Cross-cultural communication （38）　

38） A considerate Frenchwoman
Kido Clinic is open in the morning on Wednesdays, but closed in the afternoon. On one such Wednesday, a French woman called the clinic at around 10am. She was on a trip to Japan at the time, and was in Kanazawa, but had developed a very itchy rash and wanted to see a doctor. She had found out about Kido Clinic from the website of the French Consulate (at the time in Osaka, now in Kyoto).

It would take at least a few hours to get to the clinic from Kanazawa, so the clinic had already closed. However, I told her that I would wait as long as possible, and I waited at the clinic by myself. She arrived at the clinic surprisingly early, at 2pm. She had apparently jumped on the first express train to Osaka that was leaving from Kanazawa Station. She was a middle-aged woman with rather poor taste for a French person, but she seemed to be a quick thinker.

When I examined her, I saw that she had a red rash all over her thighs that looked itchy. I diagnosed her with contact dermatitis, which is caused by coming into contact with something that causes an allergic reaction, and prescribed her some anti-itch medicine to take and some ointment to apply. Kido Clinic had already adopted the separation of dispensing and prescribing at that time, so she had to take the prescription to the pharmacy next door to get the medicine. As there were no other patients on Wednesday afternoon, and as her Japanese ability was limited to greetings, I accompanied her to the pharmacy and interpreted for her.

She was continuing her trip after this, and was due to return to her home country from Kansai International Airport a week later. Even though she was returning home, she was actually living in Shanghai. She was working for the Shanghai branch of a major French car company. She was probably an executive employee, as she was being seconded from France. She said she would contact us from her destination and that she would visit Kido Clinic just before returning home, and then got into the taxi we had called for her and headed for the nearest JR Suita Station.

In the email she sent from her trip, she said that the rash was improving day by day and the itching was subsiding. When I emailed her back to say that she didn't need to come to the clinic anymore, she replied that she still wanted to come as she was worried. On the day of her appointment, she came in with a bright face and handed me a paper bag, saying, “I was really happy about the kindness I received on my trip. Thank you so much, Doctor.” Inside the bag was a bottle of wine. When I looked at it more closely later, I saw that it was a very high-class white wine from Bordeaux. I could also see the Seijo Ishii logo. This was the first time I had received a gift from a French patient, and even a tourist at that. She had also taken the trouble to visit Kido Clinic the day before she left the country, after being told by someone (I think it was probably so) about Seijo Ishii, a store that sells high-class wine, and procuring the gift. I was a little impressed by the fact that she insisted that her visit to the clinic was for the purpose of receiving medical treatment, even though she had come to thank me. She was no doubt an excellent employee at her main job at the car company.

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