Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Since the widespread promotion of catgut sutures, the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau have praised it highly, and the success rate of operations has steadily increased with the use of the new sutures.

But I know very well that the key to the success of the operation lies not only in the precision of the postoperative suture, but also in the patient's comfort during the operation.

Whenever I see patients groaning in pain during surgery due to insufficient anesthesia, my heart always aches.

Anesthesia is an indispensable part of modern surgery.

Although the imperial physicians of the Ming Dynasty had mastered some anesthetic methods, such as using a mixture of herbs and alcohol, these anesthetic methods were still far from enough.

Not only is the anesthetic effect short-lived, but patients often wake up mid-surgery or even faint from the pain.

What’s worse is that the dosage of anesthetics is difficult to control. If too much is used accidentally, the patient may never wake up again.

"Miss Yang, look at the success rate of recent surgeries! They're getting higher and higher!" Zhu Yuan said excitedly as he flipped through the records in his hand. "Our catgut is truly a great hero! The emperor has even praised it several times!"

I nodded, but I was already thinking about my next step. "The catgut is certainly useful, but I've been wondering about one thing—the issue of anesthesia during surgery. As you can see, current anesthesia methods are far from perfect, and patients often wake up during surgery, enduring tremendous pain. If we can improve our anesthesia methods, the success rate of surgery will be even higher, and the patient's pain will be much less."

Zhu Yuan frowned, looking confused. "Anesthesia? Aren't those herbs and wine we use now quite good? I see the imperial doctors use them often, too."

I shook my head and patiently explained, "Those herbs do have a certain anesthetic effect, but the duration is too short, and the dosage is difficult to control. Imagine if the patient wakes up during surgery, not only will the operation be difficult to proceed, but the patient will also be in danger due to the severe pain. We need to find a safer, longer-lasting anesthesia method that can keep the patient in a coma throughout the operation."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head, his expression abruptly enlightened. "So that's how it is! How strong must this anesthetic be to make someone sleep so soundly?"

I smiled. "Actually, there are many natural plants and medicines that can act as anesthesia, such as opium poppy and datura. Extracts from these plants can inhibit nerve activity, achieving analgesic and coma effects. We can try to extract some more effective ingredients from these plants, then blend and improve them."

Zhu Yuan was surprised when he heard this: "Mandragora? I heard that thing is quite strange. Legend has it that it is used to bewitch the mind. Is it dangerous?"

I nodded. "Indeed, the Datura plant contains strong anesthetic ingredients, and it can be dangerous if used improperly. But if we can control the dosage and use it with other milder drugs, we can make it have the best anesthetic effect."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuan clapped his hands excitedly: "Okay! Let's give it a try! Maybe we can make another big breakthrough this time!"

In the next few days, Zhu Yuan and I began to search all over the capital for Datura and other plants suitable for anesthesia.

Zhu Yuan visited almost all the pharmacies in the capital and even went to seek advice from several famous pharmacists.

Every time he came back, he would report to me excitedly: "Miss Yang, I found a few more pure Datura flowers today. I heard that they are the best variety!"

I took the datura flowers he brought back and began to extract and blend them carefully.

The preparation process of anesthetics is very complicated. Not only must the efficacy of each medicinal ingredient be considered, but also it is necessary to ensure that the interaction between different ingredients will not produce adverse reactions.

"Miss Yang, are you going to make the elixir?" Zhu Yuan stood aside, watching me boil the medicine by the stove, and asked curiously.

I smiled and said, "Refine an elixir? Almost. But I'm not refining an elixir that can make people immortal. I'm refining an anesthetic that can help patients sleep peacefully."

Zhu Yuan chuckled, "This is even more powerful than refining an elixir! It can make people fall asleep without any pain or itching, and when they wake up, the wounds are all healed. It's truly a miracle drug!"

A few days later, the first batch of anesthetics was finally prepared.

Zhu Yuan and I took the newly prepared anesthetic to the Imperial Hospital and asked the imperial doctors to help test it.

When several imperial doctors saw this new medicine, their faces were full of curiosity.

"Miss Yang, can this medicine really keep the patient unconscious during surgery?" An old imperial physician picked up the medicine bottle and looked at it carefully.

I nodded. “This is an essence extracted from several anesthetic plants. After being formulated, the effect is mild and long-lasting.

We can give the patient an appropriate amount of medicine before the operation and observe the patient's reaction.

At the same time, the dosage of this drug is easier to control, and doctors can adjust it according to the patient's physical condition."

Another young imperial physician tried to smell the liquid medicine and immediately frowned: "This medicine smells quite strong, but if it can make the patient suffer less, then the smell is not a big deal."

Zhu Yuan patted the imperial physician's shoulder excitedly and said, "Of course! This was personally prepared by our Miss Yang. I guarantee it will be effective!"

The next day, a small trial operation was performed at the Imperial Hospital.

The patient for this operation was a soldier with an abdominal injury. After diagnosis, the imperial doctors decided to perform a simple abdominal operation on him.

Before the operation, the imperial physician gave the patient an appropriate amount of anesthetic solution according to my advice.

After about half an hour, the patient gradually fell into a deep coma, with steady breathing and no expression of pain.

The imperial doctors began the operation carefully, and the patient did not respond at all during the entire process.

"This medicine is really effective!" an imperial physician exclaimed in surprise. "The patient showed no signs of waking up. The operation went very smoothly."

Another imperial physician nodded repeatedly. "Yes, in the past, when we performed this type of surgery, the patient would often wake up due to pain, causing the operation to be interrupted. Now with this anesthetic, the entire operation is much easier."

Zhu Yuan was stunned watching from the side and couldn't help but pat me on the shoulder: "Miss Yang, you are amazing! As soon as the patient took this medicine, it was as if he was in a deep sleep. The operation went so smoothly. I think you will achieve great success again this time!"

I smiled slightly and nodded, feeling relieved.

The success of anesthesia not only means the smooth progress of the operation, but also means that the patient can receive treatment in a painless state.

A few months later, the improved anesthetic was gradually promoted nationwide.

Not only the Imperial Medical Service, but also medical clinics across the country began to use this new anesthetic.

Doctors have said that with this drug, the risks during surgery are greatly reduced, and patients can remain in a coma during surgery, reducing discomfort and pain during the operation.

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

I smiled, a new plan already in mind: "Next, we can consider improving the cleaning methods for disinfecting tools and surgical instruments. The current operating environment is not clean enough. If we can reduce the risk of infection during surgery, the patient's survival rate will be higher."

"Disinfection tools?" Zhu Yuan looked confused. "How do we change this?"

I explained, "One of the biggest risks in surgery is infection. Many patients never recover from wound infections after surgery. We need to find more effective sterilization methods to ensure the cleanliness of surgical instruments and wounds."

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