History of Chinese Medicine

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History of Chinese Medicine
IAS 2540 / UGD 2270 History of Traditional
Chinese Thought
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History of Chinese Medicine

• The beginning of Chinese Medicine is
  traditionally attributed to Shennong (The Saintly
  Farmer), the legendary emperor who introduced
  agriculture and had personally tasted the hundred
  types of plants (with his transparent stomach) in
  order to discover their medicinal (herbal)
  values. He is also supposed to have introduced
  the technique of acupuncture. For many
  centuries, he has been regarded as the patron
  sage of Chinese physicians.

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History of Chinese Medicine

• The earliest Chinese medical writing known to us
  is the Huangdi nejing suwen (The Yellow Emperors
  Manual of Corporeal Medicine). As its title
  implies its authorship has been attributed to the
  legendary Yellow Emperor, Huang Di who ruled
  China around 2600 B.C. The book actually
  consists of two treatises, namely, the Suwen
  (Questions and Answers about living matter) and
  the Lingshu (the Vital Axis).

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• Wu (Shamans/priestly doctors) in tribal
  societies
• The 4 diagnostic procedures used in Chinese
  medicine, namely, (1) wang an observation of
  external signs shown in the face, eyes, nose,
  ears, mouth, tongue, and throat of the patient
  (2) wen listening to sounds emitted by coughing,
  breathing, and talking (3) wen asking the
  patients history, by inquiring about the site of
  discomfort, his appetite, his bowels, etc. and
  (4) qie pulse-reading.

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• The traditional Chinese believed in the harmony
  of nature --- the close relationship between
  heaven (tian), earth (di), and man (ren), the
  three forces. Their world-view conceived a
  harmonious co-operation of all matters in the
  universe, arising from the fact that they were
  all parts of a hierarchy of wholes forming a
  cosmic and organic pattern and obeying the
  internal system of their own nature.

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• Sickness is simply a disturbance in our
  body-system. So, the traditional Chinese
  medicine is to assist the bodys own mechanisms
  to restore to the body-system --- wholistic
  healing.

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The Yin-Yang Principles

• Yin Yang
• Negative Positive
• Dark Light
• Female Male
• Wet Dry
• Water Fire
• Cold Hot
• Night Day
• Moon Sun
• Earth Heaven

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The Five Elements

• Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth
• Water produces Wood, which produces Fire, which
  produces Earth, which produces Metal, (and which
  produces Water).
• Water conquers Fire, which conquers Metal, which
  conquers Wood, which conquers Earth, and which
  conquers Water).

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• In the early 3rd century lived the famous
  physician and surgeon Hua Tuo (c. 190-265). Hua
  Tuo is featured in the well-known novel Romance
  of the Three Kingdoms as having perfomed an
  operation on he right arm of General Guan Yu and
  was later imprisoned by Cao Cao after Hua Tuo
  suggested that Cao Cao should undergo
  neurosurgery for treatment of a severe and
  persistent pain in the head. Hua Tuo is
  regarded as a patron sage of Chinese medicine.

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• Chinese medicine seems to have reached its peak
  in the 16th century when Li Shizhen wrote his
  Bencao gangmu (The Great Pharmacopoeia), which
  describes plants, substances of animal origin,
  and minerals and metals together with their
  medical properties and applications.

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• Li Shizhen (1518 1593) was a pharmaceutical
  naturalist and physician. He began to compile
  his Pharmacopoeia when he was 35 years old and it
  took him 27 years to complete the book, which
  described in detail 1,800 kinds of medicinal
  plants, among them 300 that had not been cited in
  previous works.

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• The Pharmacopoeia is a practical guide to medical
  practice, and discusses such familiar matters as
  distillation, smallpox immunization and valid
  therapeutic uses of mercury, sulphur, iodine and
  kaolin.
• Professor Joseph Needham of Cambridge University
  calls Li shizhen the greatest naturalist in
  Chinese history.

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• The Bencao gangmu is one of the most influential
  texts in the history of Chinese medicine.