History of Medicine ; History, Ancient

Atherosclerosis has been thought to be a disease of modern society, and its occurrence was closely related to contemporary diet and lifestyle. However, a series of investigations on ancient mummies by autopsy and CT scan concluded that atherosclerosis was commonly seen in ancient times. The presence of atherosclerosis in ancient human beings suggested that aging and genetic predisposition might be essential risk factors for atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis ; history ; History, Ancient ; Humans

History, Ancient ; Humans ; Ophthalmology ; history

Synthesize and analyze history literature, remains of HUANGFU Mi and other aspects from occurence of surname of HUANGFU, and migration from Anding county to the east. About 85-42 years before his birth (A. D 130- 173), clan of HUANGFU Mi had migrated to the region, Jingchuan of Gansu Province nowadays. The ancient tomb and a lot of remains of HUANGFU Mi prove that HUANGFU Mi was born and dead in the Lingtai. "Xichaona" is the ancient city, Pengyang County, Guyuan City of Ningxia nowadays, and it is the place of surname formation of HUANGFU's clan; "Dongchaona" is Lingtai County of Gansu nowadays and is the place of birth and death of HUANGFU Mi.
Acupuncture ; history ; China ; History, Ancient

Besides the changes in weight measuring units, the other units also changed. "Larger and smaller liter" affected traditional Chinese medicine. Length measuring units was little used, and the irregular measuring units such as imitate units, quantity units, and assessing units remained in some extent. Because the regular measuring units gradually replaced the irregular ones, some doctors made investigates to the conversion of these measuring units.
History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; methods

Galen was with no doubt a great authority in ancient medicine rivalled only with "the father of medicine" Hippocrates His medicine inherited not only Hippocratic tradition which is characterized by dynamic pathology but also Alexandrian medicine which made a great contribution to anatomy He did not generalize all the pathological phenomena according to one dogmatic theory His medicine was open to all kinds of medicine but he was quite selective in receiving different medical traditions Galen defined disease as impairment of bodily activities Whatever that impairs the bodily activities is the cause of disease Galen's pathology is built upon two heterogeneous medical traditions 1) Dynamic pathology of the Hippocratic medicine but which ignored anatomy 2) Anatomical pathology of Alexandrian medicine Galen integrated these two different traditions by his concept of disease His definition of disease impairment of bodily activities made it possible to harmonize these two different traditions otherwise which would have been conflictual It is Galen's great contribution to Western medicine to have laid a foundation of pathology by combining physiological and anatomical point of view.
*Disease ; Greek World/*history ; History, Ancient ; Philosophy, Medical/*history ; Rome

Based on Huangdi' s Internal Classic and a great deal of clinical verification, in combination with new discoveries of the nerve, the meridian electromagnetic field and the quantum physics for role of thought outside body, it is proved that the main mechanism of the reinforcing-reducing method in Huangdi's Internal Classic is to promote flow of qi with the doctor's thought, with the needle very few twisted and rotated; discover new mechanisms of the reinforcing-reducing method, newly explain and clinically verify many basic standpoints about the reinforcing-reducing, and name as "acupuncture therapy of promoting qi with thought". The method has a strong reinforcing-reducing function and do not need the needle feeling, and is directly related with doctor's idea. It is emphasized specially that it can be carefully adopted only when full syndrome differentiation is made and strictly obey the contraindications in Huangdi's Internal Classic, otherwise it has very serious danger. This kind of model that doctor's mental effect is translated into the patient's biological effect put forward new problem, new thinking for brain sciences and modern acupuncture studies.
Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history

On account of the dense cuticles of the fresh stem and the light, hard and pliable texture of the dried stem, Dendrobii Caulis is difficult to dry or pulverize. So, it is very important to the ancient doctors that Dendrobii Caulis should be properly treated and applied to keep or evoke its medicinal effects. The current textual research results about the preliminary processing, processing and usage methods of Dendrobii Caulis showed that: (1) In history the clinical use of fresh or processed Dendrobii Caulis as teas and tinctures were very common. (2) Its roots and rhizomes would be removed before using. (3) Some ancillary approaches were applied to shorten drying times, such as rinsing with boiling mulberry-ash soup, washing or soaking with liquor, mixing with rice pulp and then basking, etc. (4) According to the ancients knowledge, the sufficient pulverization, by means of slicing, rasping, hitting or pestling techniques, was necessary for Dendrobii Caulis to take its effects. (5) The heat processing methods for Dendrobii Caulis included stir-baking, stir-frying, steaming, decocting and stewing techniques, usually with liquor as an auxiliary material. Among above mentioned, steaming by pretreating with liquor was most commonly used, and this scheme was colorfully drawn in Bu Yi Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan (Ming Dynasty, 1591 CE) ; moreover, decocting in advance or long-time simmering so as to prepare paste products were recommended in the Qing Dynasty. (6) Some different processing programs involving stir-baking with grit, air-tightly baking with ondol (Kangs), fumigating with sulfur, which appeared in modern times and brought attractive outward appearance of the drug, went against ancients original intentions of ensuring drug efficacy.
Dendrobium ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; history

