WEEK 5 (Medicine in Ancient China) Flashcards
Who are the three emperors that make up the roots of Chinese Medicine and when were they born?
- Fu Xi (2900 BCE)
- Shen Nong (2700 BCE)
- Huangdi (2600 BCE)
What is the importance in the reign of Fu Xi?
Came up with the concept of Yin and Yang
What is the importance in the reign of Shen Nong?
Acupuncture and many of the medicines
What is the importance in the reign of Huangdi?
Huangdi is supposed to be the author of HUANGDI NEIJING (The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) which is the classic book of internal diseases
What is the importance of Yang?
- Associated with the heavens
- Related to exterior elements that are LIGHT and MALE
- Action and Transformation
Which organs are associated with Yang?
- The large intestine
- Small intestine
- Gallbladder
- Stomach
- Bladder
Which organs are associated with Yin?
- Heart
- Liver
- Lung
- Kidney
- Spleen
What is the importance of Yin?
- Associated with the Earth
- Related to interior elements that are PASSIVE, DARK and FEMALE
- Circulation
- Nourishment
- Growth
What are the five Wu Xing elements?
- Wood
- Fire
- Earth
- Metal
- Water
What are the properties of Wood (Wu Xing element)?
LIFE CYCLE = Birth
SEASON = Spring
DIRECTION = East
COLOUR = Green-blue
FORM = Long
ENERGY = Growth
ORGAN = Liver
EMOTION = Anger
What are the properties of Fire (Wu Xing element)?
LIFE CYCLE = Growth
SEASON = Summer
DIRECTION = South
COLOUR = Red
FORM = Triangle
ENERGY = Radiation
ORGAN = Heart
EMOTION = Manic
What are the properties of Earth (Wu Xing element)?
LIFE CYCLE = Maturity
SEASON = In between seasons
DIRECTION = Center
COLOUR = Yellow
FORM = Square
ENERGY = Connection
ORGAN = Spleen
EMOTION = Worry
What are the properties of Metal (Wu Xing element)?
LIFE CYCLE = Decay
SEASON = Fall
DIRECTION = West
COLOUR = White
FORM = Round
ENERGY = Solidification
ORGAN = Lung
EMOTION = Sorrow
What are the properties of Water (Wu Xing element)?
LIFE CYCLE = Death
SEASON = Winter
DIRECTION = North
COLOUR = Black
FORM = Irregular
ENERGY = Spreading
ORGAN = Kidney
EMOTION = Fear
Describe the life force “Chi”
- Motivating energy that moves through a series of channels beneath the skin (also called MERIDIANS)
- If a person is feeling well = energy flow is similar to quickly flowing river
- Irritability/an actual illness = Blocked flow of energy causing imbalance
Describe diagnostics in Ancient China
- Diseases categorised by DEGREE OF SICKNESS
- Examination of a patient involved INTERROGATION of the patient and the family to gain a case history of behaviour patterns as well as current symptoms
- All SENSES involved
- 51 different types of PULSE (symptomatic of various health issues)
- 37 shades of TONGUE COLOUR
What were some things done during diagnosing patients?
- Yellowing of the eyes = ill health of liver
- Surface of the ear inspected = identify kidney disease
- Lips examined = Spleen problems
- Palpating body for tenderness, observing patient’s voice, comparing temp of the body & noting particular odors
- Asking direct questions
There was minimal physical contact between physician and patient (TRUE/FALSE)
TRUE
Did Physicians see their female patients?
NO
women patients were concealed behind a screen for examination & servant or husband acted as an intermediary
What is Acupuncture?
A process of inserting fine metal needles into specific points along the body
What is Moxibustion?
The burning of combustible plant material to create small blisters on the skin
What is the importance of Acupuncture?
- 365 points along the body recommended as insertion points
- Help restore the balance of energy (chi) in the body
- Points thought to correspond with various organs of the body
- Located on 14 meridians running the length of the body
- Needles of various sizes for specific ailments & varying depths of insertion
What happens after the insertion of a needle in acupuncture?
Needle is twirled or vibrated to restore the energy channels
Where was Acupuncture thought to have evolved from?
A time when the needles were used to train pus or blood from an abscess
What was Moxibustion recommended for?
- Chronic conditions
- General weakness
- Toothache
- Headache
- Gout
What did Moxibustion scars protect against?
Snakebites and foreign diseases before travel
What was learning medicine like in ancient china?
- By studying under a healer called RUYI
- Through book learning/Apprenticeship passed down through a family of healers called SHIYI
What were the different types of physicians?
- Scholar physicians
- Food physicians
- Physicians for simple diseases
- Ulcer Physicians (SURGEONS)
- Physicians for animals
- Chief of Physicians
- Charlatans
- Women served as midwives and wet nurses
What were the doctrines of Chinese medicine?
- Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
- Recipe for Fifty-Two Ailments
- Treatise on Cold Damage
- Documentation of Chinese materia medica (few dozen drugs were described)
- Nanjing
Which diseases were well described in Ancient Chinese Medicine?
- Diabetes
- Smallpox
- Dysentery
- Measles
- Cholera
Was itch mite known?
YES
How many forms of smallpox were known?
42
Were diseases prevented through inoculation?
YES
Were the Ancient Chinese aware of the connection between high rat mortality and plague epidemics?
YES
What was legal medicine like?
Well organised as early as the 13th century AD
What was used for identification of criminals?
Fingerprints
What was Public Health like?
Poorly developed
Describe Ancient Chinese Pharmacology
- Early Chinese pharmacology is thought to date back to emperor SHEN NONG
- First true document of prescriptions was THE BENCAO GANGMU
- MA HONG (a physician who lived during the second millennium) recommended a drug derived from EPHEDRA SINICA for coughs & lung ailments [STILL USED TODAY - EPHEDRINE]
- Chinese used iron for anaemia and Chaulmoogra oil for leprosy
- Ginseng used to give strength to a patient and prolong life
What was “Match ups” referred to?
Placebo effect
What was a red herb used to treat?
The heart because it was red
What were upper parts of plants used to treat?
Upper parts of the body
What was used to treat syphilis?
- Remedies made of donkey skin
- Urine from various animals
- Human bones
What substances were used in Chinese pharmacology?
- Cod-liver oil
- Mineral substances: iron, arsenic and mercury
