Medicinal healing in ancient China. Smallpox in Ancient China and India Teaching the Art of Zhen Ju

About the emergence of medicine in Ancient China in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. legends and chronicles tell. Treatment methods developed by Chinese doctors influenced the medicine of Japan and Korea, Tibet and India. The doctrine of vital channels and active points on the surface of the human body is one of the foundations of reflexology - a modern method of diagnosing and treating diseases. The art of healing in Ancient China, as in other countries, included knowledge of a variety of medicines of plant and animal origin.

4.1. THE ORIGIN OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN ANCIENT CHINA

One of the first Chinese healers, who lived about five thousand years ago, is the mythical emperor Shen Nong, who used all kinds of herbs for treatment. According to legend, he compiled descriptions of about 70 poisons and antidotes, died at the age of 140, and after his death became the deity of pharmacists. He is considered the author of one of the oldest in the world, the “Canon of Roots and Herbs,” containing a description of 365 medicinal plants. The forest dweller, the god of longevity Shoushin, also prepared medicines from plants, sending long years of life unclouded by disease. His worthy companion was a deer, bestowing high ranks and large salaries. Numerous substances of animal origin and minerals were also used to treat diseases.

As ancient literary monuments testify, already three thousand years ago there were four sections in Chinese medicine - internal medicine, surgery, diet and veterinary medicine. In the 10th century, much earlier than in other countries of the East and West, Chinese Taoist monks, who lived as hermits in mountain caves, learned to vaccinate against smallpox. The source of the vaccination material was smallpox crusts taken from the nose of a person who had been ill. To prevent illness, they were inserted into the nostrils on a cotton swab. Much later, a method of applying smallpox material to a scratch arose.

An ancient legend tells about the advent of vaccinations against smallpox. During the Song Dynasty (at the end of the 10th century), all the sons of Wang-dan, the first minister of the emperor, died of smallpox. When he grew old, he had another son, who was named Wang-su. Fearing that this boy would also die from smallpox, Wang-dan invited the best doctors to the court and announced to them that when his son developed smallpox, they would have to come to him and cure the child together. “There is only one doctor who can defeat smallpox. - the doctors answered, “This is a female nun.” She lives in a hut on top of a mountain. Neighboring residents bring children sick with smallpox to her, and they all recover.” They immediately sent for the nun. Seeing little Wang-su, she put her hand on his head and said: “This child can be vaccinated with smallpox: his air and blood are good, and his ancestors had undeniable virtues.” The nun took dry smallpox crusts, previously ground into powder, applied them to damp cotton swabs tied with red thread, and inserted them into the child’s nose so that the thread hung outside. This made it easy to remove the tampons and prevent them from going too far when inhaling air. After about an hour, the tampons were removed.

After 7 days, the child developed a fever, and then showed signs of smallpox, which lasted 12 days and ended with complete recovery. Wang-dan was delighted at this happiness and wanted to generously reward the nun. However, she refused the gold and instead asked to provide benefits to her subjects and help the emperor in governing the state, after which she returned to her mountain hut.

Historical parallels: In Europe, smallpox vaccinations became known much later. Their appearance is associated with the work of the English physician E. Jenner (1749-1823). He developed a smallpox vaccine and in 1796, he first vaccinated an eight-year-old boy with smallpox. Attempts to infect this boy with smallpox, first one and a half months after vaccination, then five months after vaccination, did not yield results. The vaccination made the boy immune to the disease.

Chinese doctors knew how to preserve smallpox crusts in such a way as to reduce the risk of infection without losing the effectiveness of the vaccine. This is how the famous Chinese physician Zhang Yan described this ancient art in 1741 in his work “On Smallpox Inoculation”: “Method of storing material. Carefully wrap the smallpox crusts in paper and place in a small bottle. Seal it tightly so that the crusts do not lose their activity. Do not keep the bottle in the sun or heat it. It is better to wear it on yourself for a while so that the crusts dry naturally. The bottle should be clearly marked with the date the material was taken from the patient.

In winter, the material has yang power, so it remains active for 30-40 days. In summer, the effect of yang lasts for about 20 days.”

What “yang power” is Zhang-Yan talking about? Let us dwell in detail on those aspects of Chinese medicine, the roots of which are in the natural philosophy of Ancient China.