As a discipline, the independent knowledge system of acupuncture-moxibustion has been established in - Dynasties, while the education and management institutes have tended to be formalized since Northern and Southern Dynasties and continue to late imperial period. In the period of the Republic of China, acupuncture-moxibustion discipline began to be constructed intentionally, and the knowledge system, education institutes and institution have changed significantly with the characteristics of modern science. Now acupuncture has fully met the conditions of modern subjects. The study of the history of acupuncture-moxibustion discipline needs the perspective of internal and external history integration, focusing on the differences from academic history and educational history. In addition, four important topics in the current research of the history of acupuncture-moxibustion discipline are suggested: the relationship between acupuncture- moxibustion discipline and related disciplines, scientific value and technology philosophy, international recognition and branch disciplines.
Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; History, Ancient ; Moxibustion ; history

In ancient china, four famous literatures, Huang Di Nei Jing, Nan Jing, Ben Cao, Shang Han Lun appeared, which made the foundation of oriental medicine. Huang Di Nei Jing, the book of acupuncture, is the most essential literature among these four litertures. So the question asking the identity of oriental medicine can be turned into the question about the identity of acupuncture. The investigation into origin will not be the only way to study of identity but one of the most attractive means. So we can answer with the study of origin to the question about identity. Acupuncture is comprised of theories like jing mai, qi xue and technical factors like moxibustion, bian which is like present operating knife. To trace the origin of acupuncture, we must investigate not only technical factors but also theories. But it will be impossible to trace every theories underlying the acupuncture in this small thesis. This is the reason that I restricted my attention to the principle of preventive medicine, regimen. Before the excavation of Mawangdui, the belief that acupuncture started long ago before Han period had been generally accepted. But there was not any proof proving the presence of acupuncture in the excavated literatures representing the Han period medicine. This fact announced that we must draw the time of establishment of acupuncture back after the Mawangdui literature buried in B.C. 168. But we can find the proof of the presence of acupuncture just before B.C. 168 in Shiji written by Si Mi Qian. Through these facts and inferences that we got until now, we can reach a conclusion that acupuncture would have appeared around 190-176 when Chun Yu Yi was practicing as a doctor. As you know, in the Mawangdui literature, what was associated with jing mai was moxibustion. But at the same time, moxibustion was being used just as the experience medicine technique without theory. So the moxibustion would has been about to be associated with jing mai theory in Mawangdui period. The word zhen jiu, the acupuncture and moxibustion, means there was a way to reconcile two techniques. It was by assuming bu and handing xie over to acupuncture that moxa can coexist with acupuncture. bian is used for infection treatment more than bloodletting tool in ancient china. but there is a bridge between acupuncture with bian. Acupuncture inherited its appearance from bian. It is generally believed that blood-letting is commonly developed in the classic east and west medicine. But the blood-letting could be harmonious with the old chinese belief that vitality must be retained in the body? No. The blood-letting is not generally practiced in ancient china. We can scarcely find the evidence of blood-letting in the ancient literature now in hand except Huang Di Nei Jing. Blood-Letting widened its territory in ancient chinese medicine with the help of the medical version of wuweierwubuwei principle which means 'not do anything, then everything does'. But soon lost its territory. Even in the Huang Di Nei Jing, We can find its disappearance. What is the reason? For its disharmony with chinese life idea, 'not lose essence'. Acupuncture replaced the blood-letting. It was the response of the ancient chinese healers to the regimen spirit and harmonious with chinese life view. Regimen spirit, the medical version of 'wuweierwubuwei' does not pursue cure after being ill but defense before disease. Acupuncture, meeting the demands of time, appeared in pre-han period as the association with jingmai theory which may be developed in regimen field, inheritence of moxa's esperience, and the shape of bian.
Acupuncture Therapy/*history ; Bloodletting/history ; Books/history ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history ; Moxibustion/*history