Interesting TCM Facts 101: Surgeries performed in Ancient TCM
Surgeries are not belonging to Western Medicine. In fact some of the first surgeries in mankind were performed by TCM physicians in the ancient days.
Below are some examples:
1. Ancient TCM Physician Bian Que (552 – 479 BC) is said to have performed the first heart transplant in a legendary procedure described as “exchange of hearts”.
公扈与齐婴二人有病，请神医扁鹊诊治，扁鹊先用药石；然后说，若想根治疾病，就需要交换两人的心脏。扁鹊先给公扈、齐婴喝麻醉酒(毒酒)，两人昏迷三日；扁鹊再将两人胸腔打开，交换心脏(换心术)，给予神药；醒来后，两人跟原先一样的完好，就告辞回家了。《列子‧汤问篇》
2. Hua Tuo's innovative anaesthetic mafeisan 麻沸散 ("cannabis boiling powder", considered to be the first anesthetic in the world), was supposedly used on Hua Tuo's patients during surgery.
3. Hua Tuo scraped the flesh and bone of Guan Yu (a great military hero in ancient times) free of infection from an arrow wound in his arm that became badly infected.
羽尝为流矢所中，贯其右臂，后创虽愈，每至阴雨，骨常疼痛。医曰：“矢镞有毒，毒入于骨，当破臂作创，刮骨去毒，然后此患乃除耳。”羽便伸臂令医劈之。时羽适请诸将饮食相对，臂血流离，盈于盘器，而羽割炙引酒，言笑自若。《三国志》