4.2. PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT OF MEDICINE IN ANCIENT CHINA

Chinese medicine has its roots in the deep past and is associated with the ancient philosophy according to which there is a Great Triad: Heaven-Man-Earth. The unity of two principles - Earth and Sky (yin and yang) - is the source of the emergence of all things in the Universe, their combination and interaction determine the alternation of cosmic phenomena. Yin is the feminine principle, its qualities are immersion, fall, peace; Yang is the masculine principle, its qualities are floating, rising, movement. These views are reflected in classical Chinese poetry:

And a man lives

Between Heaven and this Earth

So fragile, as if

He is a wanderer on a long journey.

Like a flow, like a flow

Yin and yang are forever moving,

The time allotted to us

Like morning dew.

Initially, phenomena from everyday life were used to interpret the essence of yin and yang. For example, yin denoted the dark side of an object, yang - the illuminated side; yin - the right side of the body, yang - the left; yin - cold, yang - heat. Yin and yang could not exist in isolation from each other: “If yang recedes, yin increases, and if yin recedes, yang increases.” The harmony of yin and yang is symbolized by the well-known graphic image of the dark and light principles in a circle - tai chi (Chinese - “Great Limit”, “Great One”). Sometimes this symbol is called a monad.

tai chi

Tai Chi and the human body Man is subject to the same laws as the Universe, therefore his life and health are determined by his relationships with the outside world, in particular with the seasons. “To establish harmony with yin and yang,” says an ancient Chinese medical treatise, “means to establish harmony with the four seasons. If you argue with them, you will ruin a life; if you live in harmony with them, you will forget about illnesses.” Associated with yin and yang is the idea of ​​two types of diseases - “hot”, resulting from an excess of internal warmth, and “cold”, caused by its lack. Diseases caused by cold were treated with “warm” medicines, and “fever” diseases with cold medicines. Parts of the human body, its internal organs are divided into two groups - yin and yang, in accordance with the Tai Chi symbol.

Five principles of the Universe

Yin and yang are the sources of the five principles of the Universe: “... yang changes and yin is always with it. This is how water, fire, wood, metal and earth arise.” The whole variety of things in the Universe consists of them. Philosophers of Ancient China believed that the elements were constantly in motion and interconnected. So, for example, a tree gives birth to fire and overcomes the earth, water gives birth to a tree and overcomes fire.

Historical parallels:

The idea of ​​the elements - the primary elements of nature - was characteristic of the natural philosophers of Ancient India, Greece and Rome. Later they were borrowed by Arab and European medicine. It is interesting to compare the time of the appearance of the doctrine of the elements in China and Greece. One of the first expositions of the doctrine of the five elements in Ancient China belongs to the philosopher Tzu-Si (V-IV centuries BC). In Greece, the formation of ideas about the four primary elements (fire, water, earth, air) is associated with the Milesian school VI-Vee. BC. (Thales, Anaximenes, Heraclitus) and Empedocles from Agrigentum (V century BC). This theory received its classical completion in the works of Aristotle (IV century BC).

The Five Elements are the original elements of the cyclical Chinese calendar, in which there were favorable and unfavorable days for the use of certain methods of treating diseases. The sixty-year cycle of this ancient calendar is still accepted among many peoples of the East. Each year, one of 12 animals is named: mouse, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In addition, the color symbolism of the five elements is taken into account. Therefore, for example, we say: “year of the black horse”, “year of the white dragon”.

Historical parallels: Medical medicine is still associated with this eastern calendar

astrology in the countries of the East. She plays a big role in Chinese, Indian and Tibet

medicine, prescribing the timing of preparation of medicines and predicting the course of diseases.

The basis of medical astrology of the East is also different from medical astrology

The West, as a cyclical eastern calendar, differs from the traditional Western one with its focus on the zodiacal constellations.

The entire system of relationships between man and the Universe was taken into account by Chinese doctors when prescribing methods for treating diseases and making medicines. A large role in this was played by the system of magical numbers, a special place among which belongs to the number 5. The five elements corresponded to the doctrine of the five categories of human character, the five temperaments. Human strength and health were nourished by five plants: rice, millet, barley, wheat and soybeans. The movements of Chinese gymnastics were likened to the “games of the five animals” - lion, deer, bear, monkey and bird. Recipes for preparations from medicinal plants were compiled in such a way that they achieved the correct combination of five tastes. Chinese lemongrass was called the “fruit of five tastes” and was revered by doctors precisely because all the tastes are contained in the fruits of this plant: its skin is sweet, the flesh is sour, the seeds are bitter and tart, and the tincture from them has a salty taste.

