We Are Alike
Last month I attended a meeting of the Japanese Society for Surgical Infections in Tokyo. My goal was to understand trends in research in Japan, build relationships with Japanese surgeons, and bring back an update on the best research presented in Tokyo for me to summarize and publish in Surgical Infections, based in the US. As the editor-in-chief of Surgical Infections, my trip was funded and I brought my son to translate.
The attendance was around 500, and I think my son and I were the only Westerners there. All the presentations were in Japanese, a language completely impenetrable to me. However, numerical characters were Roman, and graphics and tables frequently had one or two words in English, such as “sepsis” or “VAP.” What was amazing was I could follow most of the talks, not because I understand Japanese but because I understand the field and medical research controversies are very similar between the US and Japan. My son was impressed, for example, when I would lean over to him and say, “She’s talking about whether to use albumin for sepsis resuscitation,” while I was looking at a slide filled with kanji.
In 2024, inside and outside medicine when we identify and agree on the important problems, we can work together to solve them, even in different languages. These experiences further reinforce the value of maintaining a global perspective on health.
And if you are wondering, my son and I did boulder (indoor rock climbing) in Tokyo. We had a choice of about 15 gyms and the one we chose was satisfyingly challenging.
Cheers,
Rob
Robert G. Sawyer, MD
The Hal B. Jenson, MD Dean