Origin and Evolution of Unnamed Prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency
10.16466/j.issn1005-5509.2025.06.014
- VernacularTitle:《肘后备急方》无名方剂渊薮与嬗变
- Author:
Ni ZENG
1
;
Qingwu SHI
1
;
Chengyan WU
1
Author Information
1. 南京中医药大学中医药文献研究院 南京 210023
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency;
GE Hong;
unnamed prescriptions;
named prescriptions;
evolution of prescriptions;
prescription research;
unearthed medical literature;
literature research
- From:
Journal of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
2025;49(6):751-757
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
[Objective]To explore the origin and evolution of the unnamed prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency in order to clarify the development context of the unnamed prescriptions in this book and provide some ideas for exploring the origins of other unnamed prescriptions in medical formulary.[Methods]By using methods of cataloging,bibliology and historical research,this article briefly describes the version of the Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency and its unnamed prescriptions.Besides,it compares and analyzes the unnamed prescriptions in the Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency with those in related medical books to investigate the origin and evolution of the unnamed prescriptions in this book.[Results]Apart from the accompanying prescriptions,Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency contains a total of 1 130 unnamed prescriptions.There are 14 unnamed prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency that can be traced back to the medical prescriptions on the wooden slips unearthed in Liye and Zhoujiatai,and the Formulas for Fifty-two Diseases written on silk from the Mawangdui Han Tomb,were particularly closely related to the latter formulas.Besides,there are 22 unnamed prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency derived from Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Synopsis of the Golden Chamber.Although there are 26 unnamed prescriptions for treating sudden death and poisoning caused by drugs and food,which are similar to the content of"miscellaneous treatment prescriptions""taboos for poultry,animals,fish,insects"and"taboos for fruits,vegetables and grains"in the current edition of Synopsis of the Golden Chamber,they are suspected to be written by GE Hong and were confused by Song officials and added to Synopsis of the Golden Chamber.In addition,there are 255 unnamed prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency that gradually evolved into named prescriptions in later generations,were mainly recorded in five books including Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergency,Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library,Taiping Royal Prescriptions,Comprehensive Recording of Divine Assistance and Formulas for Universal Relief.Finally,it is speculated that Huanglian Jiedu Decoction in Cuishi Fang and Xiaodingzhi Pill in Sanyin Jiyi Bingzheng Fanglun are all originated from unnamed prescriptions in Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency.[Conclusion]The emergence of prescriptions is not static,which has gone through a process from simple to complex,from unnamed prescriptions to named prescriptions.Taking the famous prescription book Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency from the Jin Dynasty as an example,the unnamed prescriptions recorded in the book can be dated back to the medical records inscribed wooden slips of the Qin and Han Dynasties,and have inspired later famous prescriptions,revealing to some extent the laws of the origin and evolution of prescriptions.