Traditional medicine associated the appearance of diseases with the influence of evil spirits embodied in animal images. Their number was often determined by the magic number 5:

- the snake, millipede, scorpion, toad and lizard personified 5 types of evil influences, especially dangerous for children. It was believed that when they were driven out of the house with a shovel and broom, diseases were driven away;

- the fox, ferret, rat, hedgehog and snake embodied 5 generations of evil sorceresses who sent diseases to people.

To protect against diseases sent by evil spirits and demons, they turned to guardian gods.

The five elements connected the structure of nature (macrocosm) with the structure of man (microcosm). This relationship is reflected in the table below.

Historical parallels: Philosophers from many countries of the Ancient East wrote about the relationship between the structures of the macrocosm and the microcosm. Such ideas are also characteristic of the medicine of Greece and Rome, the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance. We will get acquainted with them in the appropriate sections.

Analogies of macrocosm and microcosm in Chinese natural philosophy

Let's pay attention to five emotions. Chinese medicine attributes to them, like the five virtues, an important role in the treatment of diseases. Here is an ancient testimony about the famous physician of the Song kingdom (IV century BC) Wen Zhi. His name is known to us from the medical text given on pp. 51-52.

King Qi began to have sores. They sent people to the Song kingdom for Wen Zhi. He appeared and, looking at the king’s illnesses, said to the heir: we will cure the king’s illness, but for this we will have to kill me, Zhi.” The heir asked what the reason was. The doctor replied: “It is impossible to cure this disease unless you anger the king. If I anger him, I will have to die.” Then the heir, bowing before him, began to beg: “If the king recovers, my mother and I will ask with all our might for you in front of my father, and the king, of course, will condescend to our prayers. Please, don’t doubt it.” Wen Zhi said, “Okay. Since you insist that I save the king at the cost of my own life...”

And he began to come to the king’s son at all times and appear with him to the king. After he had done this three times, the king became very angry. Then Wen Zhi again came to the king, climbed with his feet onto the royal bed and inquired about the progress of the illness. The king could not utter a word out of anger. And Wen Zhi deliberately spoke in such a way as to anger the king even more. Then the king swore, stood up, and his illness passed away. But he was so angry that he ordered the doctor to be boiled alive.

The heir and his mother begged him to cancel the order, but achieved nothing. They began to boil Wen Zhi in a tagan, boiled for three days and three nights, but his face did not even change. Finally he said: “If you really want to kill me, close the tagan with a lid to break the connection between the forces of Yin and Yang.” The king ordered the tagan to be closed, and Wen Zhi died. Thus, following his medical duty, one of the great doctors of Ancient China ended his life.

"Qi" - life force

When talking about the philosophical aspect of medicine in Ancient China, one cannot fail to mention the concept of qi. “All beings,” wrote in the 5th century. BC. the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “carry yin and yang within themselves, are filled with qi and form harmony.” Qi is a vital force associated with blood and breathing, a characteristic of the rhythmic work of the human body as a whole, the totality of all its systems. Under the influence of yin it moves downward, under the influence of yang it moves upward and is constantly in the process of condensation or dispersion. All things in the world, including humans, are filled with qi. When condensed, it forms visible things; in a state of extreme dispersion, it represents emptiness.

Historical parallels: Literally qi means “gas”, “ether”. Sometimes this concept is translated as “pneuma”. Its meaning is close to the interpretation of pneuma by Egyptian doctors. “When qi is condensed,” teaches a Chinese treatise of the 11th century. “Zheng meng” (“Instructions to the unreasonable”), it becomes obvious and bodily forms arise. When qi dissipates, it is no longer evident, and bodily forms do not exist.”

These arguments are reminiscent of the teachings of the Greek philosopher Anaximenes, a representative of the Milesian school (VI century BC), who considered boundless air to be the fundamental principle of the world. All things in the world, in his opinion, are formed from air through rarefaction or condensation. The result of rarefaction of air is fire, condensation is fog, water, stones, earth and all things in the world. The air is in continuous motion: if it were motionless, then, as Anaximenes believed, it could not change and give rise to diverse things.

