Guan Gong Scraping Bone to Cure Poison
During the Three Kingdoms period, wars raged between Wei, Shu, and Wu. Once, when Guan Gong (Guan Yun Chang) led troops to attack Cao Cao’s army, his right arm was struck by a poisoned arrow. His generals urged him to retreat to Jingzhou for treatment, but Guan Gong refused, saying: "I cannot let minor wounds delay national military affairs."
They then searched far and wide for a renowned physician. One day, a doctor named Hua Tuo arrived, claiming he heard about Guan Gong’s poisoned arrow and came specifically to treat him. At that moment, Guan Gong’s right arm hurt severely. He was playing chess with Ma Liang to distract himself, avoiding showing pain and disrupting military morale.
Hua Tuo examined Guan Gong’s wound and said: "If Your Lordship doesn’t treat this arm soon, it may become useless! To fully cure it, I must secure your arm tightly to a pillar, then cut open the skin down to the bone, scrape off the poison from the bones, apply medicine, and stitch the wound shut. But I fear Your Lordship might be afraid."
Guan Gong laughed, saying he was no ordinary man and wasn’t afraid of pain, nor did he need his arm tied to a pillar. He ordered food and wine brought, saying: "Sir, you’ve traveled far—please enjoy a meal!"
After eating and drinking with Hua Tuo for a while, Guan Gong extended his right arm and said: "Now please begin—I’ll continue playing chess and eating. Please don’t mind!"
Hua Tuo said nothing more, took out a sharp knife, and had someone place a basin beneath Guan Gong’s arm. He carefully aimed and began cutting open the skin.
Guan Gong continued eating and drinking as usual. Hua Tuo calmly said: "Now I will scrape the poison from Your Lordship’s bones—this will cure you!"
Hua Tuo skillfully wielded the knife, scraping back and forth across the bone, producing a rustling sound. Blood poured almost to fill the entire basin. Soldiers watching were horrified, covering their faces—but Guan Gong kept playing chess and eating, completely calm.
Soon, Hua Tuo removed all the poison, applied medicine, and stitched the wound closed. Guan Gong wanted to reward him, but Hua Tuo politely declined: "I heard of Your Lordship’s noble character and came here solely to heal you!" Then he left without looking back, leaving behind a prescription.