Hua Tuo (c. 145-208) was a famous physician of the late Eastern Han dynasty, known as a "divine doctor". Skilled in internal medicine, surgery and acupuncture, he was best known for surgery.
Surgery hurts — so Hua Tuo invented "mafeisan", an anesthetic that put patients to sleep so they felt no pain. It is one of the earliest recorded anesthetics in the world.
Hua Tuo also created the "Five Animals Exercise": mimicking the tiger, deer, bear, monkey and bird to keep the body strong. He said: keep the body moving and you rarely fall ill. That idea remains useful today.
Hua Tuo (c. 145-208), a famous physician of the late Eastern Han dynasty, is honoured as the "Divine Doctor". Skilled in internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology and paediatrics, he is the most legendary figure in Chinese medical history.
His best-known story is treating Guan Yu arm: the arrow poison had reached the bone, so Hua Tuo cut open the flesh and scraped the bone - while Guan Yu calmly played chess with guests. Popularised by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the story is known to every household.
Another major contribution was "ma fei san" (anaesthetic powder), letting patients feel no pain during surgery - about 1,600 years before anaesthetics in the West. The formula is lost to time, but records confirm he performed surgeries with it.
He also created the "Five Animals Play" (Wu Qin Xi), exercises imitating tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird - arguably China earliest fitness routine. His philosophy: the body needs activity, but not to excess.
His fate is a tragedy: summoned to treat Cao Cao headaches, Hua Tuo suggested skull surgery; Cao Cao suspected murder, imprisoned and executed him. Before dying, Hua Tuo passed his medical books to a jailer who dared not accept them, and they were burned - a great loss to Chinese medicine.
Today people still praise skilled doctors as "Hua Tuo reborn" or "hands that bring spring back". In Anhui Bozhou, his hometown, there is a memorial park; Nanyang, Henan has a shrine honouring the great physicians.
Hua Tuo story also reminds us of innovation and trust. He dared to perform operations nobody else dared - that is innovation; tragically Cao Cao did not trust him, and a tragedy followed. Modern medicine likewise needs daring doctors and trusting patients - a reflection the divine doctor leaves us after two thousand years.
In exams or self-introductions, "Hua Tuo reborn" is a culturally rich phrase. To praise a doctor, say "you are truly a Hua Tuo reborn." It shines in speech and essays, but mind the context - said to a modern physician it expresses thanks and respect; a touch of humour makes it feel natural.
A common confusion: the doctor who scraped Guan Yu bone was written as Hua Tuo in the novel, but historians think Hua Tuo was probably already dead by then, so it is likely Romance artistic licence. That does not diminish Hua Tuo - records confirm his anaesthetic powder and surgical skill. Separating history from fiction when reading tales is itself a skill.