Qi determines a person's energy. For a doctor, there are very specific sources of qi in the body. There are three of them:

- hereditary (laid from birth),

- due to breathing patterns,

- caused by nutrition.

Historical parallels:

Let us remember the legend we know about the origin of smallpox vaccinations (p. 67). Placing her hand on the child’s head, the nun said the following words: “... his air and blood are good, and his ancestors had undeniable virtues.” They contain the characteristic of qi. According to the ideas of doctors of Ancient China, the heredity received by a person from birth included, first of all, not the state of health of his ancestors, but their moral qualities, “indisputable virtues.” In various philosophical schools of Ancient China, qi meant morality, moral spirit, and the pursuit of truth.

Chinese medicine pays so much attention to breathing exercises precisely because breathing forms qi. Nutrition is considered as “the nutrition of the five primary elements” in the human body and is by no means reduced to dietary prescriptions depending on a specific disease. These three sources form the so-called internal qi, and the external qi circulates through vital channels on the surface of the body. We will talk about them in more detail in the next section.

Historical parallels:

Currently, the Chinese system of methods for treating diseases, promoting health and prolonging life - qigong - has become widely known. The literal translation of this name is “working with qi.” The goals of this work can be different: accumulation, movement of qi, control of it with the help of thought according to the principle “thought leads qi, qi leads blood.” There are many types of qigong: training for the purpose of treatment and general strengthening of the body, use in martial arts and religious practice. In Beijing in 1989, an international society was created to study the art of qigong, which can regulate metabolism in the human body, increase resistance to diseases, prevent and treat diseases, slow down aging and prolong life.

The popular art of feng shui (“water” and “wind”), which originated in China about 5,000 years ago, is associated with ideas about the five elements, the energy of qi and the two principles of nature, yin and yang. Its goal is to achieve the optimal effect of the healing energy of qi on human health and well-being.

4.3. ZHEN-JIU TREATMENT METHOD (ACUPUNCURE AND MOXIUSATION)

In ancient times, the main method with which Chinese doctors treated patients, “Zhen-ju,” originated. What it is? “Zhen” means acupuncture, “jiu” means moxibustion.

The art of acupuncture

Tradition connects the appearance of acupuncture with the name of the famous sage Fu-Xi, who lived at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Tradition credits him with the first observation of the celestial bodies and the invention of the doctrine of yin and yang - the two principles of all things in the Universe. According to legend, he taught people to build houses and bridges, catch fish with a net and care for five domestic animals - a horse, a bull, a chicken, a pig and a ram. Fu-Xi was a great healer. He drew up instructions on how to avoid cold in winter and sweltering heat in summer, and how to maintain healthy air and good blood in the body. But his main achievement in medicine was the creation of the doctrine of vital channels and active points located on the human body.

Historical parallels: The estimated life time of Fu-Xi, the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, coincides with the life time of the Egyptian patron of healing, Imhotep, known to us (p. 35). Like him, Fu-Xi was not only a doctor, but also an astrologer and a builder.

“In ancient times,” the legend says, “when China was ruled by Fu-Xi, versed in many sciences, one of his subjects had a headache.” This man became so ill that he could not find peace either day or night. One day, while cultivating a field, he accidentally hit himself on the leg with a hoe and noticed a strange thing: the headache went away after this blow. Since then, local residents began to deliberately hit themselves on the leg with a piece of stone when they had a headache. Having learned about this, the emperor tried to replace the painful blows with a stone with injections of a stone needle, and the results were good. Later it turned out that such injections, applied to certain places on the body, help not only with headaches, but also with other diseases. It has been observed that exposure to certain points of the body leads to relief from pain or illness. For example, squeezing the central fossa of the upper lip helps lift the patient out of a state of fainting, and inserting needles at certain points at the base of the first and second fingers cures insomnia.

Historical parallels: Methods of influencing active points of the body are also known in the medicine of other nations. Residents of South Africa, wanting to be cured of many diseases, scratch certain points on the body with a shell; Arabs, when treating radiculitis, cauterize part of the ear with a heated metal rod; Eskimos inflict injections with a sharpened stone.

