Chapter 872 It's just a little blood, not even human blood, what's wrong with that?
While the audience below was still marveling at the high concentration of alcohol and the exquisite suturing skills of the physicians in the Department of Surgery of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the servants in the inner chambers started moving again.
The servants who filed out of the rear hall each carried a small, exquisite wooden cage, and the creatures inside were something no one present had expected.
"Dad, it's a gray rabbit!"
Tang Heping stared wide-eyed at his father, Tang Mingguang, and asked in astonishment.
Although Tang Mingguang's eyesight was not as good as Tang Heping's, the waiter carrying the wooden cage had come closer. Although it was backlit, Tang Mingguang could see clearly that there was indeed a live gray rabbit in the wooden cage!
Once Tang Mingguang confirmed it was a rabbit, he stared intently at Tang Mingyue.
Tang Mingyue received her elder brother's eagerly questioning gaze and could only laugh helplessly twice: "Elder brother, Afu really didn't tell me about this. I don't know what this rabbit is used for either."
Before the two brothers could explain the rabbit's appearance, the crowd, which had been buzzing with discussion about it, heard the sound of gongs being struck again.
The gong sounded, and the voices faded.
The doctor standing on the platform then spoke again, loudly proclaiming, "In order to better demonstrate this suturing technique to everyone, our surgery department doctors will ask one of the soldiers present to make an incision on this live rabbit, and then the doctors will demonstrate it to you."
(Due to the era, the rabbits here are naturally wild.)
I oppose animal cruelty, but advancements in human medicine inevitably involve the use of experimental animals.
Laboratory animals are specially bred for use and are subject to regulations. Animals used in experiments are euthanized after use.
We should treat laboratory animals with respect and gratitude.
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers who were already prepared went to the rabbit cages assigned to them, as instructed earlier.
The crowd below the stage started discussing it again, making a lot of noise.
The Tang Dynasty was an open and prosperous period. Although there were some restrictions on knives in Chang'an, people from all walks of life, from commoners to high-ranking officials, enjoyed intense competitive activities such as Cuju (ancient Chinese football), polo, sumo wrestling, as well as duels, cockfighting, and cricket fighting in the West Market.
This led to the Tang people's fondness for martial arts, and some people even set up fighting arenas in the countryside. They secretly found gambling dens to act as bookmakers, paying high prices to invite martial arts experts to fight on the stage, and then inviting people to watch the matches and bet on who would win, thus making money.
Besides, in recent years, the Tang Dynasty has been the victor in all its wars against foreign powers.
Therefore, both Wang Shuzheng and Sun Yizheng thought there was no problem with having soldiers cut rabbits inside the inner palace and demonstrating the suturing technique of the Department of Surgery to everyone on the spot.
Of course, Li Lingshi, the former official of Chongwen Academy, had his objections. What he said was nothing more than: "This is the place where the future crown prince will be taught, and where the sons of the imperial family and nobles will learn the classics. How can you all be here..."
Before anyone could finish speaking, Physician Sun turned and left, showing no respect for Li Lingshi, which made Li Lingshi so angry that his mustache almost stood on end.
Afterwards, Wang Shuzheng went to the palace to meet Emperor Wu and explained the whole story. Emperor Wu said, "The classics and scriptures are certainly useful, but the Tang Dynasty can stand in the world not because of these."
It's just a little blood, not even human blood, what's wrong with that?
Given this, how could Li Lingshi dare to say anything more?
He simply chose to ignore him, and for the next half month, Li San Niang never saw Li Ling Shi in Chongwen Hall again. The official in charge of coordinating all matters with the Imperial Medical Bureau was replaced.
The soldiers inside the palace already carried swords at their waists, and of course, they not only had Tang-style swords, but also a short dagger that had been prepared beforehand.
Before the crowd below could react, the soldiers grabbed the rabbit by its long ears, swiftly brought down their knives, and the kicking rabbit was slashed, its skin broken. Those nearby could smell the stench of blood.
However, those who were far away could smell the stench after a while. After all, there were at least forty or fifty rabbits in various parts of the inner palace that had been scratched at the same time, and each one was bleeding. Naturally, the smell of blood spread.
Old Man Zhou stared intently at the gray rabbit with blood streaming down its fur, without even blinking.
Then the doctor, now dressed in clean clothes, took the rabbit from the soldier and neatly tied the kicking rabbit to a specially made wooden platform on a high table.
The rabbit in front of Zhou Aweng had an injured back, so it was tied up while lying down.
The rabbit in the passageway where Tang Mingyue and the others were sitting had its soft belly injured, so it was tied up on its back.
Whether the rabbits were lying down or on their backs, the veterinarian from a few days ago had shaved the fur off their wounds.
On the high table in front of Doctor Sun on the high platform, an injured rabbit was also tied up. Then the doctor who had spoken earlier spoke again: "Gentlemen, since this is a live rabbit for demonstration, it is only tied up."
If someone is injured, they should be put to sleep with herbal medicine or acupuncture to relieve the pain before the wound can be stitched up.
The doctors in the audience understood this principle; these words were actually meant for the ordinary people who came to watch the spectacle.
Old Zhou's eyes were fixed on the rabbit on the high table in front of him, but his ears were perked up to listen to the doctor speaking on the platform.
He nodded, beginning to understand the meaning of today's suturing procedure.
He realized that the wound on the rabbit, where the fur had been shaved off, was actually the same as the wound on the fresh pork with skin that had just been shown.
The doctor picked up a cloth soaked in high concentration of alcohol and wiped the rabbit's wound. Luckily, the rabbit was tied up tightly, otherwise, it might have overturned the wooden table in such pain.
Everything went as Zhou Aweng had expected. After applying high-concentration alcohol, the doctor applied wound medicine and then stitched up the wound.
"Sure enough, it was treated exactly the same way as the wound on that pork."
If Zhou Aweng could understand it, how could Tang Mingguang and others, who were doctors themselves, not understand it?
However, the doctor's approach was naturally different from that of Zhou Aweng and his colleagues.
"Impressive, Sanlang (Tang Mingyue), were you just trying to fool me with what you said before?"
This stitching technique doesn't seem like something someone without talent could do!
At first, sewing on that immobile pork looked relatively simple, as if it wasn't difficult at all.
But this live rabbit is completely different; it's not something that can be done simply by practicing until you get the hang of it.
I think this suturing technique requires talent, just like the art of needlework.
Tang Mingyue disagreed with this statement.
"Second brother, that's not the case."
Believe me, this suturing technique is something you can master with practice.
It's simply that some people sew well and leave no scars;
Some people get ugly stitches, with scars that look like centipedes.
Second brother, when I return home today, I'll show you that set of tools, and you'll understand.
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