Chapter 19 The Harm of Lead Poison
“What’s wrong with the prince?”
Li Shizhen, who was waiting for Zhu Zaijing to hand over the prescription, also hesitated due to Zhu Zaijing’s hesitation at this moment. .
Zhu Zaijing calmed down. He suppressed the speculation in his heart and handed the recipe for the calming soup to Li Shizhen.
Zhu Zaijing said: "Nothing, I am just curious about the effect of lead pill."
Li Shizhen carefully took the prescription handed over by Zhu Zaijing, and then replied: "Your Majesty, the lead pill is used to detoxify and calm panic. Anyway, it is very effective as a soothing medicine. But don't take too much, for fear of hurting your heart, stomach, and ears." "
Zhu Zaijing looked at Li Shizhen's serious expression and secretly guessed in his heart. It seemed that Dr. Li's understanding of lead poisoning was still very superficial.
But thinking about the root cause carefully, Zhu Zaijing felt that Li Shizhen was not to blame.
After all, where was the basic science of the Ming Dynasty? All technologies, whether medicine or craftsmanship, are empirical sciences that have been developed over and over again. In-depth research on substances and principles, due to technological means, has always been smoke and mirrors and cannot be explored. nature.
Therefore, Li Shizhen’s lack of understanding of lead poisoning is understandable.
But Zhu Zaijing couldn't let it go so simply.
Zhu Zaijing said quietly: "I wonder if Dr. Li has ever heard of an ancient country named Da Qin in the far west. It arose during the Han Dynasty and spanned tens of thousands of miles. Compared with the previous dynasties of our Central Plains, No country is willing to make too many concessions, but such a prosperous country collapsed after a few hundred years, and then split into countless small countries. Do you know why this country fell to this point and was not able to survive again? "
Li Shizhen was confused when he heard Zhu Zaijing's words. The Kingdom of Qin in the far west seemed to be just a legend between the two Han Dynasties. As for what happened, no one knew the situation. So how could Li Shizhen know how it collapsed?
The high arch on the side also showed a thoughtful expression. As a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, Gao Gong was naturally well-read, and he still had some impressions of the Qin Kingdom in the far west.
After all, Emperor Jiajing was also a unique emperor. In his early years, Emperor Jiajing issued an edict to re-copy the "Yongle Dadian". As a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, Gao Gong naturally could not avoid this huge cultural feat.
Therefore, during this experience, Gao Gong's horizons were greatly broadened by this ancient book that was written more than a hundred years ago, and he realized the meaning of there being heaven outside the world and people outside the world.
So Gao Gong still knows more about the legends of the Qin Dynasty in ancient times in the far west.
Gao Gong stood aside and replied: "I know the country of Qin in the far west. Some time ago, I and my colleagues in the Hanlin Academy were ordered to re-copy the "Yongle Dadian" and were fortunate enough to read the magnificent masterpieces of Chengzu's dynasty. Then I learned a little more about the history of the Far West. I believe that the reason why the Kingdom of Far West Qin collapsed was due to three reasons:"
"First, the leader of the Far West Qin believed deeply in religion, which led to The royal power was weak. Secondly, the king of the Far Western Qin Dynasty was cruel and unkind, and marrying close relatives was regarded as promiscuity, which led to the collapse of etiquette and music. Thirdly, the Far Western Da Qin had a vast territory and different laws, which failed to emulate the same text of the Central Plains. , the method of driving on the same track, the degree of unity balances the people's hearts, causing the people's hearts to fail to adhere."
Gao Gong's summary is very accurate, and it is a relatively objective view of the decline of the Roman Empire from a historical perspective. comments. There is no problem with this comment in a historical framework.
But is the truth of history really as simple as written legends say? If it is really that simple, why do we need to continue archaeological dialectics to further unearth the historical truth?
Nowadays, simple written records cannot give a complete picture of history.
The real history still requires understanding and discovery from multiple dimensions in order to uncover the mystery shrouded in history! Li Shizhen's eyes widened when he heard Gao Gong's words. He never thought that the legendary Qin Kingdom in the far west really existed.
At this time, Zhu Zaijing also said: "What Mr. Gao said is absolutely true. Although the Qin Dynasty in the far west has a territory of thousands of miles, it has not been able to prepare etiquette, and it is all entrusted to the Pope in the West to teach on his behalf. , but it is one of the reasons for its collapse. However, what I want to say today is not based on these three points."
"As far as I know, everyone in the royal family of the Qin Dynasty in the far west likes to make wine from lead utensils for food, and they are addicted to sweetness. The wine brewed from lead utensils has a bright color and can extend the shelf life, so the extremely popular people at that time People in the Western Qin Dynasty generally used this method to make wine, and because the acetic acid boiled in lead vessels has a certain sweetness, the aristocratic people at that time used this method to make candied food Sapa and sweet drinks. ”
“ Although this method is good, it is very fatal! The lead taken by noble women is enough to cause them to be infertile, miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth, causing premature babies to often suffer from mental retardation and early death. In addition, the nobles of the Qin Dynasty in the far west often have incest. This custom has also caused many of their descendants to be poisoned by lead, causing their children to have varying degrees of defects in physical fitness and innate intelligence."
"Such a reckless method of eating lead is extremely harmful. It is difficult for the Western Qin Dynasty not to collapse. Now that the king sees that this lead pill is actually the main medicine of the tranquilizing soup that he drinks, you can imagine the panic in his heart!"
After Zhu Zaijing said these words! , whether it was Li Shizhen, Gao Gong, or Meng Chong standing aside, their expressions were all stunned by the story told by Zhu Zaijing.
As for the history of the Far West, they have only heard about it and have not actually studied it too deeply.
After all, the far west is too far away!
Zheng He, the Sanbao eunuch at that time, went to the West under the orders of Chengzu to declare his country's prestige among all nations. It would take three or four years to travel between the extreme west and the Ming Dynasty.
Such a far distance, for the people of Ming Dynasty, it is even farther than the ends of the earth.
Therefore, the people of the Ming Dynasty only paid attention to the Far West as an anecdote after dinner, and did not really take it seriously.
Now that Zhu Zaijing actually revealed something so secretive about the Qin Kingdom in the far west, this had to shock everyone present.
Li Shizhen immediately bowed in panic and said, "Please punish me. I am not good at studying medicine and failed to discover the harm of lead poisoning, which caused harm to the prince's body. I deserve death!"
Zhu Zaijing looked at it in fear. Li Shizhen, he showed a warm smile and helped Li Shizhen up.
Zhu Zaijing said: "He who does not know is not guilty. When Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs, it was not necessarily possible to distinguish the principles of every medicine. To me, Imperial Physician Li is the contemporary Shen Nong, and he will be the same in the future. I have traveled all over the world and read thousands of herbal medicines to compile a world-famous book for the Ming Dynasty! So how can I blame you? I only hope that Doctor Li can abide by this book when he travels all over the world in the future. The heart, with the heart of studying things, has repeatedly verified and clarified the pharmacology of the world's herbal medicine. This is the best response of Dr. Li to the world."
Li Shizhen once again heard Zhu Zaijing's expectations for him. I am so excited that I wish I could make the trip now, travel all over the world, imitate Shennong, taste all kinds of herbs, and compile a peerless medical book for the Ming Dynasty that can set the standard for future generations!
(End of this chapter)