So today we went for our mandatory physical exam at the local health department which is a requirement for renewing our visa. (as in 'permission to live here', not 'plastic money'.)
They take photos, take blood, take x-rays, take ECGs, test for color-blindness, etc, etc. I guess it would be silly to let someone live here if they were color-blind? Anyways, the whole gamut of testing goes on and on. One of them is ultrasound. Yes.... goop, wand, abdomen, ultrasound.
In the ultrasound the technician informed me that I have a 7mm gallstone.
Upon arriving home, I had to google my newfound medical condition.
Here's what wikipedia says.....
Gallstones are a valuable by-product of meat processing, fetching up to US$10–per–gram in their use as a purported antipyretic and antidote in the folk remedies of some cultures, in particular, in China. The finest gallstones tend to be sourced from old dairy cows, which are called (yellow thing of oxen) in Chinese. Those obtained from dogs, called Gou-Bao (treasure of dogs) in Chinese, are also used today. Much as in the manner of diamond mines, slaughterhouses carefully scrutinize offal department workers for gallstone theft.[19]
Valuable.
