Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Inside the somewhat chilly room, Hua Tuo was intently tending to a member of the sect who had sustained a leg injury. Due to delayed treatment, the wound had deteriorated significantly, with a startling appearance of decaying flesh. As the wound was slowly opened, a foul odor filled the air, causing the onlookers to gasp and look horrified. However, Hua Tuo remained oblivious, absorbed in assessing the injury. He said to the believer with a serious face, "The condition of your wound is extremely bad. If you don't remove all the rotten flesh, your life will be in danger. But it's winter now, the climate is bad, and the conditions here are poor. Even if the rotten flesh is removed, it will be difficult for the wound to grow back. You must lie down and recuperate, and don't move rashly." The believer responded with determination, without hesitation, "Sir, please lend a hand. We are members of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, and our colleagues in the sect have always supported each other. We will never let me be isolated and helpless. It's okay for you to do it." Hua Tuo frowned slightly, and continued with an embarrassed look, "If you want to remove the rotten flesh, the pain will be unbearable for ordinary people. Let me ask you, do you dare to try it?" Although the believer was afraid, his desire to survive was even stronger, and he nodded firmly. Upon seeing this, Hua Tuo said, "I have a decoction here. You drink it first. Then I will fix you on a wooden stick. You need to hold the stick in your mouth. This will prevent you from moving around when the pain is unbearable, so as not to disrupt my treatment ideas." When the believers heard this, they were terrified, but since things had come to this point, they had no choice but to agree in order to save their lives.

At that moment, Zhang Fubao happened to arrive. He had been feeling quite pleased by the fellow's mention of the mutual support within the Five Pecks of Rice sect. The young man respectfully said, "Sir, I'm here again." Hua Tuo, busy preparing for treatment, didn't even look up. He casually said, "Since you're here, please help me prepare the knife and assist me." Zhang Fubao's gaze shifted to the festering flesh on the fellow's leg. A single glance sent a chill down his spine. Unwilling to betray his fear in front of everyone, he forced himself to remain calm, gritted his teeth, and replied, "Okay." With that, he suppressed the trembling in his hands as he prepared the knife for Hua Tuo. Even the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed his inner nervousness and anxiety.

Everything was ready. After the member drank the medicine, he soon began to lose consciousness. With the help of other members, Hua Tuo tied the patient securely to a wooden stake and placed a table across his legs to support them, ensuring they were securely fixed. Hua Tuo sighed slightly and said, "Oh, if we could have some strong liquor to clean the wound, I could rinse it immediately after I remove the rotten flesh. This would be a more appropriate way to deal with it." Upon hearing this, Zhang Fubao hurriedly said, "What's the difficulty? Just send someone to the city to buy some strong liquor." After that, he turned to a member of the sect beside him and ordered, "Go and buy some strong liquor." The member looked embarrassed and stammered, "I...this strong liquor is expensive. How about ordinary liquor?" Hua Tuo shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid ordinary liquor won't be as effective." Zhang Fubao's eyes rolled, and he understood that the sect was short of money. He immediately said to the little maid beside him, "Give some money to this young man and ask him to go and buy some strong liquor." The little maid did as she was told and took out money from her small box and handed it to the member of the sect. The member thanked her repeatedly and left in a hurry. Zhang Fubao had no time to think about anything else at this moment, and said, "Mr. Hua Tuo, time is running out, and we can't delay too much. You can operate the knife first, and when he buys the liquor, it will probably be ready for use." Hua Tuo nodded and said, "That's very good." After that, he took the small and sharp knife from Zhang Fubao's hand and carefully roasted it by the fire. When the knife was roasted and turned slightly red, it was cooled slightly and prepared to start the operation. Zhang Fubao asked curiously, "Why is this knife roasted over the fire?" Hua Tuo looked solemn and said slowly, "Roasting the knife over the fire can, on the one hand, use the high temperature of the fire to sterilize and disinfect it, reducing the risk of wound infection; on the other hand, after roasting, the sharpness of the blade can be tempered a little, making the cutting smoother and more precise, which is very beneficial for this delicate technique of removing dead flesh."

Back in my days, while traveling around the world treating patients, I stumbled upon the observation that knives heated in intense fire, after being used to remove dead flesh, were significantly less likely to become red and swollen. The same principle applies to cleansing wounds: after being rinsed and disinfected, wounds not only heal faster but also significantly reduce the risk of redness, swelling, and ulceration. I pondered this for a long time, but I still couldn't grasp the underlying principle.

When Zhang Fubao heard this, a light flashed in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Could it be that after being roasted by fire and cleansed by strong liquor, the evil power in the patient's wound can be reduced, thereby effectively reducing the occurrence of ulceration and corruption?" Hua Tuo stared at Zhang Fubao with a smile, his eyes full of praise: "Young friend, you are indeed very talented and insightful in medicine. The valuable experience that I have accumulated through years of exploration and sedimentation was actually so easily mentioned by you. It is truly rare." Zhang Fubao couldn't help but feel a slight blush on his face when he was praised by Hua Tuo, but he also felt a kind of irrepressible joy and comfort in his heart because of this praise.

