Question

9. Why must the physician be careful with the amounts of medication ordered?

10. Mrs. Li is curt, demanding, and disagreeable toward her daughter-in-law. Why does she act this way?

11. Explain why Mr. Li blames the airplane ride and the Western food for his heart attack. Why does he meditate and do exercises?

12. Is Mr. Li’s stoicism during dying surprising? Why do the family members refuse to discuss his health and possible death?

Answer 1

9. Why must the physician be careful with the amounts of medication ordered?

ANS: Many Chinese have problems with drug metabolism and sensitivity.

10. Mrs. Li is curt, demanding, and disagreeable toward her daughter-in-law. Why does she act this way?

ANS: A traditional practice in many rural Chinese families is the submissive role of the daughter-in-law to the mother-in-law. Often the mother-in-law is demanding and hostile to the daughter-in-law and may treat her worse than a servant. This relationship has changed significantly since modern culture was introduced to Chinese society.

11. Explain why Mr. Li blames the airplane ride and the Western food for his heart attack. Why does he meditate and do exercises?

ANS: Mr. Li wonders if being so “high” made things worse for his heart probably due to the different pressurization you experience in an airplane. The Western food is more processed and greasy than Chinese and may have also contributed to the problem. He meditates and exercises to try and balance his yin and yang.

12. Is Mr. Li’s stoicism during dying surprising? Why do the family members refuse to discuss his health and possible death?

ANS: The Chinese react to death in various ways. Death is viewed as a part of the natural cycle of life, these beliefs foster the impression that Chinese are stoic. In fact, they feel similar emotions to Westerners but do not overtly express those emotions to strangers. Chinese fear death, avoid reference to it and teach their children this avoidance. Chinese are less likely to tell the other party things that might upset him or her, because of this communication style, the Chinese might avoid sharing any health concern.