The History of Chinese Medicine

The History of Chinese Medicine

Weeks 11-12

  • Course: ACCHS, Fall 2023

  • Instructor: Phil Settels, L.Ac.

  • Contact: psettels@acchs.edu

Qing Dynasty (1644 CE to 1912 CE)

  • Overview:

    • The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Ching Dynasty, ruled over boundaries including modern-day China and Mongolia, extending 1000 km.

Medicine in the Qing Dynasty

  • Governance by the Manchurian founders:

    • Maintained many Mandarin Chinese individuals in court and government roles.

    • Initially recognized and honored China's historical medical traditions and physicians.

    • Over time, as other pressing issues emerged, state regulation of medicine diminished.

  • Proliferation of different medical schools:

    • Practitioners had to self-promote their skills and knowledge.

    • Competition existed between scholar physicians, semi-educated or self-taught practitioners, folk healers, and charlatans.

    • Development of family lineages that practiced “secret methods” to enhance their authority or appeal.

Scholarly Tradition and Contributions

  • Amid chaos, notable physicians continued to contribute:

    • Significant developments included the Wen Bing style of practice.

    • Influenced by classical texts such as the Neijing and Shanghan Lun, and prominent figures from Jin-Yuan and Ming dynasties, including Liu Wansu, Zhu Danxi, and Wu Youke.

    • Wen Bing theory aimed at combatting epidemic diseases which were prevalent during the Qing era.

Historical Roots of Wen Bing

  • Terms and Concepts:

    • From the Neijing:

    • Reference to “people suffering from warm disease” and

Weeks 11-12 - Course: ACCHS, Fall 2023 - Instructor: Phil Settels, L.Ac. - Contact: psettels@acchs.edu
Qing Dynasty (1644 CE to 1912 CE)

  • Overview:

    • The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Ching Dynasty, ruled over boundaries including modern-day China and Mongolia, extending 1000 km.

Medicine in the Qing Dynasty

  • Governance by the Manchurian founders:

    • Maintained many Mandarin Chinese individuals in court and government roles.

    • Initially recognized and honored China's historical medical traditions and physicians.

    • Over time, as other pressing issues emerged, state regulation of medicine diminished.

  • Proliferation of different medical schools:

    • Practitioners had to self-promote their skills and knowledge.

    • Competition existed between scholar physicians, semi-educated or self-taught practitioners, folk healers, and charlatans.

    • Development of family lineages that practiced “secret methods” to enhance their authority or appeal.

Scholarly Tradition and Contributions

  • Amid chaos, notable physicians continued to contribute:

    • Significant developments included the Wen Bing style of practice.

    • Influenced by classical texts such as the Neijing and Shanghan Lun, and prominent figures from Jin-Yuan and Ming dynasties, including Liu Wansu, Zhu Danxi, and Wu Youke.

    • Wen Bing theory aimed at combatting epidemic diseases which were prevalent during the Qing era.

Historical Roots of Wen Bing

  • Terms and Concepts:

    • From the Neijing:

    • Reference to “people suffering from warm disease” and concepts related to the progression of external pathogens through the body's superficial layers to deeper organs.

    • Further elaboration in later texts:

    • While the Neijing provided foundational concepts, the systematic development of Wen Bing theory occurred much later, distinguishing it from the cold damage theory of Shanghan Lun.

    • Focused on pathogens that enter through the mouth and nose, affecting the upper burner first (lungs, pericardium), progressing to the middle (spleen, stomach), and then lower (liver, kidney) burners.

    • Emphasized symptoms like fever, thirst, and red tongue, and treatment strategies involving cooling and clearing heat.

    • Important figures in Wen Bing's development include Wu Ju Tong (author of Wen Bing Tiao Bian) and Ye Tian Shi (author of Wen Re Lun), who formalized diagnostic and treatment protocols for various stages of warm diseases.