Many discoveries have been made in the field of biology and medicine, but one complex mystery has not been solved for several thousand years. This is the mystery of the “life channels” running along the surface of the body.

Each channel is associated with a specific internal organ. The channels of the body, like the points on them, are invisible, but they really exist, since there is a constant mutual dependence between them and the internal organs. The impact on internal organs through these points using acupuncture and moxibustion is the basis of one of the main methods of treatment in Chinese medicine. The first literary data on the use of this method date back to the 6th century. BC. They are set out in the “Canon of the Internal” (“Neijing”, around the 2nd century BC) - one of the oldest medical books in China.

Historical parallels:

In modern medicine of the East and West, the doctrine of vital channels and active points located on the surface of the human body is widely used. With the help of various instruments in the area of ​​active points (often called BAT - biologically active points), electrical and magnetic phenomena were discovered, as well as radiation carrying certain information. Modern science tends to consider the qi energy concentrated at these points as a certain type of matter - electrical, magnetic, acoustic, light.

The first needles were made of stone. Later they began to make them from silicon or jasper, from bone and bamboo, from metals: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, stainless steel. There were 9 needle shapes; among them were cylindrical, flat, round, triangular, spear-shaped, needles with a sharp and blunt end.

Such needles were not only intended for acupuncture, they also served as surgical instruments. For example, a sharp “arrow-shaped” needle was used to open abscesses; a needle with a round end was used to split muscles during operations; a thin needle with a blunt end was used to treat those patients who were afraid of injections: instead of an injection, they simply pressed on the appropriate points. To treat children, “skin” needles were made, with the help of which shallow, superficial injections were made. Modern needles are usually made of silver or high grade stainless steel. When introduced, they do not destroy tissue because they have a very thin rod.

Cauterization

The active points were affected not only by acupuncture, but also by cauterization. This method is sometimes mentioned in Chinese literature under such poetic names as “wonderful thunder needle” or “night torch hunt.” In the old days, it was believed that cauterization should cause a burn. “Irritation is without, effect is within,” says an old Chinese proverb. Cauterization was performed using a hot metal stick, lit sulfur powder, and crushed pieces of garlic.

Modern doctors usually use moxa (wormwood) for treatment, which gives

smoldering only pleasant warmth. It is traditionally believed that the effectiveness of moxibustion increases with the shelf life of moxa. For example, for the treatment of a disease that arose 7 years ago, moxa was recommended, which was stored for at least 3 years. Cigarettes and burning cones were stuffed with dried and tightly compressed wormwood; sometimes other medicinal plants were added to it. Moxibustion as a method of preventing and treating diseases has become widespread in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and many other Eastern countries.

Teaching the art of Zhen-Jiu

Comprehension of the art of “zhen-jiu” was very difficult and required a long time. The student had to study not only the location of active points on the “life channels”, but also the complex relationships between them. “You need to take a needle as carefully as approaching a tiger,” says an old Chinese proverb.

The first state institution where traditional medicine was taught - the Imperial Medical School - arose in China only in the Middle Ages. The school had 20 students, 1 teacher and assistant, 20 instructors and 20 needle makers. Of great importance for teaching was the creation of the first two bronze figures, which were cast in full human size under the direction of the physician Wang Wei-i in 1027. All the points and their names were marked on the surface of the figures. Each point corresponded to a deep channel for needle insertion. The outside of the figure was covered with wax, and the inside was filled with water: if the student inserted the needle correctly, a drop of water appeared on the surface of the figure. A year earlier, in 1026, Wang Wei-yi completed work on the Atlas of Points, which became the first officially accepted manual on acupuncture. From the 13th century Copying of figures began, the method of acupuncture went beyond China and began to spread to other Asian countries, then penetrated into Europe and America. In Russia, the first report about it was made in the late 20s. XIX century

Traditional Chinese medicine is also widespread in the modern world. In 1980, the World Health Organization recognized acupuncture as a scientifically proven method and recommended its use in the treatment of various diseases.

4.4. PULSE EXAMINATION

One of the great achievements of the doctors of Ancient China was the idea of ​​​​the circular movement of blood. The “Canon of the Internal” says that the heart continuously pumps blood in a circle, and the doctor can judge the movement of blood by the pulse. “The pulse is the inner essence of a hundred parts of the body and the most subtle expression of the inner spirit.” Chinese doctors distinguished more than 20 types of pulse. They came to the conclusion that every organ and every process in the body has its own expression in the pulse, and by changing the pulse at several points, one can not only determine a person’s illness, but also predict its outcome. This teaching is set forth in the “Canon of the Pulse” (III century AD).

