The treatise On Ancient Medicine attests that questions of method were being debated both in medicine and in philosophy and is important evidence of cross-discipline methodological controversy. The treatise On Ancient Medicine is the first attempt in the history of Greek thought to provide a detailed account of the development of a science from a starting point in observation and experience. The author of it criticizes philosophical physicians who attempt to systematized medicine by reducing it to the interaction of one or more of the opposites hot, cold, wet, and dry, factors. He regards the theory of his opponents as hypothesis(hypothesis). Medicine has long been in possession of both an arche and a hodos, a principle and a method, which have enabled it to make discoveries over a long period of time. As far as method is concerned, the traditional science of medicine attained the knowledge of the visible by starting from observation and experience, but it recommended the use of reasoning and analogies with familiar objects as a means of learning about the invisible. It also utilized inference from the visible to the visible(epilogismos) and inference from the visible to the invisible(analogismos). The use of analogy as a means of learning about the obscure was also part of thecommon heritage of early philosophy and medicine. But the author's use of the analogical method distinguishes it from Empedocles' well-known analogy comparisons of the eye to a lantern and the process of respiration to the operations of a clepsydra. According to the author, traditional science of medicine used functional analogy like wine example and cheese example to know the function of humors within the body and utilized structured analogy like a tube example and a cupping instrument example to acknowledge an organ or structure within the body. But the author didn't distinguish between the claim that medicine has a systematic method of making discoveries and very different claim that it has a systematic method of treatment. The reason for this is that he thought that discoveries are the end point of the method of investigation and the starting point of the procedures used in treatment.
Drug Therapy/*history ; Greece ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Learning ; Medicine, Traditional/*history ; Research/history/trends

OBJECTIVETo study the origin and ethnopharmacological uses of mineral medicine Halitum.

METHODThe historical literature and results of the modern researches were searched and on-the-spot investigation was also carried out.

RESULTThe result showed that characteristics and function and uses of Halitum mentioned in historical literature and results of the modern researches were mostly coincident. However there were also some problems, which needed to explore further.

CONCLUSIONWith the development of mineral materials research and utilization, Halitum sources should be defined more clearly and scientifically.

China ; ethnology ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Ethnic Groups ; Ethnopharmacology ; history ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Minerals ; analysis ; history ; pharmacology

This paper aims to examine the spread of paragonimiasis and the Japanese colonial government's response to it. To consolidate colonial rule, the Japanese colonial government needed medications to cure paragonimiasis. When Dr. Ikeda Masakata invented acid emetine to cure paragonimiasis in Manchuria in 1915, emetine treatment carried the risk of emetine poisoning such as fatigue, inappetence, heart failure, and death. Nonetheless, Japanese authorities forced clinical trials on human patients in colonial Korea during the 1910s and 1920s. The emetine poisoning accident in Yeongheung and Haenam counties in 1927 occurred in this context. The Japanese government concentrated on terminating an intermediary host instead of injecting emetine to repress endemic disease in Japan. However, the Japanese colonial government pushed ahead with emetine injections for healthy men through the Preliminary Bureau of Land Research in colonial Korea in 1917. This clinical trial simultaneously presented the effects and the side effects of emetine injection. Because of the danger emetine injections posed, the colonial government investigated only the actual condition of paragonimiasis, delaying the use of emetine injection. Kobayashi Harujiro(1884-1969), a leading zoologist and researcher of endemic disease for three decades in the Government General Hospital and Keijo Imperial University in colonial Korea, had used emetine while researching paragonimiasis, but he did not play a leading role in clinical trials with emetine injections, perhaps because he mainly researched the intermediary host. Government General Hospital and Keijo Imperial University therefore faced limitations that kept them from leading the research on endemic disease. As the health administration shifted the central colonial government to local colonial government, the local colonial government pressed ahead with emetine injections for Korean patients. Emetine poisoning had something to do with medical power's localization. Nevertheless, the central colonial government still supported emetine injections with funds from the national treasury. The emetine poisoning accident that occurred simultaneously in two different regions resulted from the Japanese colonial government's support. This accident represented the Japanese colonial rule's atrocity, its suppression of hygiene policies, and its disdain for colonial inhabitants. The colonial government sought to accumulate medical knowledge not to cure endemic disease, but to expand the Japanese Empire.
Clinical Trials as Topic/history ; Colonialism/*history ; Emetine/*history/poisoning/therapeutic use ; Endemic Diseases/*history ; History, 20th Century ; Human Experimentation/history ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Male ; Paragonimiasis/drug therapy/*history

Traditional Chinese ancient prescriptions have been used for treatment of liver cancer for a long history and the scientific and rational compatibility is a great wealth for modern research and development (R&D) of new drugs. The research and development of new drugs are often accompanied with a large investment, a long cycle and a high risk, especially for the anti-tumor drugs R&D which are facing more risks and lower successful rate. In this research, the regularity of compatibility of drugs was analyzed from 124 anti-hepatoma ancient prescriptions by computer program. The results can offer help to the R&D of anti-hepatoma new drugs and reduce the risk of drug screening. In addition, we surveyed 22 companies in this field from six provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and so on and obtained 240 risk assessment questionaires. Then we used qualitative analysis method to interpret the greatest impacts for the risks in the process of R&D, production and sales of anti-hepatoma new drugs. The study provides a basis for anti-liver cancer drugs R&D researchers, who can take effective measures to reduce the R&D risks and improve successful rate.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; history ; China ; Drug Discovery ; history ; Drug Incompatibility ; Drug Prescriptions ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; history ; therapeutic use ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; history ; Research ; history

"Shengdeng" is its Tibetan transliteration referring to many medicines. Tibetan doctors and pharmacists in different areas use different drugs in formulation and clinical application, which are easily confused. In order to grasp the formula and clinical application accurately, we conduct a literature survey on history and current state of botanical origin and clinical application of "Shengdeng", making clear the application of various herbs named "Shengdeng" and providing reference to all Tibetan researchers and clinical workers in formulation and clinical application.
Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; history ; therapeutic use ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; history ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the herbal medicine of Prunella vulgaris by textual researches, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical medication, exploitation and protection of wild P. vulgaris resources.

