Hua Tuo, also named Yuanhua, was from Pei Guo Jiao, today’s Hao County in Anhui Province. He was a legendary physician in the 2nd century. Hua Tuo sought neither rank nor remuneration. He completely devoted himself to the study of medicine, and achieved outstanding results in many areas. His eminence in ancient China accorded him the name “miraculous healer.”

Hua Tuo lost his father at the age of seven. Because his family was quite poor, his mother decided to send him to study medicine under Dr. Cai, a very close friend of Hua Tuo's father. Hua Tuo went to town and met with Dr. Cai. After he expressed his wish, Dr. Cai thought to himself, "Hua Tuo's father was my friend. If I don't take the boy as my intern, the townspeople will think of me as uncaring and disloyal. I'd better take him. However, I need to test the boy to see if he is cut out for medicine."

At that moment, Dr. Cai noticed several of his interns were collecting mulberry leaves outside, but they were having difficulty reaching the leaves on the highest branch. He decided that this would be the first test for Hua Tuo. He asked Hua Tuo, “Can you think of a way to collect the leaves on the highest branch on the tree?” Hua Tuo said, "That’s easy enough,” and asked for a rope. He tied a small rock at the end of the rope and threw the rope over the highest branch pressing it down, and picked all the leaves on the branch.

Next, Dr. Cai saw two goats engaged in a fight, their eyes were bloodshot with rage. No one could separate the two goats. He decided that this would be the second test for Hua Tuo. He asked, "Hua Tuo, are you able to separate these two goats?" Hua Tuo answered, "Certainly." He fetched two bundles of fresh grass and put them by the goats. The goats had gotten hungry from fighting so they were quick to turn their attention to the grass. The fight was stopped effortlessly. Greatly impressed, Dr. Cai gladly accepted him as intern.

Hua Tuo studied assiduously, and paid a great deal of attention to the clinical aspects of the practice. He became a renowned physician in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD). Nonetheless, the famed Hua Tuo never differentiated his patients. Regardless of the settings, he provided his service focusing only on saving lives and treating illnesses, reflecting his conscientious noble sentiments. He continued to practice medicine throughout his life. In surgery, internal medicine, gynecology, acupuncture, parasitology, and physiotherapy, he attained original insight and masterly expertise.

Hua Tuo was especially adept in surgery. He was the first surgeon to perform a laparotomy in Chinese medical history. To alleviate pain for his patients, he formulated an anesthetic mixture, Ma Fei San or boiled anesthetic powder preparation, which was used to provide general anesthesia. It was not until 1,600 years later, at the beginning of the 19th century that Europeans began to use general anesthesia in surgery.

Once, Hua Tuo ran into a vendor pushing a cart on the street. He had a sallow complexion, and was short of breath. He looked sick. Hua Tuo learned that he had colicky pain in the abdomen, and made the diagnosis of appendicle abscess. Hua Tuo gave the man his boiled anesthetic powder preparation to drink and he was soon anesthetized. Hua Tuo made the incision with a knife, removed the affected tissues, gave him a peritoneal lavage, sutured the wound, and applied ointment to reduce inflammation and promote healing. The patient recovered a few days later and his wound healed quickly.

In the field of obstetrics, Hua Tuo also had delved into it deeply. It was recorded in The Book of Late Han dynasty: General Li’s wife was ill and sought treatment from Hua Tuo. After taking her pulse, Hua Tuo concluded that she suffered from complications of fetal death in utero. General Li confirmed that she had problems during her pregnancy but that his wife had already aborted the fetus. Hua Tuo replied,“Her pulse indicates that she still has a fetus present.” General Li felt otherwise.

A hundred days later, Li’s wife’s condition deteriorated. Hua Tuo was asked to see her again. Upon examining her pulse again, Hua Tuo said, "Her pulse is the same as before. This is what I think happened: She had a twin pregnancy. The first twin miscarried and caused her to bleed excessively, and prevented the birth of the second twin, which subsequently died in utero, shriveled up, and got hung up by her spine.” Hua Tuo then performed acupuncture on her and gave her herbal medicine to drink. Before long, she went into labor, but was unable to effect delivery of the dead fetus. Hua Tuo explained that since the dead fetus had shrunk it would be difficult to deliver normally, and would require manual removal. Hua Tuo gave instructions to the midwife, and the dead fetus was successfully removed.

In the field of acupuncture and moxibustion (therapy utilizing moxa, or mugwort herb. The mugwort is aged and ground up to a fluff; practitioners burn the fluff or process it further into a stick that resembles a (non-smokable) cigar. They can use it indirectly, with acupuncture needles, or sometimes burn it on a patient's skin), Hua Tuo also made innovative discoveries. Once, a man sought medical treatment from Hua Tuo because he had problems with his feet and he couldn't walk. After checking the man’s pulse, Hua Tuo marked several acupuncture points on his back, and applied moxibustion to each point seven times. The patient began to walk soon afterwards. Hua Tuo later summarized his experience in acupuncture and moxibustion, and coined his discovery the " Intervertebral Acupuncture Points". People later termed these points the "Hua Tuo Acupuncture Points," and they are still in use today.

Hua Tuo also devised a set of exercises imitating the movements of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys, and birds called the "Exercise of the Five Animals." It became very popular. One of Hua Tuo’s students, Wupu, practiced the Exercise of the Five Animals on a regular basis. Even in his nineties, Wupu remained very strong and healthy with sharp ears, eyes and good teeth.
Hua Tuo occupies an important place in Chinese medical history for his superior medical skills, and his spirit of saving the dying and helping the sick.

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