Chapter 471 - 473: Stitching the Guard’s Wound on the Spot
Bai Ruozhu looked at the four of them gazing at her like they were looking at a complete fool, and couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. "I’m not even afraid of having others learn my unique needlework skills. What are you all so surprised about? If all doctors keep their skills hidden, and if a suitable successor isn’t found or something unexpected happens to the successor, wouldn’t the medical skills be lost?"
"What happens if these medical skills are lost after a few hundred or thousand years? If Bian Que and Huan Tuo widely disseminated their medical skills, wouldn’t there be fewer lost medical arts?" The modern traditional Chinese medicine that Bai Ruozhu talked about was something she had a keen understanding of, as she was from centuries later.
"You dare to openly criticize experts like Bian Que and Huan Tuo? Who do you think you are? Just an ignorant country woman!" exclaimed the tallest one among them.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "Then why do you need this ignorant country woman to teach you the suturing technique, and why do you need me to teach you the method to relieve pain?"
"You..." That man, if his face was not covered, would probably be blushing with anger.
The female doctor among them then spoke: "Are you really this altruistic? Could it not be just a scheme to gather attention and earn a good reputation?" As she said this, she quietly glanced at Meng Liangshen, indicating her suspicion that Bai Ruozhu was doing all this to gain his attention.
Bai Ruozhu showed a look of disdain. These people were narrow-minded and valued short-term fame. Yet fame was fleeting, even if you were a divine doctor, you couldn’t escape death. After death, all was vanity. So why not be more generous while you were alive?
"Is it necessary? I have already offered the suturing technique to the imperial court. If I want to draw attention and earn a good reputation, that’s already more than enough," Bai Ruozhu shrugged and replied.
At that moment, someone helped a pale-faced guard into the room. His chest was wrapped in Bai Bu cloth, which was stained with patches of blood, indicating the severity of his injury.
"Doctor Bai, this guard under my charge was injured by bandits last night. The wound on his chest is so deep that the bone is visible. Is there any way you can help him?" asked Meng Liangshen.
Bai Ruozhu nodded. She had a solution even for snapped tendons, let alone an external injury.
The guard was a tough one. Although he was somewhat weak, he bravely gritted his teeth, undid his clothes, and unwrapped the Bai Bu cloth that was soaked with blood from his chest.
Bai Ruozhu frowned. Had this man not sought medical attention? Why didn’t he stop the bleeding properly?
But seeing this patient with such a severe injury not uttering a sound, she no longer felt like asking questions.
"Find a chair for him to sit on, and then bring some boiled water over," Bai Ruozhu instructed.
Meng Liangshen nodded, and someone immediately went to perform the task. Shortly after, the injured guard sat down on a chair. Bai Ruozhu took out the silver needle and quickly put it to work, stopping the bleeding. Very soon, the unsightly scar on his chest stopped bleeding as much.
At this point, not only did the four doctors and Meng Liangshen come over to observe, but the guards in the yard were also attracted. If it wasn’t for their duty to stand guard, they would definitely come over for a closer look.
Once Bai Ruozhu inserted the needle, the attitude of the four doctors immediately changed. Initially, they didn’t take Bai Ruozhu seriously and their attitudes were somewhat lax. But quickly, they all stood up straight and replaced their casual demeanors with serious expressions.
By the time Bai Ruozhu had finished stopping the bleeding, the boiled water had also been delivered. However, the water was still a bit hot, so she asked the guards to leave it aside to cool. One of them quickly said, "Doctor Bai, should I add some cold water to hasten the cooling?"
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly responded, "No, adding raw water could lead to infection and ulceration."
The guard didn’t fully understand but knew that it wasn’t allowed and moved to the side.
The female doctor from before couldn’t help but ask, "Why can’t we add raw water? Why do we have to use boiled water?"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t explain what bacteria were, so she said, "Raw water contains minuscule impurities. This is not good for the wounds, but boiling kills those impurities."
"Based on your logic, wouldn’t drinking water directly from the river cause diarrhea?" The one who had spoken earlier seemed to be particularly dissatisfied with Bai Ruozhu.
"People in good health, of course, won’t get sick. But if it’s a child, the water they drink must be boiled because they are young, and their digestive system is delicate. Similarly, at this moment, the patient’s wound is also very delicate," Bai Ruozhu finished talking and no longer paid them any mind. She took the acupuncture needles and said, "Pay attention. This set of needlework is to relieve pain. Remember as much as you can. If you can’t remember, I will also write it down."
After saying this, she quickly practiced acupuncture. It was clear that the guard she was treating looked much better, and he said in surprise, "It really doesn’t hurt anymore."
Bai Ruozhu smiled and put away the silver needles. She said, "It’s not that there’s absolutely no pain. I’ll have to clean your wound and sew it up in a bit. Please bear it a bit."
"Doctor, just proceed with your treatment. I can withstand the pain," the man said sincerely.
Bai Ruozhu tested the water in the basin and found its temperature was about right. She took a clean piece of Bai Bu cloth and cleaned the guard’s wound. Then, with some strong liquor, she cleaned the wound again. As expected, the man shook a little. It was clear that it was still painful, but he clenched his teeth and didn’t make a sound.
Bai Ruozhu nodded appreciatively. She admired the man’s grit and proceeded to take some catgut sutures to thread the needle. She told everyone, "Because his injury is severe, I will use this catgut for the treatment. It doesn’t have to be removed afterwards. You can observe the process of the sutures dissolving over the next few days."
After saying this, she started suturing. Her movements were steady and seemed very skillful. The guard didn’t even frown, indicating that the pain was not as bad as when the wound was washed with strong liquor.
"This thread is not like that used in embroidery. Therefore the movements should be gentle, otherwise it would easily break," Bai Ruozhu explained, and when she finished, the wound was closed up.
She put the needle aside and cleaned her hands. She then said to the guard, "In the next few days, do not move around carelessly to avoid tearing the wound. Also, I will prescribe some medicine for you. The effects of the needlework to stop bleeding and relieve pain are only temporary. Your body still needs medicinal treatment."
The guard stood up quickly, bowed to Bai Ruozhu, and said, "Thank you, Doctor."
Bai Ruozhu glared at him fiercely, "As a patient, you should follow the doctor’s advice. I have just mentioned to be careful with the wound. If the wound tore and I wasted my catgut sutures, I will cut a piece of your intestine for suturing!"
Previously, the fact that she was willing to use a needle to sew human flesh was already scary. Now that she was talking about cutting intestines, it really was quite intimidating. The guard immediately stood still and dared not move.
"I... I... have noted," the man stammered.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but want to laugh. Just a while ago, he was a tough man who wasn’t afraid of pain, so why was he scared of having his intestines cut?
Meng Liangshen then instructed the guard to rest. He got someone to bring pen and ink for Bai Ruozhu to write the prescription. Bai Ruozhu then turned back to the four doctors and said, "Don’t just stand there doing nothing. Go practice on the pork. Oh, and don’t do a terrible job, we can still eat this pork leg afterwards."