Traditional Chinese medicine. Medicine in ancient China Medical schools in ancient China

Periodization of history and medicine

In the history of healing in ancient China, two large periods are distinguished: the period of formation (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the period of the Han Empire (III century BC--III century AD). BC), when the chronicles of the Han dynasty were compiled and medical writings that have come down to us were recorded.

Philosophical Foundations of Chinese Medicine

The teaching of the ancient Chinese philosophers about the material world gives rise to two opposing substances - the feminine (yin) and the masculine (yang); the interaction and struggle of these principles give rise to five elements (wu xing): water, fire, wood, metal and earth, from which the entire diversity of the material world arises - “ten thousand things” (wan wu), including man. Man is a part of nature, part of the great triad Heaven - Man - Earth, and is in harmony with the surrounding world.

The spontaneous materialistic views of ancient Chinese philosophers formed the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. The structure of the body - each organ was correlated with the substances of yin and yang. The Ying organs perform functions of preservation and do not give away the stored in themselves, while the Yang organs, on the contrary (for example, the stomach, intestines). Anatomical knowledge was modest, as autopsies were banned due to the adoption of Confucianism. The concept of health - health is a state of balance of yin and yang in the body, and illness is a violation of this ratio. Various ratios of these disorders were combined into several syndromes, which were divided into two groups: an excess syndrome - yang and a deficiency syndrome - yin. The variety of diseases was explained by the breadth of the interaction of the organism with the outside world and nature, the characteristics of the organism itself, a long stay in one of the emotional states (anger, joy, sadness, etc.) and other natural causes.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The art of diagnosis in ancient China was based on the following methods of examination of the patient: examination of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes and tongue; determining the general condition and mood of the patient; listening to sounds that arise in the human body, determining its smells; a detailed survey of the patient; study of the pulse; pressure on active points. The historical chronicles of the Han Dynasty tell of miraculous healings performed by BianQue and his disciples, skillfully applying acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, and local medicines. One of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China is the idea of the circular motion of blood and the pulse. Examining the patient, they studied the pulse at no less than nine points and distinguished up to 28 types of pulse. Over time, the method of studying the pulse turned into a harmonious doctrine of the pulse, which appeared pinnacle of diagnostics in ancient China.

A characteristic feature of traditional Chinese medicine is zhen-jiu therapy (Chinese zhen - acupuncture; Latin acupunctura; Chinese jiu - moxibustion). The empirical roots of this method go back to ancient times, when it was noticed that injections, cuts or wounds at certain points of the body lead to the healing of certain ailments. So, on the basis of long-term observations, philosophers and healers of ancient China came to the conclusion about the existence of "vital points", the irritation of which contributes to the regulation of life processes. They believed that through the holes made in the "vital points", the disturbed balance of Yin-Yang is restored, the beginning of Yang leaves the patient's body in case of its excess or enters the body in case of its deficiency, as a result of which the disease disappears.

The first acupuncture needles were made of stone. They had the thinnest hole through which the beginning of yang was believed to move. Subsequently, needles began to be made not only from silicon or jasper, but also from bone, bamboo, and later from metals: bronze, silver (Fig. 36), gold, platinum and stainless steel. With the development of this method, there has been a specialization of needles and their division into types. The Neijing treatise describes nine types of needles.

The rich variety of needles speaks of the breadth of the acupuncture method in antiquity: it was used for the treatment and prevention of diseases, for pain relief during operations, and also in combination with massage and the cauterization method, that is, the thermal effect on “vital points” through lit cigarettes, stuffed with dry leaves of medicinal plants.

In ancient China, there were several methods of cauterization. Direct cauterization was carried out in the immediate vicinity of a burning cigarette from the body. In the indirect cautery method, the cigarette was at some distance from the point of impact, and medicinal substances could be placed between the cigarette and the body. Cauterization with warm needles combined both acupuncture and moxibustion: the cigarette was twisted around the needle and lit when the needle was in the tissues; in this way a combined effect was achieved (the action of a needle and a smoldering medicinal plant).

Medicinal medicine in ancient China reached a high level of perfection. From folk Chinese medicine entered the world practice: from plants - ginseng, magnolia vine, camphor, tea, rhubarb, resin; from products of animal origin - deer antlers, liver, gelatin; from mineral substances - iron, mercury, sulfur, etc. In 502, the first Chinese pharmacopoeia known in the world was created, in seven books of which 730 species of medicinal plants are described. In ancient China, there were institutions that today are called pharmacies.

The first special medical schools also appeared in China only in the Middle Ages (from the 6th century). Until that time, knowledge of traditional healing was passed down by inheritance or in a narrow circle of initiates.

The development of surgical treatment in ancient China (as well as the autopsy of human corpses) was difficult. no religious prohibitions.

The largest surgeon of ancient China is Hua Guo. (141--208), who became famous as a skilled diagnostic expert in Zhen-jiu therapy. He successfully treated fractures, performed operations on the skull, chest and abdominal cavities. For pain relief during operations, Hua Tuo used the method of acupuncture, achieving the desired result by introducing one or two needles.

The strength of ancient Chinese medicine was the prevention of disease. Even in the treatise "Neijing" it was noted: "The tasks of medicine are to heal the sick and strengthen the health of the healthy."

For a long time, important therapeutic and preventive measures in ancient China were massage, therapeutic exercises based on the imitation of a stork, monkey, deer, tiger and bear, breathing exercises, which were used by the people to maintain health and achieve longevity.

There is evidence of the widespread introduction of variolation in order to prevent smallpox. So, according to legend in the XII century. BC e. During the smallpox epidemic, Chinese healers tried to prevent the spread of the disease by rubbing the crusts of smallpox pustules into the nostrils of healthy children.

In the history of healing in ancient China, two large periods are distinguished: the period of formation (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the period of the Han Empire (III century BC - III century AD). .), when the chronicles of the Han dynasty were compiled and the medical writings that have come down to us were recorded.

Philosophical Foundations of Chinese Medicine

Various ratios of these disorders were combined into several syndromes, which were divided into two groups: the syndrome of excess - yang and the syndrome of deficiency - yin. The variety of diseases was explained by the breadth of the interaction of the organism with the outside world and nature, the characteristics of the organism itself, a long stay in one of the emotional states (anger, joy, sadness, etc.) and other natural causes.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The art of diagnosis in ancient China was based on the following methods of examining a patient:

Inspection of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes and tongue;

Determining the general condition and mood of the patient;

Listening to the sounds that arise in the human body, determining its smells;

Detailed questioning of the patient;

Study of the pulse;

Pressure on active points.

The historical chronicles of the Han Dynasty tell of miraculous healings performed by Bian Que and his disciples, skillfully applying acupuncture and moxibustion, massage and local medicines. One of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China is the concept of the circular motion of blood and the pulse. Examining the patient, they studied the pulse in at least nine points and distinguished up to 28 types of pulse, over time, the method of studying the pulse turned into a harmonious doctrine of the pulse, which was the pinnacle of diagnostics in ancient China.

The development of surgical treatment in ancient China (as well as the autopsy of human corpses) was constrained by religious prohibitions.

The largest surgeon of ancient China is Hua-To. (141-208), who became famous as a skillful diagnostic expert in Zhen-jiu therapy. He successfully treated fractures, performed operations on the skull, chest and abdominal cavities. For pain relief during operations, Hua Tuo used the method of acupuncture, achieving the desired result by introducing one or two needles.

