Manbao paused for a mont before saying, "Considering everything, about thirty percent."
The chances were very slim, but it was still better than the outright denial from Imperial Doctor Tan.
Li Sanlang, who looked haggard, asked, "If we perform a Caesarean section, can we ensure the survival of only the mother?"
Manbao imdiately replied, "If the Caesarean is solely to save the mother, then I have sixty to seventy percent confidence in succeeding."
This statent caught everyone off guard. Minister Han asked doubtfully, "Shouldn’t the survival rate be higher for the child?"
Manbao shook her head, "If you don’t want a Caesarean and opt for an abortion to save the mother, that’s impossible. But if you’re willing to proceed with the Caesarean and only want to save the mother, then I can use plenty of dications. For example, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a full dose of Ma Fei San."
Minister Han and Minister Li: ...
The two quickly grasped the implications.
They hesitated, but Li Sanlang imdiately said, "Then let’s save the mother. Father-in-law, if the child is lost, so be it. Later, I can take in a concubine to have another child, and raise it under Third Lady’s care."
Minister Han sighed and said, "Alright, that works."
But Eldest Lady Han interjected, "Young Lady Zhou, if possible, please do your best to save the child as well."
She continued, "Wuniang has suffered greatly for this child. If she finds out the child cannot be saved, I don’t know how she’d cope."
Manbao nodded, "I will do my best."
And so, preparations began to be discussed.
Performing a Caesarean was a major undertaking and certainly not sothing Manbao could do alone. She planned to invite imperial doctors to assist but wasn’t sure if the Han Family and Li Family would allow imperial doctors into the delivery room.
However, the Han Family and Li Family weren’t that rigid. Their concern was for survival; any assistance would be acceptable under the circumstances.
Still, Eldest Lady Han felt that while the families were open-minded, Han Wuniang might not agree easily. Thus, she asked, "Young Lady Zhou, aren’t you performing the surgery? If so, wouldn’t it be better to have the maids assist, while the imperial doctors provide support from outside the door?"
Manbao asked, "How many imperial doctors can your family invite?"
Eldest Lady Han looked at her father.
Minister Han said, "Besides Imperial Doctor Tan, we can invite Imperial Doctor Liu."
Manbao nodded, "Alright, I understand. Later, I’ll see if female doctors can assist as well. At that point, I’ll ask Minister Han to invite the two imperial doctors to discuss the plan with us."
On that day, everyone’s roles would need to be clearly defined. She also wanted to consult the imperial doctors on how they usually handled such cases.
If the surgery went well, there would still be post-operative care to manage, which was equally important.
Then, there was the preparation of surgical items. The Li Family and Han Family also needed to prepare certain dications...
Manbao’s little head began to buzz with ideas as she drafted a list. For example, she needed an empty room without much furniture—just a wooden cot for the patient to lie on, so tables, and chairs.
These items could be gathered gradually, along with various herbs. However, she decided to consult Teacher Mo once she returned, and then discuss further with Doctor Tao tomorrow.
Manbao was full of determination, but the mood in the Han and Li families remained somber due to the low success rate she had provided.
Still, they had no alternative other than Zhou Man, as no one else could even offer this slim chance.
Manbao didn’t perform any more massage therapy on Han Wuniang; since surgery was imminent, it wasn’t necessary to make her endure additional discomfort. However, she still instructed her to follow corrective exercises the next day. She also guided the midwives, explaining crucial details, and made sure they understood before leaving.
Exercise was always beneficial, and the movents would help improve her physical condition.
Eldest Lady Han escorted Manbao out as usual. This ti, she didn’t pay her any consultation fees, but Manbao didn’t mind.
She was already familiar with the customs of these prestigious families and knew they wouldn’t shortchange a physician when it ca to financial matters.
Manbao instructed Shao to take her straight ho. Upon arriving, she went to the stables to bond with Chiji, feeding it a handful of beans, before heading inside to put away her bookcase. Then, she found Mr. Zhuang to attend her lesson.
It was ti for her to study new coursework.
After completing her lessons and finishing her howork, she went back to her room to find Teacher Mo.
Teacher Mo had far more ti and resources than Manbao. He handed her several prescriptions, all for anesthesia, saying, "These were found in ancient texts. I’m conducting experints on them, but many of the ingredients aren’t available here. If you can find them, send them to , and I’ll test their effectiveness."
He added, "Because so ingredients have been lost to history, these anesthetics aren’t included in the database of modeled systems, so I can’t provide specific drug recomndations..."
"But I don’t recognize these herbs either," Manbao replied as she examined the prescriptions Teacher Mo had sent her. "I’ve morized their nas, but I’ve never heard of them."
Teacher Mo was surprised they didn’t exist in her region either. He paused in silence before asking, "Then send the anesthetic formulas you have available, and I’ll discuss them with others to improve your prescriptions."
Manbao agreed readily and sent him two formulas.
One was an anesthetic she had obtained from Imperial Doctor Fan. It was the one commonly used during this era, with dosage adjustnts depending on the case.
The other was sourced from a book on the historical developnt of Chinese dicine within the encyclopedia archive. It claid to be an ancient formula and the most effective anesthetic verified by Chinese dicine.
Teacher Mo was naturally familiar with this formula, as he had once recomnded the book to Manbao.
He asked, "Do you have access to all the herbs listed in this formula?"
"Yes," Manbao replied, after careful study. Despite two unfamiliar herb nas, she managed to locate them. She initially planned to use this formula for Xiang Mingxue’s tendon surgery.
Teacher Mo was pleased and said, "I’m missing four ingredients here; we don’t have them available. Find them for , and I’ll conduct the experints."
Manbao agreed and carefully recorded the herb nas he sent her.
Teacher Mo continued sending Manbao materials; her system kept chiming with notifications. He explained, "Because of the missing ingredients, these anesthetics lack sufficient data to evaluate their effects on pregnant won and fetuses. Have you already decided to proceed with the Caesarean?"
"The patient’s family has agreed."
"Then you’ll have a lot to prepare. At this mont, I find the limitations of the system quite frustrating. If I could, I’d simply send you a modern anesthetic wristband and save you all this stress."
Unexpectedly, their biggest challenge wasn’t during or after the surgery, but in ensuring proper anesthesia beforehand.
Teacher Mo sighed, then resud their discussion, "I’ve sent you a needle-based acupuncture anesthesia technique I found in ancient texts today. The docuntation is incomplete, but this thod was widely used in the twenty-second century for drug detoxification, cancer pain relief, arthritis pain, and even non-drug anesthesia for treating depression."
User Comments
0 comments from readers