The Princess and the Paupers

Arabella stood up under Professor Lambert’s gaze and politely said, “Hello, Professor Lambert, I’m Arabella.”
“So you finally decided to show up.” Professor Lambert said it with a chuckle. Arabella was a pretty girl and seemed pretty clever
to boot.
The surgery students thought Professor Lambert would give Arabella a piece of his mind, but surprisingly, he laughed and asked,
“With your impressive grades, why did you choose to attend Westerly College and pursue a career in medicine?”
Without skipping a beat, Arabella answered, “I want to save lives.”
“There are many ways to do that,” said Professor Lambert.
“But neurology is challenging.”
“Very good, very good. You’re a girl with ambition. Please, have a seat.” Professor Lambert said with a smile, looking at
everyone. “You are from two different classes. Today, we’re going to discuss a common disease, and the two different
approaches when it comes to treating colds.”
He turned to the surgery students and said, “I’d like to ask you guys, how do you usually deal with a cold? Let’s start with
Audrey.”
From the crowd, a short–haired girl stood up. It was the same girl who had been trash–talking Arabella in the bathroom earlier.
“If I catch a cold, I usually drink a sachet of medicine instead of picking and boiling herbs?”
A wave of laughter swept through the surgery students.
The neurology students were seething, but they couldn’t refute her claim.
However, Arabella calmly said, “Do you know that the sachet you mentioned is actually traditional herbal medicine?”
Audrey was taken aback, then burst into laughter again. “Did you guys hear that? She says sachets are traditional herbal
medicine. In her world, a sachet is a traditional herbal medicine.”
The rest of the surgery students joined in the mocking.
“I thought she would be impressive, but she’s making such a basic mistake.”

“Isn’t that common knowledge? And she’s supposed to get full score? I’m starting to doubt her grades.”
“Looks like she isn’t so perfect after all.”
“The sachet is indeed traditional herbal medicine,” Arabella said calmly. She then rattled off all the components of the sachet
medicine Audrey mentioned, which were indeed a variety of herbs.
The neurology students were stunned, their eyes instantly filled with admiration as they looked at Arabella. They didn’t expect
that Arabella was proficient in herbs, too.
Arabella continued, “In modern medicine, this type of sachet is mainly used for treating diseases like influenza, hepatitis,
gastritis, etc.”
The surgery students, seeing her confidence, quickly googled it and found that the sachet was indeed traditional herbal
medicine!
“Audrey, that sachet is really traditional herbal medicine!” someone whispered to her. “Think of another medicine you could use
instead.”
“I don’t really take that sachet often and I usually take cold capsules.” Before Audrey could finish her sentence, Arabella
interjected with a smile, “Cold capsules are actually a blend of traditional herbal and modern medicine. It’s neither solely
traditional nor exclusively modern, but a combination of both. She then listed all the ingredients in the cold capsules, which
indeed included both traditional herbs and modern medicine.
Audrey and the rest of the surgery students were stunned.
Arabella continued, “When you have a cold, traditional medicine often offers better solutions since modern medicine usually
involves taking cold medicine and antibiotics, which can result in a longer treatment period and potential side effects like
antibiotic resistance.”
Everyone was intently listening to her explanation.
“Traditional medicine, on the other hand, focuses on treating the root cause of the illness, using herbal medicine for anti–
inflammation and detoxification, while also aiming to enhance body functions and boost immunity.”