Sometimes the pulse was studied not by the clock, but by the patient’s breathing, and each pulse study had to correspond to nine complete respiratory movements. In cases where the patient's breathing is difficult or uneven, some medical writings suggested examining the pulse using the doctor's breath instead of a watch. The time required for a complete pulse examination was approximately 10 minutes.

Historical parallels: The tradition of carefully studying the patient’s pulse was characteristic of the medical knowledge of different countries, but it was in Chinese medicine that it was developed most deeply. Later, the doctrine of the pulse was developed in the medical writings of the Arabs and from Arab treatises passed into the medicine of medieval Europe. Let's listen to how the famous Arab physician Avicenna writes about this:

The pulsation frequency fluctuates,

How to recognize is not an easy task.

One pulse in one artery,

And the other artery has a different one.

There are also pulse irregularities,

Which are the hardest to take into account.

After all, they also have their own characteristic rhythm:

After a long sound, a failure occurs. -

The strong is followed by a weak blow,

To sort it out, you need a special gift.

Sometimes the pulse is measured, chaotic,

Rhythm is quite different from rhythm.

These are the pulses that we have known for a long time.

Here each name is given:

It’s called “the mouse’s tail” for a reason,

It curls like a tail.

There is still a pulse, like a quail sings,

There is a pulse, it beats twice or more often.

There is a pulse that cuts like a saw,

It can be loud, like a bowl.

High pulse and biting like a whip,

Intermittent and frequent like tap dancing.

One is like nimble ants,

The other is like rushing waves.

Opposite to each other more often

Worm-shaped and deaf, trembling.

Consumptive is almost indistinguishable,

Loss of strength comes with it.

All types of pulses are difficult to count,

It is a great honor to know many of them.

The founder of pulse diagnostics in China is considered to be the famous philosopher and physician Bian Qiao (VI century BC). The next section, dedicated to the great doctors of Ancient China, begins the story about him.

4.5. GREAT DOCTORS OF ANCIENT CHINA

Bian Qiao

The name of this great doctor has become a proverb. When in China they want to talk about the amazing skill of a doctor, they say: “This is a living Bian Qiao.” He viewed illness as the result of a violation of the relationship between the body and the external environment and believed that when prescribing treatment methods, it is necessary to take into account the climate and character of a person, his diet.

Bian Qiao spent most of his life traveling around the country, helping patients get rid of their ailments. He recommended using four methods for diagnosing diseases: examination, questioning, listening and studying the pulse.

Historical chronicles report that as a child, Bian Qiao met a Taoist monk, studied with him for 10 years and received as a gift from his teacher an ancient book on the art of medicine, which he studied all his life. There are many legends about his extraordinary ability to see things through obstacles - through a wall, through a person’s clothing and skin. This skill, passed on to him by his teacher, made it possible to see pathological changes in the internal organs of a person without resorting to conventional diagnostic methods. Here's what one of the legends tells about it.

In the old days, China was not a single state, but consisted of many principalities. During his travels, Bian Qiao arrived in one of them and the prince, having heard a lot about his medical art, kept him as a court physician. One day the doctor turned to the prince with these words:

- You are sick, the disease is in the skin. If you don't treat it, there may be

complications.

The prince replied that he felt quite healthy, and when Bian Qiao left, he said to the courtiers:

- This doctor strives only for his own benefit: to achieve fame and

income, he treats those who do not have diseases.

Five days later, Bian Qiao said to the prince:

— Your disease has penetrated the blood vessels. If you don't treat it, there will be more

major complications.

However, the prince felt healthy and only laughed at the doctor. Five more days passed. Bian Qiao said:

- Your illness is already in the stomach and intestines, it has become serious.

The prince did not answer these words. And when he saw the doctor another five days later, Bian Qiao looked at him, remained silent and left without saying a word. Soon the prince felt unwell and sent for a doctor. When Bian Qiao was brought to the palace, he said to the prince:

- When the disease was in the skin, it could be cured by medicinal washing and

moxibustion; when the disease has passed into the blood vessels, to be cured

acupuncture was sufficient; when the disease was in the intestines and stomach, from it

You could save yourself with an infusion of medicinal herbs with vodka and vinegar. Now

the disease is already in the marrow of the bones. Not even a spirit could cure you of it,

which governs life and death.

