous cures. In this section, Lam tries to sum up the ideas of the entire short story novel by showing how subjective, a mess the healthcare industry is, and why people have to keep moving on regardless of the situation on the ground. At this last chapter of the book, death is perceived as a norm, and both doctors and patients agree that at some point, people will die and there is for the living to move on when that happens (Lam 321). Similarly, although the healthcare industry is a mess, people should keep on working to better the industry as doctors continue to make the high-risk decisions to save lives in their day-to-day activities.
Summary
The last part of the book is a sneak preview of Dr. Chen’s life, which in extension depicts the life of a doctor on a normal day. It begins with Chen complaining to his wife how he hates his job mainly because he cannot get enough time to rest (Lam 306). The complaints and all the negative perception about the medical profession change soon after he gets on the road. Chen sees the position of a doctor as being superior in the society. He feels justified to drive recklessly and blames the truck driver for not giving him way (Lam 310). He uses his position as a doctor to justify many issues throughout the section of the novel, a feeling that is shared by other characters in the previous chapters of the novel.

The “before light” segment of the novel wraps up the entire mystery about the medical profession as it brings the reader to the end of the journey of the characters. The previous chapters build upon each other from the times of joining medical school, to dissecting cadavers and finally practicing medicine. The development of characters such as the marriage between Ming and Chen and the view of the characters as qualified doctors also happens in this chapter.
Analysis
The subconscious mind of Chen makes it hard for him to fall asleep before going to work (Lam 307). In addition, Ming is a hard working person because of her traditional background. Through the chapter, issues embedded in the subconscious minds of the characters affect their everyday lives. In the emergency room, Chen coordinates the resuscitation of two patients at the same time without essentially thinking, but simply tapping into the programmed memory. On his way home, Chen uses various mental tricks to avoid falling asleep and probably causing an accident (Lam 336). The purpose of the message is to show the society the reality of bioethics and the mess found in the healthcare institutions. The author is trying to bring people to the understanding that doctors are not supernatural beings, just individuals trained to take high risks during critical moments. The implication of this text is that people have the wrong perception about healthcare practitioners. The society sees doctors as the miraculous cures, but that is not entirely true. In handling the patient with the rash, Dr. Chen is unable to propose a clear diagnosis or offer any treatment whatsoever, an indication that doctors are not “know it all” persons (Lam 318). The text is important because it helps to open the understanding of the people to reality so that people can understand, accept, and move on from death when it happens.
The ‘before light’ chapter of Lau’s short stories is an ideal concluding chapter that gives the reader a conclusive idea of the medical profession. It helps to show the sacrifices that doctors put into their work regardless of the uncertainties associated with their work. Also, it shows the audience that although doctors are not miraculous cures, they contribute a lot in terms of risks towards the healthy survival of society.

Works Cited
Lam, Vincent. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. New York: Weinstein Books, 2008. Print.