METHODTextual research on medicinal works of past dynasties and field work were adopted.

RESULTThe natural distributions of P. vulgaris were concentrated distribution in Sichuan province, Huaihe river basin, and Middle-Lower Yangtze river valley in Chinese history. The indications of P. vulgaris in ancient and modern times were basically identical. While there were difference between the medicinal parts, harvest period and processing methods existed difference between ancient and modern.

CONCLUSIONThree periods that whole grass of P. vulgaris as medicinal parts (from late Ming dynasty to late Qing dynasty and early stage of Republic of China), both whole grass and spicas as medicinal parts (from mid-term Republic of China to 1963), and the semi-maturity or maturity of spicas as medicinal parts (from 1963 to today) existed. The processing method for medicinal parts of P. vulgaris adopted sun drying and shady drying in ancient China, but only the sun drying was only used in modern times.

China ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; analysis ; history ; Herbal Medicine ; history ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Prunella ; chemistry

Study the transition factors of valuing acupuncture above moxibustion in Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties. The transition factors of valuing acupuncture above moxibustion in Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties are the breakthrough in pathogenesis theory and syndrome differentiation theory, the improvement of meridian theory, the flexible prescriptions, the widely practices of Chinese medicine in clinical settings, changes of diseases spectrum, the prevalence of heat diseases, the increase in trauma and fracture, and the limitations and disadvantages of moxibustion.
Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; Moxibustion ; history

In this study, Professor Yan Zhenghua's recipes for treating heart diseases were collected to determine the frequency and association rules among drugs by such data mining methods as apriori algorithm and complex system entropy cluster and summarize Pro- fessor Yan Zhenghua's medication experience in treating heart diseases. The results indicated that frequently used drugs included Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, Ostreae Concha, Poria; frequently used drug combinations included "Ostreae Concha, Draconis Os", "Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, Parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen" , and "Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen". The drug combinations with the confidence of 1 included "Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum-->Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma", "Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus-->Parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen", "Draconis Os-->Ostreae Concha", and "Salviae Miltiorrhizac Radix et Rhizoma, Draconis Os-->Ostreae Concha". The core drug combinations included" Chrysanthemi Flos-Gastrodiae Rhizoma-Tribuli Fructus", "Dipsaci Radix-Taxillus sutchuenensis-Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix", and "Margaritifera Concha-Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-Platycladi Semen-Draconis Os".
Drug Interactions ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; history ; therapeutic use ; Entropy ; Heart Diseases ; drug therapy ; history ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans

The incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines is related to the clinical medication safety, so has attracted wide attentions from the public. With the deepening of studies on the incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines represented by 18 incompatible herbs, the incompatibility of theory traditional Chinese medicines has raised to new heights. From the origin of incompatibility theory of traditional Chinese medicines, relationship of herbs, harms of incompatible herbs and principle of prevention to toxic effects of specific incompatible medicines, the innovation and development of the traditional Chinese medicine incompatibility theory was explored. Structurally, the incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines refers to the opposition of two herbs based on seven emotions and clinical experience. The combination of incompatible herbs may lead to human harms, especially latent harm and inefficacy of intervention medicines. The avoidance of the combination of incompatible herbs and the consideration of both symptoms and drug efficacy are the basic method to prevent adverse reactions. The recent studies have revealed five characteristics of incompatible herbs. Toxicity potentiation, toxication, efficacy reduction and inefficacy are the four manifestations of the incompatible relations. The material changes can reflect the effects of toxicity potentiation and toxication of opposite herbs. The accumulation of toxicity and metabolic changes are the basis for latent harms. The antagonistic effect of main efficacies and the coexistence of positive and negative effects are the distinctive part of the incompatibility. The connotation of incompatible herbs plays an important role in the innovation of the traditional Chinese medicine incompatibility theory.
Drug Incompatibility ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; history ; pharmacology ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine in Literature ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

In this paper, menstruation prescriptions were selected from "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" and analyzed by using GRI algorithm, correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering method through SPSS, Clementine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance auxiliary systems, in order to screen out 15 menopathy prescriptions, which involve 45 traditional Chinese medicine herbs. In the study, blood-tonifying and qi-tonifying herbs were found to be frequent in the prescriptions. The most frequent single herb was white paeony root, accounting for 9.6% in the total number of prescriptions; The most frequent herb pairs were white paeony root-radix rehmanniae preparata and paeony root-angelica sinensis. Among Fu Shan's menopathy prescriptions, 61 herbal pairs showed a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.05, which evolved into 16 pairs of core combinations. The analysis showed that menopathy prescriptions in volume 1 of "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" focused on tonic traditional Chinese medicines involving liver, spleen and kidney and were adjusted according to changes in qi, blood, cold, hot and wet, which could provide a specific reference for further studies on Fu Shan's academic thoughts and traditional Chinese medicine clinical treatment of menopathy.
Books ; history ; China ; Drug Prescriptions ; history ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gynecology ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine in Literature ; Menstruation ; drug effects