双语科技百科(医学) 第64期:麻沸散
Ma Fei San
Ma Fei San is the first anesthetic in the world and was invented by Hua Tuo, an outstanding doctor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Although Hua Tuo's ancient prescriptions were lost, the ingredients are thought to have included cannabis and datura, which is a hallucinogenic plant and was later recorded as an anesthetic during the Song Dynasty. Some specific cases of abdominal operations were dilated upon in Hua Tuo's biography:A patient who suffered from abdominal pain for more than 10 days and had depilation of his beard and eyebrows beseeched Hua Tuo for treatment. The doctor diagnosed him as having deterioration in the abdomen, asked him to drink Ma Fei San,and then cut open and explored his abdo-men. The doctor removed the deteriorated part, sutured and plastered the abdo-men, and finally prescribed some herbs. The patient recovered after 100 story is believed to be a treatment of acute appendicitis. There is a historical book,in which the excellent medical skills of Hua Tuo were reflected read, " Pro-vided that there was deterioration in the intestines, he would cut the deteriorated part out, wash the remaining part, sew up the abdomen, and rub it with ointment. In four to five days, the illness would remit and the patient would not wake due to pain; in a month or so, the patient would recover. ,, There is also the story of General Guan Yu among the people, whose arm was pierced by a poisoned ar-row during a battle. Hua Tuo advised Guan to drink Ma Fei San so that he could do the surgery, yet Guan would not agree. Hua secured his wounded arm into the i-ron hoop of the wood frame and administered a strong anesthesia for it; then he scraped from Guan's arm all the necrotic flesh and periosteum, sutured the wound with silk threads, and dressed it with ointment. As a result, the life and arm of Guan Yu were saved.
麻沸散是世界上最早被发明和使用的麻醉剂，由东汉末年名医华佗发明。华佗的古老配方尽管已失传，但人们认为麻沸散的成分应包括大麻和曼陀罗花，后者是一种可使人产生幻觉的植物，在后来的宋时期被记载为一种麻醉药物。在华佗的传记中详细记述着其实施腹部手术的一些具体案例。有一个病人腹痛十余日，胡须和眉毛均有脱落，他恳求华佗给自己治病。经诊断，华佗认为病人腹部有病变，于是给他服用了些麻沸散，然后用刀剖开其腹部一查究竟。华佗从其腹部摘除病变部位，然后用针缝合伤口，敷上膏药，最后再给病人开一些药草服用。一百日之后，病人身体痊愈。有人认为这则故事讲述的是急性阑尾炎的治疗。有一部史书生动地放映了华佗的精湛医术，是这样写的：“病若在肠中，便断肠湔洗，缝腹膏摩，四五日差，不痛，人亦不自寤，一月之间，即平复矣。”民间还流传一个关羽将军的故事，在一次战斗中，关羽的胳膊被一支毒箭射中。华佗建议关羽服麻沸散以便实施手术，但关羽不肯，华佗便把他的病臂缚在木架上的铁环中，在局部实施强烈的麻醉，拿出尖刀刮尽了腐肉和受损的骨膜，用丝线把伤口缝好，搽上了药，使关羽保存了性命和手臂。