A few days later the prince became very ill. The messengers sent for the doctor did not find him. Bian Qiao left the principality, and its ruler soon died.

Historical parallels: Bian Qiao is sometimes called the “Chinese Hippocrates” (the great Greek physician was his younger contemporary). The name Bian Qiao is respected and worshiped not only in China, but also in other countries of the East; it is mentioned in legends and monuments of classical poetry. Here is one of the fine examples of medieval poetry in Korea:

Only twelve months a year

But in every thirty days such as this,

Where every hour and every moment

Filled with sadness for you.

She is hidden in my heart,

Like an unknown disease:

Even Bian Qiao could not cope with her,

And there is no cure for it anywhere.

Bian Qiao used acupuncture and moxibustion, rubbing with heated medicines, and medicinal decoctions in his practice. In addition, he was a famous surgeon. It is believed that he performed operations with pain relief, for which he used a drink with narcotic substances. However, the true flourishing of Chinese surgery is associated with the name of the remarkable physician Hua Tuo (2nd-3rd centuries AD).

Hua Tuo

Hua Tuo was an excellent diagnostician, and for treatment he used both traditional methods of Chinese medicine - acupuncture and moxibustion, and new ones - bloodletting, dousing with water and his own system of gymnastics, which in our time is called classical Chinese gymnastics. He suggested that patients imitate the postures of animals - stretching their necks, raising their arms, bending over, bending their legs. Here are examples of exercise names in the “Soaring Crane” style: “Raising the wings and touching the water,” “Unfolding the wings and touching the water.” Imitating the movements of a bear, a man climbed a tree and hung on a branch; like an owl, he turned his head and looked back while his whole body remained motionless.

It was no coincidence that Hua Tuo called the gymnastics he invented “The Game of Five Animals”: ​​the doctor wanted to present this healing method as entertainment in order to distract the patient from thoughts about the disease, make him forget about the pain, and improve his mood. He wrote: “The human body needs work and movement, but in moderation, because rational work can help digestion, make the blood circulate faster, and this will help protect a person from disease. Let’s compare this to a door pin: it doesn’t rot because it rotates all the time.”

Historical parallels: The movements of Chinese gymnastics, designed to form the correct movement of qi energy through external and internal channels in the human body, look unusual for us. They are not at all similar to the traditional movements of European gymnastics: some are reminiscent of plastic dances, others are similar to hand-to-hand combat techniques.

Various types of therapeutic and preventive Chinese gymnastics are still widely used today, often in combination with massage, which is performed not only with the hands and fingers, but also with the elbows and even the legs. The tradition of Chinese massage dates back more than two thousand years; already in ancient times it was used to treat diseases associated with impaired movement and sensitivity. “If the nerves and blood vessels of the human body are clogged,” says the “Canon of the Internal,” “and the human body is numb, then with the help of massage it can be healed.”

And yet, above all, Hua Tuo was a surgeon. He became famous for the skill with which he performed the most complex operations, using silk, jute and hemp threads, mulberry fiber, and the tendons of tigers, calves and lambs to stitch wounds. Legends about the art of Hua Tuo in performing operations, including the removal of half of the spleen, have survived to this day. The cure of the emperor's brother, the famous commander Prince Guan Gong, who was wounded in the arm by a poisoned arrow during the battle, became very famous. During the operation, it became clear that the poison had penetrated into the bone: its color became dark blue. However, Hua Tuo removed the poison with the help of a miraculous powder he prepared. Not only did Guan Gong not lose his arm, but he could bend and straighten it as before without feeling any pain.

Historical chronicles contain mention of Hua Tuo’s extraordinary ability to perform operations under general anesthesia, as well as treat sutures with a balm that speeds up recovery. Unfortunately, information about his medications and details of his surgical technique have not reached us. It is believed that he used painkillers - Indian hemp juice, mandrake, belladonna and others. “Hua Tuo first gave the patient a potion infused with alcohol, which made him drunk and lost sensitivity,” reports a treatise from the 3rd century. “After that, his stomach was cut... After stitching, the seams were smeared with a miraculous ointment, and after 4-5 days the wound healed, and after a month the patient recovered.”