MEDICINE IN ANCIENT ROME. Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Collection

In history ancient rome There are three main stages:

1) the royal period (VIII-VI centuries BC), when ancient Italy was not a single state, but a collection of independent city-states, among which was Rome;

2) the period of the republic (510-31 BC), when the city of Rome subjugated the territories of ancient Italy and began wars of conquest outside the Apennine Peninsula;

3) the period of the empire (31 BC - 476 AD) - the heyday, and then the crisis of the slave-owning formation in the Mediterranean region, which was under the rule of Rome.

MEDICINE IN THE ROYAL PERIOD (VIII-VI centuries BC)

In the royal period of history (and up to the end of the 3rd century BC), there were no professional healers in Rome - they treated people at home with folk remedies: herbs, roots, often combined with magical conspiracies. For centuries, the most popular healing cabbage was considered a remedy.

MEDICINE OF THE PERIOD OF THE REPUBLIC (late VI century BC - 31 BC)

In the field of medicine, this period is marked by: the development of sanitary legislation and the construction of sanitary facilities; the emergence of professional doctors, the formation and development of medical affairs and elements of its state regulation; the formation of a materialistic trend in medicine.

sanitary business

The earliest written evidence of the attention of the citizens of the city of Rome to sanitary measures was " Laws XII tables", They were a characteristic example of a code of laws of an early class society. Table VIII reads: If a person inflicts self-harm and does not reconcile (with the victim), then let him himself be caused the same.

According to the "Laws of the XII Tables", "an infant (distinguished) by exceptional deformity" must be deprived of life. A number of paragraphs of the "Laws of the XII Tables" directly relate to the protection of the sanitary condition of the city (Rome):

During the period of the early republic in Rome, the construction of aqueducts began. The first aqueduct in the capital of the republic, Rome. He delivered drinking water to the city of Rome from springs located near the river. Anio.

The aqueducts of ancient Rome were protected by law. For intentional damage, a heavy fine was imposed. Water was not supplied to private houses (they were taken from fountains). The Romans used public toilets, and the garbage was taken out into the street.

The first terms (Greek thermae - hot baths, from thermos - warm) of Rome were built in the 3rd century. BC e. In the city of Rome there were not only private baths (the fee for which was negligible), but also public ones that belonged to the city. The capacity of the capital's thermae allowed tens and even hundreds of thousands of people to wash at the same time.

According to the traditions of the then medicine, the bath belonged to the number of effective medical means and in the treatment of certain diseases they could not do without it. Thus, the Roman baths were hygienic, medical, social and cultural centers. Erected by the labor of slaves, they were a wonderful gift that the emperors made to the Roman population.

The beginning of the organization of medical business

The first doctors there were slaves from among prisoners of war. The high cultural and professional level of the slave doctor gradually raised him in the eyes of the owner. The free practice of such a specialist seemed to the slave owner to be very profitable, therefore, specialist slaves began to be released for free earnings for a certain fee.

The doctor-released was obliged to treat his former owner, his family, slaves and friends free of charge and to give him part of the income. At the end of III - beginning of II century. BC e. in the capital of the Roman Republic, free doctors of Greek origin began to appear. The first free Greek doctor in Rome is the Peloponnesian Arhagat (Greek Archagathos). Decree of Julius in 46 BC e. granted the honorary right of Roman citizenship to both visiting doctors and local residents trained in medicine

Philosophical foundations of medicine in ancient Rome

Speaking about the "disastrously mixed air", which, when inhaled: brings the seeds of "disease and death" into the human body, Lucretius (a representative of Roman epicureanism) gave an idea of the miasmatic concept of the origin of diseases. At the same time, drawing attention to the possibility of spreading infection through water, food and other objects, he outlined the first contours of the contagious concept of the transmission of an infectious principle.

The teachings of Epicurus and the advanced views of Lucretius had a great influence on the prominent Greek physician in Rome. Asclepiades considered the disease, firstly, as a result of stagnatio (stagnation of solid particles in the pores and channels of the body), and secondly, as disorders of the movement of juices and pneuma. According to these views, Aoklepiades attached great importance to the proper perspiration and breathing of the skin.

His treatment was aimed at restoring disturbed functions and consisted of simple and natural measures: a reasonable diet, keeping the skin clean, hydrotherapy, massage, baths and movement in a variety of ways. He advised the paralyzed to be worn on carpets and rocked. According to Asklepiades, the main task of such treatment is to expand the pores and set in motion stagnant particles. The methodological system of Asklepiades had a positive impact on the subsequent development of medicine during the empire and the natural sciences in medicine in general.

MEDICINE OF THE EMPIRE PERIOD (31 BC - 476 AD)

The formation of military medicine

Beginning with the first dictator Sulla (Cornelius Sulla Lucius, 83-78 BC), the power of the Roman emperors was of a pronounced military nature and relied on the army. The final formation of the army and broad campaigns of conquest required a large number of professional doctors. They were available in all divisions and in all branches of the armed forces. Each cohort had four surgeons; in the fleet, on each "warship, there was one doctor. Each soldier was supposed to have the necessary dressings with him to provide first aid to himself and his wounded comrades.

After the battle, the wounded were taken to the nearest cities or military camps, where they began to arrange military institutions for the wounded and sick. The staff serving them consisted of doctors, housekeepers, instrumentalists and junior staff. Toolmakers were in charge of instruments, medicines, dressings. Junior staff, mostly slaves, were used to care for the sick.

There were no state (civilian) hospitals in ancient Rome: doctors visited the sick, and the sick came to their homes.

The development of the medical business

Medical business developed in cities and individual provinces, where state authorities began to establish paid positions of doctors - archiatrists, who united in colleges. Xenophon (1st century AD) is considered the first imperial archiater in Rome, the personal physician of the emperor Claudius. United in a collegium, the archiatrs were under the control of the city authorities and the central government.

They had a permanent salary, but could also engage in private practice. The duties of the head of the city archiatrs included the teaching of medicine in special schools, which were established in the years. Rome, Athens, Alexandria, Antioch, Berita and others. Anatomy was taught on animals, and sometimes on the wounded and sick. Practical medicine was studied at the bedside.

The law strictly defined the rights and obligations of students. Along with the state medical schools in the Roman Empire, a small number of private schools for the training of doctors appeared.

Over time, the position of doctors in Rome was strengthened. They received great rights, exemption from burdensome duties and even benefits. During the war, doctors and their sons were exempted from general military service.

Development of medical knowledge

Celsus compiled his "practical guide, treating the sick in his va-letudinarium (for slaves)." He detailed the achievements of Roman medicine during the early imperial period in the field of dietetics, hygiene, theory of disease, therapy and especially surgery.

Pliny the Elder. Books XXIII-XXVIII of his work are devoted to a review of medical knowledge. Medicines of animal origin are described in books XXVIII-XXXII. Book VII contains information about the anomalies of human nature (paradoxography): about the birth of twins and triplets, about deformed babies, and even about the transmission of signs by inheritance in the “fourth generation”. A contemporary of Pliny was the outstanding Roman military doctor Dioscorides. His work "On Medical Matter", that is, on medicinal plants, contains a systematic description of 600 medicinal plants.

The development of surgery during the imperial period is evidenced by sets of surgical instruments found during excavations of ancient cities. The kits included tweezers, forceps, grippers, spoons, retractors, bone saws, surgical knives and needles, catheters, obstetric mirrors, and other instruments.

The most extensive work in all ancient literature on obstetrics, gynecology and childhood diseases was compiled by Soranus of Ephesus, a Greek physician who practiced in Rome at the beginning of the 2nd century. In the process of obstetric care, he tried to move away from rough and violent methods as much as possible, described methods for preventing perineal rupture, turning the fetus on the leg and head, embryotomy operation, and developed various examination methods. He paid great attention to the care of children at an early age.

About the emergence of medicine in Ancient China in the middle of the III millennium BC. tell stories and stories. The methods of treatment developed by Chinese doctors have influenced the medicine of Japan and Korea, Tibet and India. The doctrine of vital channels and active points on the surface of the human body is one of the foundations of reflexology - a modern method of diagnosing and treating diseases. The art of healing in ancient China, as in other countries, included knowledge of a variety of medicines of plant and animal origin.

4.1. THE ORIGIN OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN ANCIENT CHINA

One of the first Chinese healers, who lived about five thousand years ago, is considered the mythical emperor Shen Nong, who used all kinds of herbs for treatment. According to legend, he wrote a description of about 70 poisons and antidotes, died at the age of 140, and after death became the deity of pharmacists. He is considered the author of one of the world's oldest "Canon of Roots and Herbs", containing a description of 365 medicinal plants. He prepared medicines from plants and an inhabitant of the forests, the god of longevity Shou-sin, who sends long years of life, not overshadowed by diseases. His worthy companion was a deer, bestowing high ranks and a large salary. Numerous substances of animal origin and minerals were also used to treat diseases.

According to ancient literary monuments, already three thousand years ago there were four sections in Chinese medicine - internal medicine, surgery, dietetics and veterinary medicine. In the 10th century, much earlier than in other countries of the East and West, Chinese Taoist monks who lived as hermits in mountain caves learned to vaccinate against smallpox. Smallpox crusts taken from the nose of a sick person were the source of the inoculation material. To prevent the disease, they were injected into the nostrils on a cotton swab. Much later, a method of applying smallpox material to a scratch arose.

An ancient legend tells about the appearance of vaccinations against smallpox. During the Song Dynasty (at the end of the 10th century), all the sons of Wangdan, the first minister of the emperor, died of smallpox. When he grew old, he had another son, who was named Wang-su. Fearing that this boy would die of smallpox, Wangdan invited the best doctors to the court and announced to them that when his son had smallpox, they would have to come to him and cure the child by joint efforts. “There is only one doctor who can beat smallpox. - answered the doctors, - This is a woman-nun. She lives in a hut on top of a mountain. Local residents bring smallpox children to her, and they all recover.” They immediately sent for the nun. Seeing little Wang-su, she put her hand on his head and said: "This child can be vaccinated with smallpox: his air and blood are good, and his ancestors had undeniable virtues." The nun took dry smallpox crusts, previously ground into powder, applied them to wet cotton swabs tied with red thread, and inserted them into the child's nose in such a way that the thread hung outside. This made it easy to remove the tampons and prevent them from escaping too far when breathing in air. The tampons were removed after about an hour.

After 7 days, the child developed a fever, and then showed signs of smallpox, which lasted 12 days and ended in a complete recovery. Wangdan was delighted with such happiness and wanted to generously reward the nun. However, she refused gold and instead asked to provide benefits to subjects and help the emperor in governing the state, after which she returned to her mountain hut.

Historical Parallels: In Europe, smallpox vaccinations became known much later. Their appearance is associated with the work of the English physician E. Jenner (1749-1823). He developed an anti-smallpox vaccine and in 1796 first vaccinated an eight-year-old boy with smallpox. Attempts to infect this boy with smallpox, first one and a half, then five months after vaccination, did not produce results. The vaccination made the boy immune to the disease.

Chinese physicians knew how to preserve smallpox crusts in such a way as to reduce the risk of infection without losing the effectiveness of the inoculation. Here is how the famous Chinese doctor Zhang-Yan described this ancient art in 1741 in his work “On Smallpox Inoculation”: “Method of storing material. Carefully wrap smallpox crusts in paper and place in a small bottle. Close it tightly so that the crusts do not lose their activity. Do not keep the bottle in the sun or heat it. It is better to wear it on yourself for a while so that the crusts dry naturally. On the bottle, the date of taking the material from the patient should be clearly marked.

In winter, the material has the power of yang, so it remains active for 30-40 days. In summer, the action of yang lasts for about 20 days.

What kind of "yang power" is Zhang-Yan talking about? Let us dwell in detail on those aspects of Chinese medicine, the roots of which are in the natural philosophy of Ancient China.

The Shang state, the oldest in the history of China, was formed in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. in the Huang He Valley (Yellow River). The creation of Chinese hieroglyphic writing dates back to this time. Ancient China gave the world silk and porcelain, paper (1st century BC) and ink for writing, a compass and gunpowder. For thousands of years, China has been a unique example of the stability of the traditional system and traditional medicine, which is largely due to the locality of Chinese civilization, due to geographic, socio-economic and political reasons.

About the emergence of healing in Ancient China in the middle of the III millennium BC. tell stories and stories. The methods of treatment developed by Chinese doctors have influenced the medicine of Japan and Korea, Tibet and India. The doctrine of vital channels and active points on the surface of the human body is one of the foundations of reflexology - a modern method of diagnosing and treating diseases. The art of healing in ancient China, as in other countries, included knowledge of a variety of medicines of plant and animal origin.

Periodization of history and medicine

Sources on the history and healing of ancient China are the monuments of medical literature (from the 3rd century BC), archeological data, ethnography, and monuments of material culture.

There are four stages in the history of ancient China: the Shang (Yin) period (XVIII-XII centuries BC), when the first slave state in the history of China was formed; the period of the Zhou dynasty (XI-III centuries BC), when many states existed on the territory of China; the period of the Qin Empire (III century BC), when the country was united into a single empire (at the behest of the first Chinese emperor Shi-Huangdi (246-210 BC), the construction of the Great Wall of China began), and the period of the Han Empire (206 BC - 221 AD) - the time of the highest flourishing of ancient China. In the III-IV centuries. feudal relations developed on the territory of China, which persisted until the 20th century. "Historical Notes" (I century BC) - the first multi-volume history of ancient China "Shi chi". It was compiled by the eminent Chinese scholar Sima Qian (145-86 BC). It reports on the successful application of the zhen-jiu method and pulse diagnosis.

In the history of healing in ancient China, two large periods are distinguished: the royal (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the Han empire (III century BC - III century AD) when the chronicles of the Han dynasty were compiled and the medical writings that have come down to us were recorded. The oldest medical text of ancient China is the treatise Huangdi Nei Jing (Canon of Medicine of the Yellow Ancestor). It was compiled in the 3rd century. BC. in line with the tradition in the form of a dialogue between the healer and the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people - Huangdi, to whom the tradition ascribes the authorship of this treatise. However, according to researchers, "Nei Ching" is the result of the collective work of many authors from different eras. "Nei Ching" consists of 18 books. The first nine (“Su wen”) are devoted to the structure and functioning of the body, the recognition and treatment of diseases. The last nine volumes (Ling Shu) describe the ancient method of Zhenjiu.

Philosophical Foundations of Chinese Medicine

Chinese philosophy has come a long way of formation and development: from the cult of nature (the earth, mountains, the Sun, the Moon and the planets) to religious and philosophical systems (Confucianism and Taoism from the 6th century BC, other teachings) and the philosophy of elemental materialism ( natural philosophy), which was formed in China by the middle of the 1st millennium BC.

The teachings of the ancient Chinese philosophers about the material world are set forth in the natural-philosophical treatise of the 4th-3rd centuries. BC, "Xi ci zhuan": the single original matter of tai chi gives rise to two opposing substances - the feminine (yin) and the masculine (yang); the interaction and struggle of these principles give rise to five elements (wu shins): water, fire, wood, metal and earth, from which the entire diversity of the material world arises - “ten thousand things” (wan wu), including man. The five elements are in constant motion and harmony, mutual generation (water gives rise to wood, wood - fire, fire - earth, earth - metal, and metal - water) and mutual overcoming (water extinguishes fire, fire melts metal, metal destroys wood, wood - the earth, and the earth falls asleep water). The objective world is cognizable and is in constant motion and change. Man is a part of nature, part of the great triad Heaven - Man - Earth, and is in harmony with the surrounding world.

Wang Chong (philosopher and physician) was a representative of elemental materialism in ancient China, the author of the polemical treatise "Lun heng" ("Critical Reasoning"). He recognized the unity, eternity and materiality of the world, developed the doctrine of the "granular" (atomistic) structure of matter, fought the superstitions and prejudices of his time, opposed the Taoist ideas of immortality. The development of spontaneous materialism in ancient China took place in a complex struggle with Confucianism and the Taoist religion.

Spontaneous - materialistic views of ancient Chinese philosophers (with elements of dialectics) formed the basis of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The main theoretical provisions of ancient Chinese medicine have been preserved in general terms for three millennia.

Knowledge about the structure of the human body began to accumulate in China in ancient times, long before the ban on autopsy of the bodies of the dead (around the 2nd century BC), which is associated with the establishment of Confucianism as the official religion.

Ideas about diseases and their treatment in ancient China had a natural-philosophical basis. Health was understood as a result of the balance of the beginnings of yin and yang and the five elements of tires, and illness was a violation of their correct interaction. Various ratios of these disorders were combined into several syndromes, which were divided into two groups: an excess syndrome - yang and a deficiency syndrome - yin. The variety of diseases was explained by the breadth of the organism's interaction with the outside world and nature, the characteristics of the organism itself, a long stay in one of the emotional states (anger, joy, sadness, reflection, grief, fear and fear) and other natural causes.

The idea of the circular motion of blood, set forth in the Nei Ching, is one of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China: “The vessels communicate with each other in a circle. It has no beginning and no end... The blood in the vessels circulates continuously and circularly... and the heart rules over the blood." “Without a pulse, the distribution of blood through large and small vessels is impossible ... It is the pulse that determines the circulation of blood and “pneuma”. “The pulse is the inner essence of a hundred parts of the body, the most subtle expression of the inner spirit…”

The physicians of ancient China came to these conclusions empirically. Examining the patient, they studied the pulse in at least nine points and distinguished up to 28 types of pulse; of these, ten were considered the main ones: superficial, deep, rare, frequent, thin, excessive, free, viscous, intense, gradual. The doctrine of the pulse was the pinnacle of diagnostics in ancient China. It is most fully described in the work of a famous Chinese doctor of the 3rd century BC. AD Wang Shuhe - "Mo jing" ("Treatise on the pulse", 280). Outside of ancient China, the doctrine of the pulse spread relatively late.

A characteristic feature of traditional Chinese medicine is zhen-jiu therapy (Chinese zhen - acupuncture; Latin acupunctura; Chinese jiu - moxibustion, Latin cauterisayio). Based on long-term observations, philosophers and healers of ancient China came to the conclusion that there are so-called "vital points", the irritation of which contributes to the regulation of life processes. They believed that through the holes made in the "vital points", the disturbed balance of yin - yang is restored: the beginning of yang leaves the patient's body in case of its excess or enters the body in case of its deficiency, as a result of which the disease disappears. The historical chronicles of the Han Dynasty report on individual cases of successful use of acupuncture by doctors Bian Chue (XI century BC), Fu Weng (I-II centuries BC), Hua Tuo (II century AD). ) and others.

The first detailed presentation of the theory and practice of this method is given in the Nei Jing treatise, especially in its second part, which describes the "vital points", the channels along which they are located, the collaterals of the channels, needles and methods of their introduction, indications and contraindications for use. acupuncture and cauterization.

In the III century. AD the physician Huangfu Mi (215-282) systematically summarized the achievements in the field of zhen-jiu over the previous 4-5 centuries and compiled an extensive compilation work Zhen jiu jia and jing (Classical canon on acupuncture and moxibustion, 265), which remained the main source of knowledge in this area until the 11th century and was known outside of China from the 5th century.

The first acupuncture needles were made of stone. They had the thinnest hole (like a syringe needle), through which the beginning of yang was believed to move. Subsequently, needles began to be made not only from silicon or jasper, but also from bone, bamboo, and later from metals: bronze, silver, gold, platinum and stainless steel. With the development of this method, there has been a specialization of needles and their division into types.

The Nei Ching treatise describes nine types of needles. In antiquity, the method of acupuncture was used very widely: it was used for the treatment and prevention of diseases, for pain relief during operations, and also in combination with massage and the cauterization method, i.e. thermal effect on "vital points" by means of lit cigarettes stuffed with dry leaves of medicinal plants. Most often, the moxa plant (Russian - wormwood) was used for these purposes. It was believed that the effectiveness of moxa increases with years of storage.

There were several methods of cauterization. Direct cauterization was carried out in the immediate vicinity of a burning cigarette from the body. In the indirect cautery method, the cigarette was at some distance from the point of impact, and medicinal substances could be placed between the cigarette and the body. Cauterization with warm needles combined both acupuncture and moxibustion: the cigarette was twisted around the needle and lit when the needle was in the tissues; in this way a combined effect was achieved (the action of a needle and a smoldering medicinal plant).

Medicinal medicine in ancient China reached a high level of perfection. From folk Chinese medicine entered the world practice: from plants - ginseng, magnolia vine, camphor, tea, rhubarb, resin; from products of animal origin - deer antlers, liver, gelatin; from minerals - iron, mercury, sulfur, etc. In 502, the world's first known Chinese pharmacopoeia was created, in seven books of which 730 species of medicinal plants are described. In ancient China, there were institutions that today are called pharmacies.

The first special medical schools appeared in China only in the Middle Ages (from the 6th century). Until that time, knowledge of traditional healing was passed down by inheritance or in a narrow circle of initiates.

The development of surgical treatment in ancient China (as well as the autopsy of human corpses) was hampered by religious prohibitions that arose in the last centuries BC. in connection with the establishment of Confucianism.

The strength of ancient Chinese medicine was the prevention of disease. Even in the treatise "Nei Ching" it was noted: "The tasks of medicine are to heal the sick and strengthen the health of the healthy." Important therapeutic and preventive measures in ancient China were massage, therapeutic gymnastics at the chin shi or (translated from Chinese - the game of five animals), based on the imitation of a stork, monkey, deer, tiger and bear, respiratory gymnastics, which was used by the people for maintaining health and achieving longevity. There is evidence of the widespread introduction of variolation in order to prevent smallpox. So, according to legend in the XII century. BC. during the smallpox epidemic, Chinese healers tried to prevent the spread of the disease by rubbing smallpox pustules into the nostrils of healthy children (girls in the right nostril, and boys in the left).

Traditional Chinese medicine for a long time developed in isolation from other cultures of the globe; information about it penetrated into Europe only in the 13th century. In today's world, it plays an ever-increasing role. The scientific study of her legacy is important for the development of modern scientific medicine.

Great Physicians of Ancient China

Bian Qiao. The name of this great physician has become proverbial. When in China they want to talk about the amazing skill of a doctor, they say: "This is a living Bian Qiao." He considered the disease as a result of a violation of the relationship of the organism with the external environment and believed that when prescribing methods of treatment, it is necessary to take into account the climate and character of a person, his diet.

Bian Qiao spent most of his life traveling around the country, helping the sick get rid of their ailments. He recommended the use of four methods for diagnosing diseases: examination, questioning, listening and examination of the pulse.

Historical chronicles report that even as a child, Bian Qiao met a Taoist monk, studied with him for 10 years and received an ancient book on medical art as a gift from his teacher, which he studied all his life. There are many legends about his extraordinary ability to see things through obstacles - through a wall, through clothes and human skin. This skill, passed on to him by his teacher, made it possible to see pathological changes in the internal organs of a person without resorting to conventional diagnostic methods. Here is what one of the legends tells about it.

Bian Qiao is sometimes called the "Chinese Hippocrates" (the great Greek physician was his younger contemporary). The name Bian Qiao is respected and worshiped not only in China, but also in other countries of the East, it is mentioned in legends and monuments of classical poetry. Here is one of the finest examples of medieval Korean poetry:

Only twelve months of the year

But in every thirty days such as this,

Where every hour and every moment

Filled with sorrow for you.

She hides in my heart

Similar unknown disease:

Even Bian Qiao could not handle her,

And there is no cure for it anywhere.

Bian Qiao used in his practice acupuncture and moxibustion, rubbing with heated medicines, medicinal decoctions. In addition, he was a renowned surgeon. It is believed that he performed operations with anesthesia, for which he used a drink with narcotic substances. However, the true flourishing of Chinese surgery is associated with the name of the remarkable physician Hua Tuo (II-III centuries AD).

Hua To. Hua Tuo was an excellent diagnostician, and for treatment he used both traditional Chinese medicine methods - acupuncture and cauterization, and new ones - bloodletting, dousing with water and his own system of gymnastics, which is now called classical Chinese gymnastics. He suggested that patients imitate the postures of animals - stretch their necks, raise their arms, bend over, bend their legs. Here are examples of the names of exercises in the style of "Soaring Crane": "Raising the wings and touching the water", "Unfolding the wings and touching the water." Imitating the movements of a bear, a man climbed a tree and hung on a branch; like an owl, he turned his head and looked back while his whole body remained motionless.

It was no coincidence that Hua Tuo called the gymnastics he invented “The Game of Five Animals”: the doctor wanted to present this therapeutic method as entertainment in order to distract the patient from thoughts about the disease, make him forget about pain, and improve his mood. He wrote: “The human body needs labor and movement, but in moderation, because rational labor can help digestion, make blood circulate faster, and this will help protect a person from diseases. Compare this to a door kingpin: it doesn't rot because it keeps spinning."

The movements of Chinese gymnastics, designed to form the correct movement of qi energy through external and internal channels in the human body, look unusual for us. They are not at all like the traditional movements of European gymnastics: some resemble plastic dances, others are similar to hand-to-hand combat techniques.

Various types of therapeutic and prophylactic Chinese gymnastics are still widely used, often in combination with massage, which is performed not only with the hands and fingers, but also with the elbows and even the feet. The tradition of Chinese massage dates back more than two thousand years; already in ancient times it was used to treat diseases associated with impaired movement and sensitivity. “If the nerves and blood vessels of the human body are clogged,” says the Canon of the Internal, “and the human body is numb, then with the help of massage it can be cured.”

Still, Hua Tuo was a surgeon first and foremost. He became famous for the skill with which he carried out the most complex operations, used silk, jute and hemp threads, mulberry fiber, tendons of tigers, calves and lambs to stitch wounds. Legends about the art of Hua Tuo in carrying out operations have survived to our time, among which is the removal of half of the spleen. The cure of the emperor's brother, the famous commander Prince Guan Gong, who during the battle was wounded in the arm with a poisoned arrow, gained great fame. During the operation, it became clear that the poison had penetrated into the bone: its color became dark blue. However, Hua Tuo removed the poison with the miraculous powder he prepared. Guan Gong not only did not lose his arm, but could bend and unbend it, as before, without feeling any pain.

In historical chronicles, there is a mention of the extraordinary ability of Hua Tuo to perform operations under general anesthesia, as well as to treat stitches with a balm that speeds up recovery. Unfortunately, information about his medicines and details of his operating technique have not come down to us. It is believed that he used painkillers - Indian hemp juice, mandrake, belladonna and others. “Hua Tuo first gave the patient a potion infused with alcohol, from which he became drunk and lost sensitivity,” says a treatise of the 3rd century, “After that, his stomach was cut ... After stitching, the stitches were smeared with a miraculous ointment, and after 4-5 days the wound healed, and a month later the patient recovered.

Hua Tuo, like Bian Qiao, spent his entire life wandering. The new, unusual methods of treatment that he used sometimes caused discontent and misunderstanding both from other doctors and from patients. There is a legend that the great surgeon was executed in 208 on the orders of the cruel ruler of the principality of Bay because the proposed treatment was considered an attempt on the life of the prince. Hua Tuo was imprisoned and sentenced to death.

Song Simiao. The remarkable Chinese alchemist and physician Song Simiao (VI-VII centuries AD), known as the "king of medicines", lived a thousand years later than Bian Qiao and five hundred years later than Hua Tuo. He was the author of a 30-volume medical work, which for centuries served as a kind of medical encyclopedia for doctors in China, Korea and Japan. One of the volumes is entirely devoted to the doctrine of the pulse. There are many amazing legends about the art of this doctor. Here is one of them.

When the emperor's wife fell ill, Song Simiao was summoned to the capital and escorted to the women's quarters of the palace. Hearing about the upcoming visit of the famous doctor, the empress decided to play a trick on him and test his art. According to the etiquette of that time, the doctor could not see her and even talk to her: she was separated from him by thick screens. In order to examine the patient's pulse, the doctor asked her to tie a thin thread around her wrist and stretch the end of this thread through the screen. However, the empress deceived Song: he was handed a thread, the end of which was tied to the leg of the chair on which she was sitting. Song took the thread, pulled, and said, “I am being misled; the thread is tied not to a living being, but to a tree.” Then the thread was tied to the paw of the dog. Sun pulled the thread again, carefully observed the shocks it transmitted, and dejectedly said, “You are testing me again. The pulse I feel cannot belong to a person. This is the pulse of the animal. Struck by the wisdom of the scholar, the empress finally tied the thread to her wrist. “Now I feel the pulse of a woman,” the doctor said, “I have identified your illness and will send you a medicine.”

