There is always a point where legend or myth sets in as the beginning of history, as if there is a period of overlap between myth and history. This transit time is quite long, longer than people usually imagine. Some people lived in the transition period when the legend became historically proven fact. Dr. Hua Tuo was one of them. He was a legendary doctor in ancient China. The year of his birth is unknown; his death, according to records, was in 208 AD he was a physician who performed surgery in the early 3rd century and was the first physician to use anesthesia for his surgeries in China. He treated and healed various historical figures who would have died without his care. These patients include Cao Cao, the first emperor of the Wei dynasty of the Three Kingdoms.
His name appears in historical documents, including the “Book of Later Han” and the “Records of the Three Kingdoms”. Both records are reliable sources. Historians have concluded that Dr. Hua was a genuine historical figure, but stories about him are filled with myth. For example, one story says that when he treated a general, he predicted that the general’s illness would return in 18 years. He happened, but since Hua Tuo was dead when the general fell ill again, the general died because Hua Tao could not treat him. Another story tells how people believed that Hua Tuo had invented a recipe for the elixir of life.
Later, Dr. Hua served Cao Cao, the first emperor of the Wei dynasty in the Three Kingdoms period. Dr. Hua was the only one who could alleviate Cao’s chronic migraines. Dr. Hua relieved Cao’s pain whenever it occurred, but did not completely cure it. The emperor asked the doctor if he knew of any way to get rid of his migraine forever. Tuo thought for a moment and then replied that he could cure the migraine, but that the cure involved surgery on the emperor’s head. Emperor Cao was old and distrustful.
He did not believe that the doctor could cure his migraine by cutting off his head. Instead, the emperor, Cao, suspected that the doctor was trying to kill him. He put the doctor in prison and then executed him.
While the doctor was in jail, he met a young jailer, Wu, who had studied medicine before becoming a jailer. Wu treated Dr. Hua like his father during the doctor’s time in jail. Dr. Hua told Wu, before his execution, that Wu could have all of his medical books after his death. Wu received Dr. Hua’s entire collection, including a book outlining a recipe for the elixir of life. Young Wu cheered. He resigned his position in jail and went to his house to study the doctor’s books. At home, Wu found his wife burning the entire collection. He was upset and asked his wife why he was burning them. She said that there was no point in being a general surgeon because the emperor had imprisoned Dr. Hua and killed him. Hua Tuo’s entire collection of medical books was burned to the ground. Nothing significant remained. That is why human beings today do not have the elixir of life.
Although there is no elixir of life, it is unfortunate that the medical genius medical books have been lost. However, the author understands the reasoning and actions of Wu’s wife. What would you prefer: life or execution? Would you risk execution if you could be a legendary doctor?