Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Ever since the great success of suture needles and suture threads, Zhu Yuan has become more and more arrogant, and even walks with the wind.

He now calls himself "Miss Yang's assistant" every day, and from time to time he would "give orders" to the imperial doctors of the Imperial Medical Bureau, which made me shake my head helplessly.

However, the improvements of modern medical equipment go far beyond this, and the next task is equally arduous - stopping bleeding.

In modern surgery, stopping bleeding is a crucial step.

Although the imperial doctors of the Ming Dynasty had mastered some techniques to stop bleeding, such as using herbs and cotton cloth to press, these methods were not only inefficient but also difficult to work in cases of heavy bleeding.

If a suitable hemostatic tool can be designed that can quickly and accurately clamp bleeding blood vessels, it will greatly improve the success rate of surgery.

"Hemostat?" Zhu Yuan frowned, bewildered upon hearing the name. "Miss Yang, are you talking about the kind of tool that clamps blood vessels? Aren't we just holding them down with our hands or wrapping them with cloth now? Why do we need pliers?"

I patted his shoulder and laughed, "That's typical amateurish talk. Pressing with your hands or using a cloth can indeed stop the bleeding, but think about it: during surgery, the doctor needs to free up their hands for other tasks. How can they operate by simply pressing on the blood vessels? If there were a special tool that could precisely clamp the blood vessels, the doctor could focus on other procedures without worry."

Zhu Yuan suddenly understood. "So that's how it is! Then what do these hemostat forceps look like? Are they similar to the ones we usually use?"

I shook my head. "They're much more delicate than ordinary forceps. The jaws of the hemostat need to be small enough to precisely clamp the blood vessel without damaging it. At the same time, the forceps must be designed to be easy for the doctor to operate quickly, allowing them to be clamped and released with one hand."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head, apparently starting to piece together the tool in his mind: "This sounds quite complicated... But I believe you will definitely find a way."

I smiled and nodded, actually I already had a rough idea of ​​the design in my mind.

The hemostatic forceps used in modern surgery are simple to operate and efficient, and can be improved and promoted in this era.

A few days later, I started working on the design drawings for the hemostat.

"Ms. Yang, your design drawings are becoming more and more professional!" Zhu Yuan came over to look at the drawings in my hand, his eyes full of curiosity.

I pointed to the blueprint and said, "Look, this is the basic structure of the hemostat. The jaws should be made like a pair of curved hooks so they can easily clamp the blood vessel. The handle can be designed with a locking structure. After clamping the blood vessel, the doctor can lock the clamp with a simple press, so they don't have to keep holding it tightly."

Zhu Yuan's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Wow! There's a locking function? This is so advanced! Wouldn't it be much easier for doctors to use this?"

I nodded. "That's right. The key to using a hemostat is precision and stability, especially in cases of heavy bleeding. This tool can quickly and effectively control blood flow, preventing the patient from bleeding excessively and endangering their life."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head excitedly: "What are we waiting for! Let's quickly find a craftsman to make a sample!"

A few days later, the first batch of hemostatic forceps samples were finally completed.

The craftsmen carefully made several hemostatic forceps according to my design.

The jaws of the pliers are curved and delicate, and the locking structure at the handle is also made quite cleverly.

Although the pliers are not large, they feel great in the hand and operate very smoothly.

Zhu Yuan couldn't wait to pick up a pair of hemostats and tried to clamp the cloth on the table. He accidentally used too much force and tore the cloth. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Hey, I guess I need to practice."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're not stopping the bleeding, you're actually hurting the patient. Doctors wouldn't be that rude."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and quickly put down the pliers: "Yes, yes, the imperial doctors are more professional. Let's send it to the Imperial Hospital and let them try it!"

The next day, we went to the Imperial Hospital with hemostatic forceps.

The imperial doctors were immediately curious when they saw this novel little tool. Several senior imperial doctors picked up the hemostat and began to examine it carefully.

"This thing looks quite delicate." An old imperial physician used pliers to clamp a tiny grass stem. After feeling the strength of the pliers, he nodded with satisfaction. "The clamp is very delicate and easy to operate."

Another young imperial physician tried to clamp a simulated blood vessel with hemostatic forceps, operated the locking device, and found that the forceps could lock the blood vessel steadily without having to hold it tightly.

His eyes lit up and he said in surprise, "This locking design is so clever! Once clamped, you don't have to hold it in place, freeing up your hands for other operations. It's so convenient."

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

I stood by, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. While the hemostat may seem simple, its role in surgery is crucial. With this tool, surgeons can focus on other surgical steps without worrying about excessive bleeding.

"Miss Yang, these hemostatic forceps are amazing!" an imperial physician exclaimed. "When we perform surgery, our biggest worry is persistent bleeding. Sometimes pressure alone is ineffective. With these forceps, the operation is much more precise, and we don't have to focus on stopping the bleeding during surgery."

Another imperial physician nodded repeatedly, "That's right. Especially in cases of heavy bleeding, it's simply too late to hold it down with your hands. This hemostat really solves our big problem!"

Zhu Yuan was so proud of what he heard that he couldn't help but patted my shoulder: "Miss Yang, you have done a great deed again! It seems that the emperor will reward you again this time!"

I smiled and shook my head: "Don't just think about the reward. What we do is to help doctors save lives better and patients recover faster."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and chuckled, "Yes, yes, Miss Yang is right, saving lives is the most important thing!"

With the promotion of hemostatic forceps, the success rate of operations at the Imperial Hospital has been further improved.

Especially in some complicated operations with heavy bleeding, the use of hemostatic forceps greatly reduces the dangerous situations that patients may encounter due to excessive blood loss.

The imperial doctors all said that this tool made them more relaxed during surgery and greatly increased the patients' chances of survival.

"Miss Yang, you've truly accomplished something great this time!" Zhu Yuan excitedly came running up to me one day. "The imperial doctors all say that the success rate of surgeries is much higher now, especially for those complicated surgeries involving heavy bleeding. When the emperor heard about this, he was so delighted that he rewarded us again!"

I looked at the reward in his hand and couldn't help but laugh. "You're always staring at rewards. But this is definitely worth celebrating. After all, our improvements have helped a lot of people."

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

I smiled and shook my head, but I was secretly determined in my heart: Next, I will continue to promote the improvement of more medical equipment until the Ming Dynasty's medical system truly reaches the world's leading level.

A few months later, hemostatic forceps were introduced nationwide.

Not only the Imperial Medical Office in the capital, but also clinics and medical schools across the country began to adopt this new hemostatic tool.

Doctors have said that this tool has greatly improved their surgical efficiency and reduced the risk of blood loss during surgery.

"Ms. Yang, what do you plan to improve next?" Zhu Yuan asked me excitedly one day.

I smiled, a new plan already in mind: "Next, we can consider improving the suture materials used in surgery, especially those suitable for internal organ surgery."

"Internal surgery? Sutures?" Zhu Yuan looked confused. "How do we modify this?"

I nodded. "You know, internal organ surgery requires more delicate suture materials, and ordinary silk thread may not be suitable. If we can find a material that is both strong and absorbable by the internal organs, post-operative recovery will be smoother."

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