After examining the patient, Wen Zhi told the crown prince, “The treatment for this illness requires one to enrage King Min, but once his anger is aroused, my life will be in danger.” The crown prince and the queen promised to protect Wen Zhi from being killed by the king.
King Qi Min’s illness of melancholia and constant worrying is termed depression in modern medicine. Wen Zhi thus designed a special “psychological therapy” to treat King Qi.
When the king summoned Wen Zhi for the medical examination, he had to do so four times before Wen Zhi came to treat him. Moreover, when Wen Zhi arrived at the king’s room, he did not take off his clothes or shoes, but entered the door and immediately knelt on the king’s bed to take his pulse. His blatant disrespect aroused the fury of King Qi, who was determined to have Wen Zhi killed. In this way, Wen Zhi cured King Qi Min’s illness.
Although the crown prince and the queen tried everything within their power to protect Wen Zhi, the skilled physician eventually lost his life. King Qi boiled him in a boiler for three days and three nights, but Wen Zhi did not die. Finally, King Qi suffocated the physician to death in a covered boiler.
Hua Tuo’s Wiser Application of Anger Therapy
Hua Tuo, the brilliant physician from the Han Dynasty treated a patient afflicted with a similar condition. Hua Tuo acted more prudently than Wen Zhi. The patient was a county governor, and Hua Tuo confided to the governor’s son that only by enraging him into a fit of temper could his father be cured.
Hua Tuo first prepared an extremely harsh, critical letter with ideas contributed by the governor’s son. The letter accused the governor of committing various misdeeds. In addition, Hua Tuo also prepared another letter, in which he described in detail his reasoning and treatment plan for the illness. He gave this letter to the governor’s son.
When summoned to the governor’s residences, Hua Tuo accepted a substantial amount for his services, yet refused to visit the governor to treat his illness.
The governor read Hua Tuo’s letter and, wild with rage, ordered his son to pursue and kill Hua Tuo. But because the governor’s son had read Hua Tuo’s second letter that detailed his treatment plans, the subordinates he sent out did not make an effort to catch Hua Tuo, allowing the physician to escape unharmed.
Hua Tuo’s successful escape, along with the loss of a substantial amount of consultation fees paid to the physician, further angered the already furious governor. This caused him to vomit three liters of dark-colored blood, but after he had done so, he discovered that he had been cured.
Zhang Zi He, one of the four outstanding medical researchers from the Jin Dynasty, also recorded a similar medical case in his famous literary work “Ru Men Shi Qin.” His treatment involved staying at the afflicted person’s house and taking the patient’s food and drink, and even asking for medical fees without prescribing treatment. Driven to his limits, the patient erupted in anger, after which he discovered that his illness was cured.
All three cases used the same method of angering their patients to achieve recovery.
Next week: Relevance of Ancient Medical Psychiatry
