Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Ever since the improvement of medical tweezers was promoted nationwide, Zhu Yuan has been extremely happy and has been calling himself a "hero" every day.

Every time the imperial doctors came to discuss equipment with us, he would first praise it: "Look, this is the improvement led by our Miss Yang, isn't it amazing?" It made me feel a little embarrassed.

However, the enormous potential of modern medical devices is far from being fully realized.

Although forceps, scalpels and surgical lights have been improved, there is still one very critical step that has not received the attention it deserves: suturing.

After all, suturing the wound is one of the most important steps in surgery.

If the suture is not done properly, the wound may not heal properly at best, or it may become infected or even endanger the patient's life.

Although the imperial doctors of the Ming Dynasty had superb skills, the suture needles and suture threads they used were not only rough but also of unreasonable shapes, making them quite laborious to operate.

"Miss Yang, what are you thinking about?" Zhu Yuan came over with a curious look on his face and saw me staring at a curved suture needle in a daze.

"Suture needle." I said lightly.

"Suture needle? Isn't this thing pretty good?" Zhu Yuan picked up an old-fashioned suture needle with a puzzled look on his face and fiddled with it for a few times. "Don't doctors always use this to sew very smoothly?"

I shook my head helplessly. "You're really just an amateur watching the fun. Suture needles are a key tool in surgery. The quality of the suture directly affects the patient's recovery. The needles we use now are too thick and the shape is not suitable. Doctors use them laboriously and imprecisely, especially when suturing smaller wounds, which can easily cause secondary damage."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head, thoughtfully: "So, we have to modify this needle?"

I nodded. "That's right. And it's not just the needles that need improvement; the material of the sutures also needs improvement. The hemp thread we use now is too rough, making it difficult to manipulate and prone to infection. If we could find a more suitable material, the suture results would be much better."

Zhu Yuan immediately perked up when he heard this: "Okay! Then let's get started! Look, my hands are pretty flexible. I can sew clothes, so sewing a wound shouldn't be a problem!"

I almost fell down laughing at his confident statement. I suppressed my laughter and patted his shoulder: "Alright, forget about becoming an imperial physician. Sewing clothes is not the same as mending wounds."

A few days later, I began to design an improved version of the suture needle and suture thread.

As usual, Zhu Yuan came over to watch me draw, his face full of curiosity: "Miss Yang, how are you going to change it this time?"

Pointing to the blueprint, I explained, "First, we need to change the shape of the suture needle to a semicircular shape. This way, when suturing, the doctor only needs to slightly turn his wrist, and the needle will smoothly penetrate the skin and pass through the wound. The previous straight needle was too stiff, making it difficult for the doctor to operate. Second, the needle tip must be sharp and small to minimize damage to the tissue surrounding the wound."

Zhu Yuan nodded. "Oh, a curved needle can sew in one turn. That sounds reasonable!"

I continued, "As for sutures, we need to find a material that's both strong and absorbable. Current hemp thread is too thick, and it can easily cause infection when used on wounds. If we could use finer silk thread or other natural materials, we could reduce the risk of infection and avoid having to remove the stitches after the wound has healed."

Zhu Yuan listened with admiration: "Miss Yang, you have such a treasure in your head! I really didn't think of these details before. Then let's quickly find the craftsmen to make samples!"

A few days later, the first batch of improved suture needles and suture thread samples finally came out.

The craftsmen made several sets of semi-arc suture needles according to my design and found several different natural silk thread materials for experimentation.

These threads are much thinner and softer than traditional twine, greatly reducing damage to tissue during suturing.

"Look at this needle, it's so delicate!" Zhu Yuan picked up a curved needle and tried to sew a few stitches on the cloth. Although his technique was clumsy, he nodded in praise, "This is definitely much better than a straight needle. It just twists and sews."

I smiled and said, "This is just a preliminary design. The real effect will only be known after doctors try it out."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zhu Yuan said excitedly, "Hurry up and send it to the Imperial Hospital and let the imperial doctors try it!"

The next day, we went to the Imperial Hospital with the improved suture needle and thread.

Several senior imperial doctors were immediately surprised when they saw the newly designed suture needle.

They picked up the needle, examined it carefully, and then began trying to sew it on simulated skin with the new needle.

"This needle's design is truly ingenious!" an elderly imperial physician exclaimed. "The curved needle tip really makes suturing smoother, and it saves a lot of effort on the wrist."

Another young imperial physician nodded repeatedly. "Yes, this needle is small and sharp. It can not only penetrate the skin easily, but also reduce damage to the tissues around the wound. The suturing process is almost twice as fast!"

Zhu Yuan smiled proudly and said, "Of course! This is our Miss Yang's masterpiece, designed especially for you!"

The imperial doctors then tried the improved sutures.

Compared to the rough hemp ropes used before, these new ropes are soft and strong, making them smoother when suturing and not pulling on the wound like hemp ropes.

"This thread is quite good!" an imperial physician said with satisfaction. "It's strong and durable, and thinner, so it's less likely to cause infection. Miss Yang, you've really helped us a lot!"

I smiled and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the improvement of suture needles and sutures is a small detail, it has a huge impact on the entire surgical process.

With the promotion of improved suture needles and suture threads, the surgical quality of the Imperial Medical Service has been further improved.

The imperial doctors said that these new tools made it easier for them to suture wounds, especially when dealing with minor wounds or complex operations. Their efficiency was greatly improved, and the speed of wound healing was also significantly accelerated.

"Miss Yang, you've accomplished another great feat this time!" Zhu Yuan excitedly came running to tell me one day, "The imperial doctors all say that our efficiency in suturing wounds is much higher now than before, and patients are recovering faster! The emperor has specially rewarded us!"

I looked at the reward in his hand and couldn't help but laugh: "You're always staring at rewards. But this time it's worth celebrating. After all, our improvements have helped many people."

Zhu Yuan chuckled: "Of course! But the credit is still yours, I'm just an errand boy."

I shook my head and made up my mind: Next, I will continue to promote more improvements until the Ming Dynasty's medical system truly reaches the world's leading level.

A few months later, the improved suture needles and sutures were promoted nationwide.

Not only the Imperial Medical Service in the capital, but also clinics and medical schools across the country began to adopt these new tools.

Doctors have said that these improvements have made their work more efficient and their patients have recovered faster.

"Miss Yang, what are you going to do next?" Zhu Yuan asked me excitedly one day.

I smiled, a new plan already in mind: "Next, we can consider improving the hemostatic tools used in surgery."

"Hemostatic tool?" Zhu Yuan looked confused. "How do we modify this?"

I nodded and explained, "Although current hemostatic tools can temporarily stop bleeding, they are rather cumbersome to operate. If we can design a more convenient and effective hemostatic tool, doctors won't have to be distracted by trying to stop bleeding during surgery."

Zhu Yuan immediately perked up when he heard this: "Okay! Let's get started!"