Hua Tuo is one of the famous medical doctors in China's history. He practiced medicine in all directions and relieved the people, and was known far and wide during the Three Kingdoms period.
When Guan Yu conquered the city of Fancheng, Hua Tuo was able to cure the poisonous sores by scraping Guan Yu's bones. After Cao Cao had a sudden head cold, he sent for Hua Tuo, who diagnosed the problem and said that he would need to use a sharp axe to cut open his head to perform a craniotomy, but Cao Cao thought that Hua Tuo wanted to kill him to avenge Guan Yu's death, so he ordered Hua Tuo to be killed.
It's a shame to see this part of the story, but it's a shame to see the doctor fall so far. But let's assume that Cao Cao did agree to Hua Tuo's craniotomy, would it have really been possible?
1. Surgery can't overcome the problem of infection. And under the medical conditions of the time, the instruments used by Hua Tuo? Sharp axe? It is impossible to be sterile, and in the bacterial conditions of head surgery, Cao Cao in the post-surgery will certainly occur intracranial infection, and at that time there was often the spread of epidemics in the north, the young and strong generals are susceptible to epidemics infected with death, not to mention to Cao Cao in his later years, a small surgical infection will be enough to take his life.
2. The brain is the most mysterious part of the human body. The brain, as the most mysterious part of the human body, can be said to have been unable to study thoroughly, and at that time, although doctors have studied the major tendons and veins of the human body, acupuncture points, but it is clear that the knowledge of the brain research is not enough to carry out the operation, then Hua Tuo would be unlikely to know the fine anatomical structure of the brain. If the operation had been performed, Cao Cao would have been killed immediately if he had not been careful.
3.? As we all know, a series of first-aid equipment is inevitably needed to perform a major operation. For example, today's cardiac monitoring equipment, blood transfusion and rehydration facilities, oxygen equipment, etc., these minimum first aid equipment should be indispensable, and in the case of craniotomy surgery, if there is a drop in blood pressure or cardiac arrest, in the absence of first aid equipment, the operation can be carried out smoothly are a problem.
At the same time, there are too many medical issues involved in brain surgery, and if one of the conditions is not met, the surgery will fail. So Cao Cao would still be able to live for some time without a craniotomy, but if he did have a craniotomy it would be a life of nine or even ten deaths.
And for the suspicious Cao Cao, he must have thought of this, and that's why he thought Hua Tuo was trying to hurt him.