Chapter 14 Section 3 Hua Tuo, the founder of surgery
It is generally believed that surgery is a very regrettable field of traditional Chinese medicine.But more than 1700 years ago, our country had a considerable level of abdominal surgery and anesthesia.The basis is that the two history books "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" and "Three Kingdoms" both have records about Hua Tuo's treatment of diseases by laparotomy.
Hua Tuo, also known as Huafu, was born in Qiao County (now Bo County, Anhui Province) in Peiguo in the Eastern Han Dynasty.He is proficient in Confucianism and medicine, refuses to be an official, and takes medicine as his career. He is proficient in prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty Hua Tuo Biography" records: If he encounters a disease that accumulates in it and cannot be cured by acupuncture and medicine, "he is ordered to take 'Mabosan' with wine first, and he is drunk and unconscious, because his abdomen and back are broken. Take out and cut the accumulation. If there is stomach, cut off the jian and wash it to remove the disease and dirt, then suture it, apply Shen ointment, the wound will heal in four or five days, and it will be healed within one month."This general anesthesia method of taking "Mabosan" with alcohol is at least 1,600 years earlier than the general anesthesia performed by ether in Western medicine.According to literature records, the operations performed by Hua Tuo after anesthesia included: two abdominal operations, one orthopedic operation, and one bloodletting.Judging from the medical level at that time, this is reasonable and credible: "Huangdi Neijing" has a certain amount of practical experience in anatomy; at that time, the cursive book has accumulated some experience in the use of anesthetics, such as aconitum and scopolamine 〔langdang〕, Ma蕡〔fenfen〕 (marijuana), etc., and alcohol is promoting the onset of toxicity of these drugs.Furthermore, today's understanding can also confirm that these records are objective, and modern Chinese medicine anesthesia research has been confirmed by surgery.Moreover, Hua Tuo's anesthesia, surgery, wound healing process, and the recovery time of the patient are basically the same as the current abdominal surgery.
But it was such a great man with superb medical skills who was killed because he did not want to serve Cao Cao, who was in power.Before Hua Tuo was executed, he sent "a volume of medical books" to the prison guards, saying: "This book can live people." puzzle.
Hua Tuo did not leave any writings on prescriptions, but Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty believed that Hua Tuo's student's "Wu Pu Materia Medica" contained his experience in medication.Tao Hongjing of the Southern Dynasties suspected that it was recorded by Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing. Although it was considered arbitrary, it is possible that Hua Tuo had added to this book.Regarding Hua Tuo's medical works, several of them contained in "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi" have been lost.The "Huashi Zhongzangjing", which is handed down from generation to generation, is said to have been written by people from the Six Dynasties, but part of the content is Hua Tuo's academic thought.Hua Tuo was well versed in the techniques of health preservation, created the "Wu Qin Xi" and passed on health preservation prescriptions, making great contributions to health preservation, as mentioned above.
Hua Tuo's diagnostic techniques are very clever.Once a general surnamed Li asked him to see a doctor for his wife. Hua Tuo checked the pulse and said, "The cause is stillbirth." According to the pulse condition, the stillbirth has not yet come down." The general disagreed.Later, the general's wife became ill and asked Hua Tuo for a consultation. Hua Tuo said: "My wife is pregnant with twins. One stillborn baby has passed out, and the other has not yet passed out. It should be treated with decoction and acupuncture." Acupuncture and medicine Afterwards, the woman had abdominal pain as if she was about to give birth, and the stillbirth was still not delivered.Hua Tuo said: "The dead fetus has been dry for a long time, and it cannot come out by itself, so someone should explore it." So Wen Po was invited to come, and sure enough, a dead baby boy was found, complete with hands and feet, black in color, about a foot long.
In Hua Tuo's medical records, there are cases of treating parasitic diseases, and the effect can be said to be immediate.Once Hua Tuo was driving in a car, he suddenly heard someone moaning in the car on the other side.When I got out of the car and asked, it turned out that this person had a pharynx blockage. He wanted to eat but couldn't swallow. His family was sending him to see a doctor.After the examination, Hua Tuo said, "Just now I saw a baker selling cakes by the side of the road. Go to him and ask for some garlic 齑 [jiji] (a seasoning made of garlic paste, minced vegetables, and vinegar). Eat it and you'll be fine." After the patient did the same, he immediately spit out a worm, and the symptoms disappeared.The patient was so happy that he hung the worm beside the car and went to Hua Tuo's house to thank him.Before Hua Tuo returned home, he saw dozens of these insects hanging on the wall of Hua Tuo's house.
Hua Tuo sometimes used psychotherapy to treat illnesses.A county guard was ill. After Hua Tuo saw it, he told his son that he could only be cured by making the patient angry.So he asked the sheriff many times for property, but he didn't give him treatment. After a few days, he left without saying goodbye, and left a letter scolding the sheriff.Sure enough, the sheriff was furious and ordered his servants to hunt down Hua Tuo, but his son secretly stopped the servants back.The county magistrate vomited a lot of blood after being furious, and the illness was cured.
Hua Tuo's acupuncture and moxibustion skills are very profound.Postmaster Xu Yi fell ill and asked medical officer Liu Zu to treat him. After acupuncture, he coughed repeatedly and could not lie down.The next day, Hua Tuo was invited to come and see.Hua Tuo found out that he had stabbed his lungs.Analyzing the cause of the accident, it was because Liu Zu used needles according to the ancient acupoint selection method. A series of acupoints on both sides of the spine in the ancient method are called "Jiaji points", which are located one and a half inches away from the midline of the spine.Based on his own experience, Hua Tuo conducted research and believed that the acupoints should be selected half an inch away from the midline of the spine.This invention is not only safe to operate, but also improves the curative effect. Since then, this series of acupoints has been named "Huatuo Jiaji" and has been used to this day.
Hua Tuo has been practicing medicine among the people for a long time, and his footprints are all over Anhui, Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and other places. He is deeply loved by the people and regarded as a fairy at that time.His name, like Bian Que, has become a respectful title for good doctors in the past dynasties.
Notes:
Notes: