Introduction
We have seen no description of obvious cases of acute myocardial infarction in any authentic literature on acupuncture. However, it can be gathered from some literatures that blood letting therapy might be effective against heart diseases to some extent.
This case of anteroseptal myocardial infarction is reported because an acupuncturist participated in the treatment as a member of the medical team and obtained a good result.
Case Report
The patient was a 62 year old woman, an insurance canvasser, with a history of hypertension, obesity, hyperlipemia, and cardiac insufficiency. On the day of hospitalization (Sep. 17, 1982), shortly after having luncheon about noon, she felt a pain from the shoulder to the neck, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, diaphoresis, cyanosis in the lips, and unconsciousness.
On the first hospital day, the electrocarbiogram showed elevated ST segments in Leads V_1-5, and depressed ST segments in Leads II, III, aV_F, and V₆. GOT 14, LDH 286. The ECG on the second day showed clear coronary T waves. On and after the third day, an frequent ventricular extrasystole was present. Tachycardia was not improved, and the blood pressure fell. GOT 120, LDH 1200. On the fifth day, the patient fell into a severe condition from about 8:50p.m.: ST segments were elevated. Administration of xyiocain etc. was not effective. The doctor intuitively decided to apply blood letting therapy to the patient. At 10:07p.m., blood letting was undertaken by the acupuncturist firstly at the left IT₁ shaoze, then at the right IT₁ shaoze. Shortly after the therapy, the ECG showed changes. The blood pressure, heart rate, and other symptoms were dramatically improved. On and after the sixth day, acupuncture therapy was successively undertaken three times a day for forty-eight days.
Conclusion
In this case report, we put emphasis on the blood letting therapy which was undertaken on the fifth hospital day. In addition, we discussed the efficacy of blood letting therapy and acupuncturist's duties as a member of a medical team which treats severe cases such as acute myocardial infarction.

For 2 years beginning in Nov., 1979, at Suminoe Acupuncture-Moxibustion Center with the cooperation of the Western Osaka Local Committee Osaka Associated Branch of the National Automobile Transportation labor Union using union member taxi drivers as subjects we tackled health problems with a focus on acupuncture-moxibustion. This was an attempt to effectively use the preventative aspects of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy.
In general taxi drivers' health disorders include chronic respiratory disease, gastro-duodenal problems, chronic liver disturbances, lumbago, whiplash injury, hypertension, etc. but they are also affected by sudden death and other changing social problems.
At this time we used as subjects of therapy and central health care problems those affected by the so-called “drivers' disease” syndrome, that is those with no specific disease, the so-called “half-healthy”. Over the course of about 2 years we have treated about 270 such patients. The half-healthy condition called drivers' disease can be classified according to symptoms the gastrointestinal symptoms group (diarrhea, constipation) cranial symptoms group (headache, heavy-headedness) circulatory organs symptoms group (palpitations, dizziness, dypsnea), motor symptoms group (aches and pain of the hands, feet and back), psychological symptoms group (sudden loss of temper, uncouthness) sensory organs symptoms group (eye fatigue, tinnitus) respiratory organ symptoms group (frequent colds) etc Symptoms often occur at times of fatigue. This disease is gradually becoming a fixed syndrome. It is a syndrome common to all the drivers we treated as subjects. We'd like to consider it a phenomenon arising from the peculiar character of the work of a taxi driver.
We are then at present administering acupuncture-moxibustion therapy to these “half-healthy” taxi drivers. What we are administering from the point of view of health control is preventative therapy and as such certain results are being obtained. At this time as our first report we'd like to try to talk about the health conditions of the taxi drivers and acupuncture therapy.