Author: Learning to think and know
(Cao Cao, Hua Tuo)
Hua Tuo was a famous doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty of China, he was in his hometown in today's Bozhou City, Anhui Province, there are many stories about him, in folklore, he was killed because he wanted to do craniotomy for Cao Cao and aroused Cao Cao's suspicions; also, his medical work "Qingbao Jing" was also burned by his wife, are these things true?
First, what kind of person is Hua Tuo?
Hua Tuo is not only proficient in internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, but also very good at surgery, he is the world's first surgeon to perform laparotomy, he also invented hemp boiling powder, which is a medical general anesthetic, more than 1700 years earlier than Europe. He not only uses medicinal herbs, but also acupuncture. When taking medicine, it is not only small but also refined, so it has been welcomed by people. He also invented the Five Birds Play, which enjoyed a high reputation in Traditional Chinese medicine.
In folklore, Cao Cao suffered from head disease, Hua Tuo was killed for craniotomy, and his medical work "The Qingbao Jing" was burned by his wife, because his wife said that even if he was skilled in medicine, he could not avoid being killed, and what he kept, he burned his medical books, and said that only some insignificant techniques for treating livestock and poultry were left.
So, is the story of Hua Tuo's murder and the burning of the Qingbao Sutra really true?
Second, the real Hua Tuo was not killed for performing craniotomy on Cao Cao
In China's history books, there is a book called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is a chronicle of the history of the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu. The history of the three kingdoms at the time of the founding of the Three Kingdoms is roughly and clearly recorded, and the characters of the time are recorded. Thus the things inside are the closest to the truth.
The book records hua Tuo's murder to the effect that it goes like this:
Cao Cao let Hua Tuo wait around because of Hua Tuo's high medical skills, Cao Cao had a head wind disease, and every time he had a seizure, Hua Tuo used acupuncture to treat it. However, later, Cao Cao fell ill because he personally handled the affairs of the state, and asked Hua Tuo to come to see him.
Hua Tuo said: This disease is difficult to cure, and continuous treatment can prolong life, so he used the excuse that his family had written a letter, and his wife was ill and returned home. Hua Tuo never returned, and Cao Cao sent several letters to him, and asked the local county officials to send him back. However, Hua Tuo was fighting for his own ability and was unwilling to do the things of serving people, so he never went.
Cao Cao was very angry, so he asked people to go to Hua Tuo's house to check, and found that Hua Tuo was lying, so he arrested Hua Tuo and put him in prison.
Someone told Cao Cao that Hua Tuo was a man of high medical skill and should forgive him. Cao Cao said, don't be afraid, are you still afraid that there is no such incompetent rat under the heavens? Therefore, he repeatedly tortured Hua Tuo in prison.
When Hua Tuo was dying, he took out a book and gave it to the guards, saying that this book could save many people. But the guards were afraid and did not ask for the book, so Hua Tuo burned the book with fire.
However, Cao Cao's headache has not been cured. Cao Cao said that Hua Tuo could have cured my illness, but he was not cured, and he deliberately delayed it in order to elevate his status, and even if I did not kill him, he would not cure me of this disease.
Third, whether Hua Tuo could cure Cao Cao's illness in the end
Judging from the records of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the folk legend should be wrong, and Hua Tuo did not propose to perform craniotomy on Cao Cao, which caused Cao Cao to suspect that he was killed. Moreover, the "Qingneng Sutra" in his hand was not burned by his wife, but by Hua Tuo himself.
So the question is, can Cao Cao's head wind disease Hua Tuo be cured? Let's first look at Cao Cao's head wind disease is not a fatal disease, in general, there are several causes of headaches, one is a headache caused by neurasthenia; one is a headache caused by the compression of a tumor or something; or head wind disease caused by accidental nerve discharge.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, because there were no advanced medical instruments, Hua Tuo would not see the principle of head wind disease, what caused it. Judging from the immediate good situation after Hua Tuo gave Cao Cao acupuncture, he should be a neurological problem. Or that Cao Cao was overworked and had a nervous headache caused by staying up late.
This is not a fatal disease, but later Cao Cao got sick, hua Tuo said after seeing it, it seems to be difficult to cure, need continuous treatment or can extend some life.
From this point of view, Cao Cao's later illness was a very serious illness, and Hua Tuo felt in his heart that he could not be sure of a cure, so he found an excuse to leave Cao Cao.
Cao Cao believed that Hua Tuo was a famous doctor who should be able to cure his illness, but he was unwilling to eradicate his illness in order to elevate his status. This should be Cao Cao's unilateral idea.
In fact, it should be that Hua Tuo did not grasp the cure of his illness and chose to escape, but it caused Cao Cao's disgust, which brought such an ending. It can only be said that Hua Tuo did not meet someone as loyal as Liu Bei, so that his medical skills could not be passed down, which is a pity.
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