Preamble:
In the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao galloped on the battlefield with his eloquence, but in the hands of the famous doctor Hua Tuo, scenes of life and death, trust and betrayal were staged.
Cao Cao suffered from severe headaches, known as head winds, which caused him to suffer intense pain frequently.
And in this era, there is no more suitable person than Hua Tuo to relieve him of this pain.
However, Hua Tuo, who was known as the "Three Divine Doctors of Jian'an", did not die well in the end.
A miracle doctor with a great reputation, with his superb medical skills, cured countless patients, but finally died in Huangquan due to Cao Cao's thoughts.
What's the story behind this?
The torture of headaches and the treatment of miracle doctors
Cao Cao's headache was no ordinary pain, it was strong enough that the iron-blooded general couldn't even concentrate on the battlefield.
Many imperial doctors were helpless, and Cao Cao's pain was almost crazy.
Until someone mentioned Hua Tuo, a miracle doctor who has practiced medicine for many years and is deeply loved by the people, he is famous all over the world for his excellent medical skills.
With a glimmer of hope, Cao Cao sent someone to urgently invite Hua Tuo to enter the palace for treatment.
Hua Tuo diagnosed and treated Cao Cao's headache, and after just a few injections, Cao Cao's pain was significantly relieved.
This made Cao Cao overjoyed, thinking that he had finally met a good doctor who could cure his stubborn illness.
But the good times didn't last long, Hua Tuo told Cao Cao that acupuncture treatment could only temporarily relieve the symptoms, and a craniotomy was needed to cure it.
This was undoubtedly a shocking suggestion at the time, after all, no one had heard of a craniotomy as a cure for headaches.
Cao Cao's suspicion and Hua Tuo's embarrassment
Cao Cao, as a monarch who was well versed in power and scheming, found it difficult to accept Hua Tuo's craniotomy treatment.
He suspected that it was a trap, a possible assassination tactic by a hostile force.
Although Hua Tuo's reputation was resounding, in Cao Cao's view, anyone could become a tool that threatened his life.
Cao Cao's suspicious personality made it difficult for him to fully trust Hua Tuo, even though Hua Tuo's medical skills had already shown miraculous results in a short period of time.
Hua Tuo felt Cao Cao's doubts and distrust, and he chose to leave in desperation.
Although Hua Tuo is a doctor, he cannot bear to practice medicine in an environment of suspicion and distrust.
He asked to go home to visit his sick wife, but in fact he wanted to get out of this court full of intrigue and suspicion.
Although Cao Cao agreed to Hua Tuo's request, he gave Hua Tuo half a month's vacation to stay at home to take care of his wife.
The half-month deadline soon arrived, and Hua Tuo still did not return to Cao Cao's side, claiming that his wife was sick and had to be taken care of.
Cao Cao was unhappy with Hua Tuo's non-return, and sent someone to investigate and found that Hua Tuo did not lie about his wife's illness.
However, this move further deepened Cao Cao's suspicions, so the magistrate first put Hua Tuo in prison according to Cao Cao's instructions, waiting for his fate.
The result of the misunderstanding and the regret of history
Although Hua Tuo's medical skills briefly soothed him, the proposal for a craniotomy made him feel threatened.
Cao Cao began to doubt Hua Tuo's intentions and wondered if this was an assassination plot.
And Hua Tuo wanted to save people, but he didn't expect that his proposal would cause Cao Cao to have such a deep misunderstanding.
After another headache, Cao Cao invited Hua Tuo, who was locked up in prison, to his side and asked Hua Tuo again, hoping that he could provide other treatments.
However, Hua Tuo insisted on the original plan, believing that only craniotomy was the fundamental solution to the problem.
This answer convinced Cao Cao that Hua Tuo deliberately concealed other treatments, or had other ulterior motives.
Cao Cao's power mentality and suspicious personality eventually led to extreme decision-making towards Hua Tuo.
In his opinion, he cannot let his life and death be in the hands of others, especially a doctor.
Although Xun Yu and other advisors tried to intercede for Hua Tuo, believing that his medical skills were extremely important to Cao Cao and the entire Cao camp, Cao Cao was determined to eliminate this potential threat.
One day in the future, Hua Tuo will take refuge in other camps, which is a huge hidden danger for Cao Cao.
Xun Yu
Xun Yu's persuasion failed to change Cao Cao's resolve, reflecting the harsh and power-centered political environment under Cao Cao.
Cao Cao eventually ordered Hua Tuo to be put to death, on the grounds that Hua Tuo had deceived him and refused to provide a cure.
In fact, it was more Cao Cao's own fear and mistrust that led to this tragedy.
Hua Tuo's death is not only a personal tragedy, but also a huge loss in the history of traditional Chinese medicine.
Although Cao Cao's decision was made out of personal power maintenance considerations, in the long run, it was a harm to himself and the entire medical community.
Epilogue:
Hua Tuo's death is a great loss for Chinese medicine.
Cao Cao's decision to execute Hua Tuo was still criticized by later generations many years after his death.
The angry killing of that year seemed to solve a short-term problem, but it left a deep regret in the long river of history.
Cao Dan
When Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi, asked his father why he wanted to kill Hua Tuo, Cao Cao may have realized that his decision was too hasty and extreme.
If Hua Tuo survives, not only will Cao Cao's illness be better treated, but the development of the entire Chinese medicine community will also be further advanced by his survival.