The writings and medical practice of Song Simiao reflected the close connection of Chinese medicine with the alchemical art, with the help of which doctors prepared numerous medicines from minerals and metals. One of the greatest alchemists of his time, Song Simiao became famous for the invention of gunpowder, for which he received the nickname "prince of gunpowder". The composition of gunpowder included three main components - saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal. Sulfur and saltpeter were widely used in China as early as the 2nd century BC. BC. for the preparation of medicines. They were also part of the "elixir of immortality", the receipt of which was the main goal of alchemy in ancient China. Sup Simiao conducted experiments with these substances. In his treatise “The Canon of the Search for the Elixir of Immortality” (“Dan Jin”), experiments are described in detail in which, when equal parts of sulfur and saltpeter are heated with charcoal, a flash of flame is obtained. The composition of the elixir of immortality also included various herbs and minerals, for example, stamens and lotus stem, chrysanthemum flowers. They were also used as anti-aging agents.

Chinese alchemy, unlike the Western one, is primarily a science of ways to achieve immortality. It is very important to understand at the same time that the very idea of immortality in China and in the West was different. For Chinese physicians and alchemists, the idea of human immortality has traditionally been associated with ancient religious teachings that recognize only bodily, physical immortality. It was believed that immortal beings - "celestials" lived in various areas of the physical world, mainly high in the mountains or on distant islands. Already in the IV-III centuries. BC. the kings sent their physicians there to find the “immortals” there and learn from them the recipe for a magical potion - the “elixir of immortality”. The goal of Chinese alchemy was formulated in an alchemical treatise of the 2nd century: "Gold must be prepared in such a way that by eating it, a person can achieve eternal life and become one of the immortals." The name "gold" here combines many elixirs - "Golden Juice", "Golden Cinnabar" and others. The religious doctrine of the immortality of the soul came to China along with Buddhism from India through Central Asia in the 1st century BC. However, even after that, the idea remained traditional for the natural philosophy of Ancient China that in order to achieve immortality, it is enough to perform a ritual and take a “drug”. This is vividly and figuratively conveyed in the poem "Immortality" - one of the masterpieces of classical Chinese poetry. Its author was the outstanding poet Cao Zhi (192-232).

Immortality

Heaven's gates are open to me

From bird feathers I put on a dress;

Having bridled the dragon, I rush for a reason

Where my brothers are waiting for me.

Flying forward to the east side

To the land of the immortals at the borders of Penglai

You take the drug, they told me

And you will live forever without dying.

The concept of the "lunar hare" is associated with the elixir of immortality. The legend tells that when the Buddha was suffering from hunger, a hare rushed into the fire to feed him. As a reward, the Buddha sent him to the moon. There, in a magic mortar made of agate, he crushes the drugs that are part of the elixir of immortality. The "moon hare" is sometimes called "doctor", "wonderful hare" or "agate hare". Agate mortars, which came to European alchemy from the countries of the Ancient East, are still used by chemists around the world.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Hosted at http://www.allbest.ru

Introduction

Without a doubt, medicine has always existed, since the human body is imperfect and susceptible to various diseases. The first centers of medicine received the greatest round of their development precisely in those regions of the earth where the formed peoples, countries, civilizations first appeared. One such area is China.

Chinese medicine is a concept known to almost everyone. At the same time, unlike modern European medicine, this type of medicine still remains mysterious and unexplored in full.

This, in turn, draws special attention to it, as the followers of this trend promote special methods of treatment that are fundamentally different from modern ones. Chinese medicine originated in ancient times. In the history of healing in ancient China, two large periods are distinguished: the royal (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the Han empire (III century BC-III century AD). .), when the chronicles of the Han dynasty were compiled and the medical writings that have come down to us were recorded. There are significant differences in the philosophy of traditional medicine, which we are used to, and ancient Chinese medicine. First of all, Chinese philosophy considers a person to be a part of the surrounding world. In fact, this is true. At the same time, the human body itself is also a single whole. It is impossible to consider separately the heart, kidneys, lungs and other organs and organ systems. They function and interact in perfect harmony and harmony. And when harmony is disturbed, then some kind of disease arises. Of course, the onset of the disease is preceded by certain "subtle" symptoms, which we usually do not pay attention to. Since the body is a single whole, when an organ becomes ill, it is necessary to treat not the disease, but the person himself. Chinese philosophy says that there are channels and points in the body, when exposed to them, even the most hopeless patient can be cured. When the flow of energy through a certain channel is blocked, it is blocked, this disrupts the functioning of the whole organism, which is why it gets sick. The task of a physician familiar with the methods of Chinese medicine is to open these channels, influencing them and on points of a person by various methods and means. This philosophy is several thousand years old, but even now it does not lose its relevance.

1. Origin

The origin of Chinese medicine is shrouded in legends. Its founder is considered to be Emperor Shen Nong (c. 2700 BC), who, according to legend, compiled the first herbalist with a description of more than 100 remedies. He is also considered the inventor of the acupuncture technique. The most ancient and great Chinese medical work - the treatise Neijing (Canon of Medicine) - is attributed to Emperor Huang-di (2698-2599 BC); the true time of its creation is unknown.

Sources on the history and medicine of ancient China: medical monuments; writing (from the 3rd century BC), archeological data, ethnography, material culture monuments. One of the founders of Chinese medicine (6th century BC) Ban Qiao, traveling around the country, got acquainted with the experience of traditional medicine. He mastered all the diagnostic methods known at that time (examination, questioning, listening, examining the pulse, etc.), he was both a therapist and a surgeon (he used both medicinal plants and surgical instruments). He is the author of the oldest book on medicines, Nan Jin (Book of the Difficult).

During the period of the Qin Empire (3rd century BC), the work “The Herbal Book of Shen Nong” appeared. This ancient pharmacopoeia included 365 medicines, of which 240 were of plant origin. All funds were divided into 3 groups:

Non-poisonous drugs (anti-aging) - about 120 drugs, the intake of which was not limited by either the term or the dosage;

Tonic drugs - about 120 drugs, the use of which required compliance with certain rules;

Toxic drugs - about 125 drugs that have a beneficial effect on the body when used in certain amounts for a short time.

The herbalist mentions such dosage forms as powders, pills, decoctions, tinctures, plasters, etc.

During the reign of Emperor Shen Nong, the world's oldest herbarium was compiled, in which more than 100 plants with healing properties were presented.

The first multi-volume history of ancient China, Shi Ji (Historical Notes), was compiled in the 1st century BC. BC. outstanding Chinese scientist Sima Qian (145--86 BC). It widely uses materials from the chronicles of the Han Dynasty, which also report on the successful application of the Zhen-qi method and pulse diagnostics. The oldest of the medical texts of ancient China that have come down to us is the treatise Huangdi Nei Jing (Canon of Medicine of the Yellow Ancestor), which is briefly called Nei Jing (Canon of Healing). It was compiled in the 3rd century. BC e. in line with the tradition in the form of a dialogue between the healer and the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people - Huangdi, to whom the tradition ascribes the authorship of this treatise. However, according to researchers, "Nei Ching" is the result of the collective work of many authors from different eras. "Nei Ching" consists of 18 books. The first nine (“Su wen”) are devoted to the structure and functioning of the body, the recognition and treatment of diseases. The last nine volumes (Ling Shu) describe the ancient method of Zhenjiu. This canon provides names (about 900) and synonyms of plants, botanical descriptions, time of collection, geographical distribution, microscopic description of raw materials, pharmacological action and use.

In the 2nd century A.D. in ancient China, for the first time in world practice, records of the course of the disease and prescriptions that were made to the patient were introduced. In our time, these records are called - case histories.

