Once again the Evil Internet has distracted me from getting dinner started on time.
The news about Minakata Jin's medical skills and knowledge are spreading throughout the capital. In short, Jin is becoming a bit of a celebrity. Sakimoto Ryoma warns that this may create jealous rivals of Jin. The kind of rivals that may try to kill him. Jin tries to shake this warning off.
The Topless Men are talking again. The reason they want to frame Saburi is not just to hurt him, but spread the shame to the Western Medicine School. We also see that one of the Topless Men has a large birthmark on his neck.
Jin receives an invitation to visit with Taki Geen, who is the head of the Hondo Medical Center. This is a place of traditional Chinese medicine, so a rival of the Western Medicine School where Jin has been teaching. It is also closely associated with the shogun. Jin goes to visit and wouldn't you just know it, right in the middle of the meeting with Taki, one of his subordinates clutches his stomach and falls over. Jin leaps into action. Without any kind of x-rays or tests, merely by the touch of his hand, Jin diagnoses the man with a perforated gastric ulcer. He asks permission to operate. The ailing man is totally against being cut open but Taki Geen promises him that if he dies, Taki will slit his own belly open.
Saki and Saburi rush to assist Jin in the operation, enduring heated glares from the Hondo doctors who are hanging around outside. Jin proceeds to cut. (Should a neurosurgeon be operating on a person's stomach? I mean, I wouldn't want a gastroenterologist cutting on my brain. I'm just saying.) Saki is assisting the surgery and doing just fine until Jin gets down to the nitty gritty and she sees the internal organs and has a bit of a freak out. Honey, I don't blame you a bit. Jin has Saburi take Saki's place.
The surgery is a success and the patient has survived. Taki Geen, who was in the room to witness the entire thing, is acting kind of funny. Sakimoto notices this and makes it a point to keep an eye on this guy.
As the gang is returning to the school, someone comes out to inform them that the police are here. They found Saburi's scalpel in the room where the prostitute was cut on. Inside, Saburi explains that he was performing an autopsy on the woman. On his own he has been making deals with sick prostitutes that he will doctor them for free. In return, after they die he can perform autopsies on them. He swears the woman was already dead and he didn't murder her. That's what they all say, pal. Saburi reasons this set-up is a good thing because he's learning so much more, since the government only allows 2 to 3 autopsies a year. Japanese medicine will never get anywhere at the rate they're going.
Still, it is shameful and unacceptable. Somebody's head must roll (not literally) and Ogata Kouan offers to resign from the school. After a night of thinking, Jin offers himself up instead and he leaves the school. Jin goes to his favorite hang out to have deep thoughts. Sakimoto pees. What is with you, Asian television??
Nokaze hears from another courtesan that a bunch of doctors from the Hondo had been to the brothel. They had been talking about killing Jin because he's such a threat to them. Nokaze can't leave the red light district to warn Jin herself so she sends a note to Saki. Saki goes running to find Jin, who is out ambling around alone in a pretty bamboo forest when he is confronted by a mysterious samurai in a big hat.
Jin just stands there. Move, you idiot! Luckily Saki is on the job. Just as the assassin is about to slice, Saki yanks Jin out of the way. The samurai gets his sword stuck in the bamboo, giving Saki and Jin a head start. They run into a ... temple grounds? graveyard? I'm not really sure where they are at. They hunker down behind some bushes with Saki covering Jin with her body. The samurai enters and confronts a pair in the bushes, only it turns out to be another man and woman. Then other pairs begin to emerge from the bushes. Where the hell are they? Makeout Point? The samurai is spooked by so many witnesses and he runs off.
We get another quick view of Tachibana having wine with his near-sighted prostitute.
Sakimoto angrily confronts Taki Geen. The samurai knows Taki is the one who sent the assassin. Taki Geen admits he's willing to kill to protect his and the Hondo's status, but there are other ways as well. We now go live to the Western Medicine School's penicillin factory which has been trashed. Ogata coughs, bringing up blood.
Lastly, Jin is looking at his photograph. Again the image has changed. It is back to him and Miki sitting on a couch. Jin takes this as his choices have moved him one step backwards instead of forwards. As he's stuffing the photo up his sleeve he somehow finds a Japanese coin in there. A coin minted in 2010.
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