Chapter 20: The ‘Scalpel’ of the Ming Dynasty

A few days later, the medical clinic was beginning to take shape, with only the surgical consultation room and the overgrown land yet to be properly planned.

Standing inside the surgical consultation room, Wei Lan fell into deep thought. In modern times, the surgery she performed most frequently was exploratory laparotomy, but under current conditions, such a complex procedure was clearly impossible. She could only carry out minor surgeries like wound debridement and suturing, or the removal of superficial cysts. However, even these procedures carried significant risks. She recalled the tension and anxiety she felt last time when performing vascular anastomosis on Ming Yi, fearing the surgery would fail. As a result, she resolved not to operate unless absolutely necessary.

Inside the surgical consultation room, there was a set of surgical instruments belonging to Ming Yi, along with the local and general anesthetics he had prepared. A cabinet beside them contained sterile gauze and surgical gloves. Wei Lan had turned all the gauze given to her by Granny Zhou into medical supplies.

She picked up a scalpel and examined it closely. “Ming Yi, I wanted to ask you this before—where did this scalpel come from? And what about the forceps and clamps?”

Ming Yi found her question amusing. He looked at the scalpel in her hand, its blade sharp and leaf-shaped, and smiled. “Miss Wei, you are always so observant. This blade is indeed shaped like a willow leaf. Why not just call it a ‘willow leaf scalpel’ from now on?”

Curious, Wei Lan pressed further, “Where did this blade originate? Who invented it?”

For once, Ming Yi was stumped. “The books don’t specify clearly. Surgical instruments like these have been in use since ancient times, evolving and improving over time.”

Wei Lan’s heart pounded with disbelief. She had always thought the scalpel was a Western invention—after all, a top-tier medical journal was even named The Lancet. Yet, to her astonishment, she realized that scalpels were not exclusive to the West; traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had used such tools for centuries. This led her to wonder: How many more hidden gems existed within TCM? And how had TCM gradually fallen into decline?

It was evident that TCM once had many advanced concepts and practices, but due to a lack of systematic naming and promotion, many achievements never received the recognition they deserved. Take the scalpel, for example—it had existed in Chinese medicine long before, yet because it never had a well-known name, people assumed it was a Western invention. Similarly, techniques akin to CPR had already been documented in the Han dynasty’s Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet, but due to the absence of a standardized name and systematic promotion, modern people often attributed them solely to Western medicine.

This realization filled Wei Lan with sorrow. Due to historical circumstances and the rapid development of modern medicine, many people today misunderstood TCM, dismissing it as outdated or unscientific. She resolved that her medical clinic would not only provide excellent care but also work to promote and spread TCM culture, ensuring that future generations would have a deeper understanding of it.

Placing the scalpel down, her gaze shifted to a bottle labeled Sleeping Sage Powder. She poured some dried purple petals into her palm. Their shape and color struck her as oddly familiar, as if from a distant memory. Bringing them closer to her nose, she took a deep breath. The dried petals emitted a faint, slightly bitter fragrance—not overpowering, yet possessing a penetrating quality that instantly calmed the mind.

“This is… Datura flower?” Wei Lan murmured.

Ming Yi nodded with a smile. “Exactly. Here, we call it mountain nightshade.”

Wei Lan’s mind raced. The main component of datura was scopolamine, which modern medicine used primarily to relieve gastrointestinal and smooth muscle spasms or to treat organophosphate poisoning. It was rarely used as an anesthetic. If she were to use datura for anesthesia here, she would need to be extremely cautious with dosage, as it had significant effects on the nervous system.

Just then, Ming Yi’s voice pulled her back to reality. “However, datura is toxic. It has hallucinogenic effects and can be addictive. We must be very careful when using it.”

Wei Lan nodded in agreement. “Besides this, do we have any other anesthetic formulas?”

Ming Yi sighed. “There aren’t many known formulas. Most rely on datura. However, historical records mention that Hua Tuo once invented a highly effective anesthetic called Ma Fei San. He successfully performed three abdominal surgeries using it, and all the patients recovered well.”

Wei Lan’s eyes lit up. “Abdominal surgeries? What kind?”

“One was to remove a stillborn fetus; the other two were to treat internal diseases,” Ming Yi explained.

A wave of excitement surged in Wei Lan’s heart. “Then what about the formula for Ma Fei San? If we had it, I could perform exploratory laparotomies too!”

Ming Yi sighed again and shook his head. “Unfortunately, the formula has been lost.”

Wei Lan clutched her head in frustration. “Why?! Why were such valuable medical formulas not preserved? I hate this conservative attitude in TCM!”

She felt deep sorrow for the interrupted transmission of TCM knowledge. Traditional Chinese medicine was a treasure trove of wisdom and experience, accumulated over thousands of years. Yet, due to historical upheavals, societal changes, and various complex factors, many precious formulas, treatments, and theories had been lost—depriving modern medicine of their potential benefits. It was truly tragic.

They had a long road ahead.

The two then strolled to the overgrown land behind the clinic. The area was spacious, enclosed by a low wall, with sunlight filtering through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Looking around, Wei Lan suggested, “Ming Yi, this plot of land is quite large. Why don’t we turn it into a medicinal herb garden? Buying herbs through traders always involves middlemen fees. If we grow our own, we can sell them at a lower price.”

Ming Yi smiled and nodded in agreement. “That’s a great idea. But growing medicinal herbs isn’t the same as growing vegetables—we need to pick the right kinds.”

Wei Lan scratched her head sheepishly. “Are there any commonly used herbs that are easy to grow and have a short growth cycle?”

Ming Yi pondered for a moment before responding, “We could plant mint, perilla, mugwort, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, isatis root, and lily. Although isatis root grows slowly, it’s a valuable herb for disease prevention, so it’s good to have some in stock.”

Wei Lan’s eyes lit up. “That sounds perfect! Plus, these flowers will make the garden beautiful. Patients visiting our clinic will feel more at ease in such a lovely setting.”

Ming Yi chuckled. “Then let’s do it.”

They immediately set to work planning the layout of the herb garden. Wei Lan designed different sections for each type of herb and left a central space for a stone table and benches where people could rest and enjoy the scenery.

Ming Yi, drawing from his experience in herbal foraging, provided guidance on cultivation techniques. “Mint needs moist soil, perilla requires plenty of sunlight, mugwort is hardy and low-maintenance, while chrysanthemum and honeysuckle need regular pruning to encourage flowering.”

He added, “We can plant chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, lilies, and perilla in autumn. The rest will have to wait until spring.”

Excited, he continued, “I’d love to plant them myself. I’ve studied herbal cultivation but never had many chances to practice.”

Wei Lan shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not! Your right hand hasn’t fully healed yet. You need at least two more weeks before you can use it. If you force it now, the wound could reopen!”

Ming Yi sighed, disappointed by the slow passage of time.

Wei Lan reassured him, “Don’t worry. We’ll hire a gardener to help. Just focus on recovering. Once you’re healed, our clinic will finally be ready to open!”

Ming Yi nodded, accepting her wisdom.

With the herb garden underway and the clinic’s interior nearly complete, the final step was recruiting staff.