The study of the effect of plant materials made it possible to enrich the herbalists, and in 502 a new pharmacopoeia "Shen nong beng cao jing" was compiled in China. It consisted of 7 volumes and included more than 700 species of medicinal plants.

The reference book "Ming bei lu" compiled by Tou Hong Jing (452-536) contained about 16,000 prescriptions and is currently very popular with Chinese doctors and pharmacists.

The work of Xu Zi Cai "Leng gunn yao dui", which appeared in 550, for the first time classified all medicines according to their action. All medicines were divided into 10 groups: carminative, tonic, diuretic, astringent, laxative. Sweating, relaxing, emollient, soothing and alternative.

Sun Si Miao (581-673) occupies a prominent place in the history of medicine in China. His research was devoted to pharmacology. His main work was the "Jiang Jin Fang" (Thousand Golden Recipes), which made a valuable contribution to Chinese medicine. These works included 30 volumes. From the first to the fourth volumes were devoted to women's diseases and were called "Women's diseases and their treatment." The fifth volume was devoted to childhood diseases and their treatment. From 6 to 21 volumes were called "Private Pathology and Therapy", volumes 22-24 - "Poisons and Antidotes", volume 25 - "Emergency Aid", volumes 26 and 27 - "Diet Therapy", volume 28 - "Doctrine of the Pulse" and the last 29 and 30 volumes are "Acupuncture and Moxibustion".

Later, Sun Si Miao wrote another 30-volume sequel to his work, which together formed a medical encyclopedia for China, which for a long time was used not only by Chinese healers, but also by Japanese, Korean and many others.

A feature of the development of Chinese medicine in the 7th century was the appearance of works devoted to certain medical specialties, certain diseases and methods of their treatment. During this period, Chinese medicine was divided into 7 branches: adult diseases; illnesses of children; eye and ear diseases; diseases of the teeth and oral cavity; external diseases; the science of massage; spells.

Healers had fewer specialties: diseases of adults; illnesses of children; eye and ear diseases; diseases of the teeth and oral cavity; external diseases; the science of massage.

2. Culture of healing

Chinese medicine was originally magical; however, empirical knowledge about herbal medicines has since accumulated. The basis of medical theory was the abstract doctrine of the five elements and the opposite forces of yin and yang, that is, the feminine and masculine principles. In violation of the balance or harmony between them, the main cause of the disease was seen. Chinese doctors believed that man is a cosmos in miniature, acting under the influence of the same forces that dominate nature. They developed a doctrine of confrontation and the relationship of two vital principles "yin" - dark, feminine, inert and "yang" - light, masculine, active. All processes in the body were reduced to the interaction of these 2 vital principles and the participation of 5 primary elements (cosmic elements) metal, water, fire, wood, earth. The concept of vital principles led to three new therapeutic techniques that gave Chinese medicine a special flavor. Moxa, massage, acupuncture. So, the correct ratio of these principles causes health, the wrong one leads to diseases. To restore the disturbed ratio, the Chinese came up with three named methods.

Moxa - consists in cauterizing a sore spot or a point remote from this place with bundles of burning grass. The purpose of this event is to strengthen the movement of the yin beginning. The Chinese came to this technique on the basis of a fantastic idea, but it turns out that it also has a practical meaning; methods of local influence on a sick organism, not only in areas of increased sensitivity. But even at points remote from these zones, they are still used in a wide variety of forms (diathermy, electric spark), although on different theoretical foundations.

The second is a massage. Ancient Chinese physicians also used it to enhance the movement of the yin beginning. Over time, the fantastic meaning that the Chinese attached to massage was forgotten, and only what is called rational in this therapeutic technique remained.

The third technique - acupuncture - consisted of inserting a needle into an organ that was considered sick, or into some point of the body remote from it. The needle was usually immediately removed from the body, but sometimes it was left for a day or more, because. the essence of the disease was considered a violation of the proportion between the beginnings of "yang" and "yin". Then the needles were made hollow inside in case that any of these principles would be in excess and then this excess could go out through the needle channel. On the contrary, if there is a lack of the beginning of "yang", it could be introduced into the body in the form of heated air through the same channel. To carry out this therapeutic operation, it was necessary to know well the points at which injections were to be made in each individual case. For admission to acupuncture, an exam was arranged: a mannequin, with holes made in it, was pasted over with paper, and paint was poured inside it. The person taking the exam through the paper had to insert the needle at the designated point; the proof of luck was the expiration of paint from the channel of the needle.

The Chinese did not practice autopsies, their anatomical and physiological ideas were quite fantastic. Based on the same ideas about the beginnings of "yin" and "yang", Chinese doctors introduced another important point into medicine: they began to examine the pulse of their patients and created the doctrine of the pulse, although it was not widespread in other countries at that time. Based on the pulse, the Chinese carried out various methods of treatment, which consisted of cleansing the blood and juices, strengthening the stomach, and removing gases. For this, laxatives, emetics, and antihelminthic drugs were used in large quantities.

The pulse played a major role in the diagnosis. It was measured at 11 points, each time using three different pressures. Two hundred varieties of pulse were known, 26 of them meant the approach of death. The therapy was based on the laws of the interaction of yin and yang and used many magical means. The doctrine of "signs" (signatures) was especially popular: yellow flowers were used to treat jaundice, beans resembling the shape of kidneys - for kidney diseases, and so on. At the same time, some of the almost 2,000 traditional Chinese medicine recipes were indeed very valuable and have retained their value to this day. Thus, iron salts were used for anemia, arsenic for skin diseases, mercury for the treatment of syphilis, rhubarb and sodium sulfate as a laxative, and opium as a narcotic. In China for 1000 years BC. used preventive measures against smallpox, for this, cotton wool soaked in the contents of a human smallpox scab was put into the nostrils. As a measure to prevent plague-like diseases, self-isolation was used, when a person left their homes during an epizootic of rodents (rats and mice).

In 502, the world's first known Chinese pharmacopoeia was created, in seven books of which 730 species of medicinal plants are described. In ancient China, there were institutions that today are called pharmacies.

Nevertheless, all the works on medicines that have come down to us were compiled not in ancient (slave-owning), but in feudal China, i.e. during the Middle Ages - a time of rapid flowering of traditional Chinese culture and medicine.

Hua Guo (141-208) is considered to be the largest surgeon of ancient China, who became famous as a skillful expert in Zhenjiu therapy. He successfully treated fractures, performed operations on the skull, chest and abdominal cavities. In one of the ancient Chinese books, a case of recovery of a patient is described, to whom Hua Tuo removed part of the spleen. For anesthesia during operations, Hua Tuo used mafusan, mandrake, and acupuncture, achieving the desired result by introducing one or two needles.

3. Features of Chinese philosophy, its influence on the development of medicine

The ideological basis of ancient Chinese philosophy was the doctrine of two opposite and inseparable principles yin and yang, which at first denoted completely material, sensually perceived opposite phenomena, qualities or properties inherent in one event, object, object. Later, such an understanding of yin and yang expanded and deepened and began to embrace the forces and functional principles that give rise to all substances and objects in the universe, acquired a wide symbolic character. Thus, yin and yang became manifestations of a single universal "energy" qi, which was the cause and beginning of all movement and change in the universe.

The physiological and psychological processes of the human body were considered the result of the action of a special "energy" - vital qi, the manifestations of which also had the character of either yin or yang. In Chinese medicine, the yin and yang model has been applied to both the structures and functions of the human body and has become the basis of physiology, diagnosis and treatment.

