A Friend Who Shows No Passion Shakes a Medical Student

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – March 13, 1999

A medical student, Mr.M, came to consult me, saying he couldn’t sleep. I figured that for someone in their twenties to be suffering from insomnia, he must be grappling with a significant inner conflict.

Mr.M had entered medical school believing, “Everyone here must be studying seriously, driven by a desire to contribute to patients.” However, what he found instead were people who, despite their oversized pride, skipped classes without hesitation and boasted about their romantic exploits—as if they were embodiments of entitlement. “Surrounded by people like this, can I really become a decent doctor?” That thought kept him awake at night.

Mr.M is a young man who helped with farm work from a young age, and who knows the joy of sowing seeds and harvesting crops. It seems his sense of identity was shaken in this unfamiliar world.

The film Restoration (1995) is set in 17th-century England, during the Puritan Revolution, when poverty, hunger, and the plague ran rampant. Robert Downey Jr. plays a brilliant medical student who gains favor with King Charles II after treating his beloved dog, and is welcomed into the royal court. There, he experiences the indulgences of court life, succumbs to pleasure, and is eventually banished by the king.

Downey’s character then turns to his old friend from medical school and visits a monastery, where he meets a woman, played by Meg Ryan, who appears to be suffering from postpartum depression. At the time, it was considered taboo for doctors to become close to their patients. They leave the monastery together, but Meg’s character dies after giving birth to a daughter. Downey’s character, now a changed man, dedicates himself to fighting the plague while raising the child. His devotion eventually catches the king’s eye again, and he is forgiven—entrusted with the management of the Royal Hospital. The film teaches us one of the fundamental truths of being a doctor: “While whimsical love may be darkness, true love is light.”

This spring, nearly 8,000 medical students will graduate. There's a saying that "bad money drives out good," but a world where someone like Mr.M feels stressed is clearly distorted. I hope these students cultivate not only exceptional intellects but also deep compassion.

By the way, Mr.M’s insomnia completely improved within a week.