Hua Tuo, holding the knife that had cooled slightly after being heated, gently pulled at the rotting flesh on the patient's leg. The patient only reacted slightly, without struggling violently. Zhang Fubao quickly took the opportunity to ask, "Sir, why is he so sluggish when you cut open this ulcer with a knife?" Hua Tuo focused on his movements, answering as he cut, "The rotting flesh in this wound has already died, and the original pain nerves have been damaged. In addition, he has drunk my special Ma Fei Decoction, so he will not feel pain for the time being. The pain will only occur when the bad flesh is removed and the healthy flesh is touched." As he spoke, Hua Tuo's hands did not stop, carefully and meticulously removing the rotting flesh, moving cautiously, fearing to accidentally damage the healthy flesh.

Zhang Fubao watched from the side, his heart tightening with every cut made by Hua Tuo, but he still pretended to be calm and did not miss this rare learning opportunity. Whenever he had a doubt, he would ask Hua Tuo for answers, and Hua Tuo would patiently respond to his questions one by one.

As the blade approached the junction of rotten and healthy flesh, the sleepy patient jerked awake with a start. He tried to cry out in pain, but the stick in his mouth only muffled the sound. His body instinctively swayed from side to side, trying to break free. His companion, heartbroken by his agony, cradled his head in their arms and whispered soothing words. Hua Tuo continued his steady work, cutting away at the rotten flesh until all was clear and blood flowed freely.

At that moment, a member of the sect who had gone to buy strong liquor came running breathlessly, clutching a jar. Zhang Fubao, delighted, said, "Sir, this is perfect timing." Hua Tuo nodded, "Thank you very much for your generosity." Zhang Fubao took the jar and asked, "How do I clean it?" Hua Tuo instructed, "Pour a small amount of liquor onto the wound to wash away any blood. Once the bleeding subsides, bandage it with a clean cloth. Symptoms such as fever may develop, so keep a close eye on it." With that, Hua Tuo took the liquor and slowly poured it onto the wound. As soon as the liquor touched the patient's leg, the pain nearly shattered the wooden stick in his mouth, and he grunted painfully in his throat, clearly in immense pain. Although this was a rare and potent liquor, the brewing technology of the Han Dynasty was limited, and the alcohol content of the liquor was generally low. Therefore, while it had some effect, the effectiveness was ultimately limited.

Hua Tuo focused on rinsing the wound with wine. The blood, flowing from the wound, gradually dwindled to a trickle, finally becoming barely visible as the wine diluted it. Relieved, he slowly put away the wine and fetched a clean cloth. Gently and expertly, he wrapped the cloth around the patient's injured leg, circle after circle, each movement imbued with concern for the patient and respect for his medical skills. Only when the bandage was complete did he signal the others to remove the restraints.

As soon as the wooden stick was taken out of the patient's mouth, he gasped for breath heavily. With the support of his companions, his face was pale and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. It took him a long time to recover and he said weakly: "Thank you, sir. Your technique is really... the pain is really unbearable." Hua Tuo shook his head slightly and said calmly: "You are a strong man and have good endurance. I have been practicing medicine for many years and have met people who almost bit off the wooden shield in their mouths due to severe pain. In comparison, you are calm." After that, Hua Tuo turned around and sorted out the medical instruments he was using. His eyes revealed some worry about the patient's subsequent recovery, and he seemed to be thinking about how to further improve this treatment method so that more injured people can suffer less pain in the future.

Hua Tuo straightened up, clenched his fists, and pounded his waist. His back ached from the long, delicate manipulations, and a look of fatigue appeared on his face. He turned to Zhang Fubao and said slowly, "My friend, this patient may have a fever after the operation. Please prescribe some antipyretic medication." Zhang Fubao agreed without hesitation, immediately wrote a prescription, and arranged for someone to go and get the medicine.

The patient was filled with gratitude, thanking him profusely. Hua Tuo simply waved his hand and sighed, "In these troubled times, with so many suffering, a little help is of little consequence." He then raised his voice and called out, "Next, come in." He then addressed Zhang Fubao, "My friend, since you're here today, why not help prescribe medicine for the other patients? I see that your medical skills are quite solid, and you'll definitely be able to share a significant burden."

So, the two of them threw themselves into the busy diagnosis and treatment. That day, except for the trauma patient, the rest were common illnesses such as headaches and fevers. But they did not dare to slack off and patiently treated every patient. Time passed quietly in the busyness, and before they knew it, most of the afternoon had passed, the sky was getting dark, and they had finally seen most of the patients. Hua Tuo suddenly stood up after sitting for a long time, only to feel dizzy and his body swayed, and he almost couldn't stand. Zhang Fubao was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He quickly reached out to support Hua Tuo and asked with concern: "Sir, are you okay?"