The philosophical category of yin and yang means that any single whole, both an object and a phenomenon, in this world consists of two opposite principles that compete and complement each other. Each of them has its own characteristics and properties. Initially, Chinese thinkers, everything that remains motionless, sinks down, is vague, hidden, passive, dark, cold, weak, and the like, was attributed to yin; and everything that moves, rushes upwards, that is clear, active, light, hot, strong, and the like - to yang. Heaven corresponds to yang and earth to yin; water is yin and fire is yang.

Yin-character have the moon, earth, feminine, weak, cold, soft, dark, heavy, low, small. Short, sad, inner, thin, etc.

The sun, sky, male, strong, hot, solid, light, light, high have a yang character. Large, long, joyful, outward, full, etc.

The action of the beginnings of yin-yang is as follows:

Each of them seeks to suppress the other;

Both beginnings are in close mutual connection and can turn (transfer) one into another, and each contains both beginnings - in yin there is yang, in yang there is yin;

The struggle and mutual transformation of yin and yang is the source of any movement, development, change and transformation;

Violation of harmony and balance between yin and yang leads to a violation of any movement and development;

Yang turns into qi (function), yin forms form (structure).

The functions of the organs (yang) arise due to the consumption of food (yin), while there is an increase in yang and a weakening of yin. At the same time, the metabolism obtained with food (yin) requires the consumption of a certain amount of energy (yang); then there is a strengthening of yin and a weakening of yang. Under normal conditions, these processes are in equilibrium. If the weakening or strengthening goes beyond, then there is an excess of yin or yang, which leads to the emergence of pathology, illness. It must also be taken into account that both beginnings can be both cause and effect.

The yin-yang model serves as the basis not only for the theoretical concepts of Oriental medicine, but also as the basis for diagnosis and treatment. Fundamental in the life of the human body is the balanced state of yin and yang, their complete harmony. Violation of this balance leads to a pathological condition, illness and is expressed either in the predominance or in the weakening of yin or yang.

4. Chinese medicine treatment methods

The art of diagnosis in Ancient China was based on the following methods of examination of the patient: examination of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes and tongue; determining the general condition and mood of the patient; listening to sounds that arise in the human body, determining its smells; a detailed survey of the patient; study of the pulse; pressure on active points. According to legend, these methods were introduced by a legendary healer who lived in the 11th century. BC. and known under the pseudonym Wian Que (Little Magpie); his real name is Qin Yueren. The historical chronicles of the Han Dynasty tell of miraculous healings performed by Bian Que and his students, skillfully applying acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, and local medicines.

One of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China is the idea of the circular motion of blood, set forth in the most ancient medical treatise of China - "Iei Ching": "The vessels communicate with each other in a circle. It has no beginning and no end. The blood in the vessels circulates continuously and circularly, and the heart is the master of the blood. “Without a pulse, the distribution of blood through large and small vessels is impossible. It is the pulse that determines the circulation of blood and "pneuma". Look ahead, look back - everything comes from the pulse. The pulse is the inner essence of a hundred parts of the body, the most subtle expression of the inner spirit. Ancient Chinese physicians believed that the pulse is the product of the continuous ebb and flow of blood and vital spirits. Any change in the mechanism of the movement of blood and air leads to corresponding changes in the pulse, by which the doctor learns the state of the blood and air and, consequently, the state of the body. By means of the pulse, doctors diagnosed diseases from exhaustion, lack of blood and vital spirits, or from the accumulation of spoiled juices. The rules for examining the pulse have been laid down in great detail. Chinese doctors spoke of the existence of 7 external and 8 internal pulses. The average heart rate for an adult was 80 beats per minute, for the elderly - 76, for children - 96.

A characteristic feature of traditional Chinese medicine is zhen-jiu therapy (Chinese zhen - acupuncture; Latin acupunctura; Chinese jiu - moxibustion). The first detailed presentation of the theory and practice of this method is given in the treatise "Nei Ching", especially in the second part of it "Ling Shu" (it is called "The Canon of Acupuncture"), which describes the "vital points", the channels along which they are located, collaterals, needles and methods of their introduction, indications and contraindications for the use of acupuncture and moxibustion. The first acupuncture needles were made of stone. They had the thinnest hole (like a syringe needle), through which the beginning of yang was believed to move. Subsequently, needles began to be made not only from silicon or jasper, but also from bone, bamboo, and later from metals: bronze, silver, gold, platinum and stainless steel. With the development of this method, there has been a specialization of needles and their division into types.

Diseases that occurred from the cold were treated with heat, and those from overheating were treated with cold. Bloodletting was rarely used, leeches were used more often. Particular attention was paid to a strict diet, water procedures, sunbathing, and therapeutic exercises. China was the bearer of a high sanitary culture, the most acute problem was food: "People, although they eat, but I see so few and satiated people so rarely."

Medicine in ancient China was the most extensive in the world. In explaining the action of drugs, the relation of color, taste of drugs to the five elements and organs played an important role. Green and sour medicines correspond to the element "wood" and therefore act on the heart, yellow and sweet medicines correspond to the element "earth" and act on the stomach, white and spicy medicines correspond to the element "metal" and act on the lungs, and black and salty medicines correspond to the element " water" and act on the kidneys.

Thus, Ancient China was a unique example of the stability of the traditional system and traditional medicine, which is largely due to the locality of Chinese civilization, due to geographical, socio-economic and political reasons.

Conclusion

Traditional Chinese medicine has long developed in isolation from other cultures of the globe. So, information about it penetrated into Europe only in the XIII century. In today's world, traditional Chinese medicine plays an ever-increasing role. The scientific study of her legacy is important for the development of modern scientific medicine.

The object of Chinese medicine is a person, and not just his disease. And this is one of the main features of Chinese national medicine. As Chinese doctors think, illness is only an indication of the existence of an imbalance in the person himself. Similar principles underlie all human activity (living in some kind of external environment, life rhythms, food that he prefers or avoids, his personal relationships, his speech and gestures) - all this is a tool for better understanding his diseases and suggesting methods treatment according to the human environment. When an imbalance is identified, it can be corrected and the balance of energy (and therefore the health of the person) will be restored. In addition, the categorical basic principle of Chinese therapy is to control the movement of the energies of the body.

Many discoveries in medicine were made precisely with the help of the synthesis of traditional and modern science in China, which, in turn, led to the discovery for the whole world of a number of new medical methods and diagnostics for the treatment of the most complex diseases.

ancient chinese healing philosophical

Bibliography

1. Sorokina T.S. History of medicine. - M.: PAIMS, 1994. - 384 p.

2. Lisitsyn Yu.P. History of medicine. - M.: GEOTAR-MED, 2004. - 400s.

3. Egorov V.A., Abdulmanova E.L. History of Pharmacy. Textbook for students of pharmaceutical universities. - Samara: SE "Perspektiva"; SamGMU, 2002. - 320s.

4. Encyclopedia of Chinese Medicine. - M.: Content, 2010. - 208s.

Hosted on Allbest.ru

Traditional Chinese medicine. Medicine in ancient China Medical schools in ancient China

Philosophical Foundations of Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine

MEDICINE IN ANCIENT ROME. Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Collection

4.1. THE ORIGIN OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN ANCIENT CHINA

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Similar Documents