Hua Tuo, like Bian Qiao, spent his entire life traveling. The new, unusual methods of treatment that he used sometimes caused dissatisfaction and misunderstanding both on the part of other doctors and on the part of patients. There is a legend that the great surgeon was executed in 208 by order of the cruel ruler of the Principality of Bey due to the fact that the proposed treatment was considered an attempt on the life of the prince. Hua Tuo was imprisoned and sentenced to death.

Song Simiao

The remarkable Chinese alchemist and physician Song Simiao (VI-VII centuries AD), known as the “king of medicines,” lived a thousand years later than Bian Qiao and five hundred years later than Hua Tuo. He was the author of a 30-volume medical work, which for centuries served as a kind of medical encyclopedia for doctors in China, Korea and Japan. One of the volumes is entirely devoted to the doctrine of the pulse. Many amazing legends have been preserved about the art of this doctor. Here is one of them.

When the emperor's wife fell ill, Song Simiao was summoned to the capital and taken to the women's half of the palace. Having heard about the upcoming visit of the famous doctor, the empress decided to play a trick on him and test his art. According to the etiquette of that time, the doctor could not see her or even talk to her: she was separated from him by thick screens. In order to examine the patient’s pulse, the doctor asked her to tie a thin thread around her wrist and stretch the end of this thread through the screen. However, the empress deceived Sun: he was handed a thread, the end of which was tied to the leg of the chair on which she was sitting. Song took the thread, pulled and said: “I am being misled; the thread is not tied to a living creature, but to a tree.” Then the thread was tied to the dog's paw. Sun pulled the thread again, carefully observed the shocks it conveyed, and said dejectedly: “You are testing me again. The pulse I feel cannot belong to a person. This is the pulse of the animal." Amazed by the wisdom of the scientist, the empress finally tied the thread to her wrist. “Now I feel the woman’s pulse,” said the doctor, “I have identified your illness and will send you medicine.”

The writings and medical practice of Song Simiao reflected the close connection of Chinese medicine with the art of alchemy, with the help of which doctors prepared numerous medicines from minerals and metals. One of the greatest alchemists of his time, Song Simiao became famous for the invention of gunpowder, for which he received the nickname “Prince of Gunpowder.” Gunpowder consisted of three main components - saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal. Sulfur and saltpeter were widely used in China back in the 2nd century. BC. for the preparation of medicines. They were also part of the “elixir of immortality”, obtaining which was the main goal of alchemy in Ancient China. Soup Simiao conducted experiments with these substances. His treatise “The Canon on the Search for the Elixir of Immortality” (“Dan Jin”) describes in detail experiments in which, when equal parts of sulfur and saltpeter are heated with charcoal, a flash of flame is obtained. The elixir of immortality also included various herbs and minerals, for example, the stamens and stem of a lotus, and chrysanthemum flowers. They were also used as anti-aging agents.

Historical parallels: Chinese alchemy, unlike Western alchemy, is primarily the science of ways to achieve immortality. It is very important to understand that the very idea of ​​immortality in China and in the West was different. For Chinese doctors and alchemists, the idea of ​​human immortality was traditionally associated with ancient religious teachings, which recognized only bodily, physical immortality. It was believed that immortal beings - “celestials” lived in various areas of the physical world, mainly high in the mountains or on distant islands. Already in the IV-III centuries. BC. The kings sent their doctors there so that they could find the “immortals” there and learn from them the recipe for a magic potion - the “elixir of immortality.” The purpose of Chinese alchemy was formulated in an alchemical treatise of the 2nd century. : “Gold must be prepared in such a way that by eating it, a person can achieve eternal life and become one of the immortals.” The name “gold” here unites many elixirs - “Golden Juice”, “Golden Cinnabar” and others. The religious doctrine of the immortality of the soul came to China along with Buddhism from India through Central Asia in the 1st century. However, even after this, the idea that to achieve immortality it was enough to perform a ritual and take a “potion” remained traditional for the natural philosophy of Ancient China. This is vividly and figuratively conveyed in the poem “Immortality” - one of the masterpieces of classical Chinese poetry. Its author was the outstanding poet Cao Zhi (192-232).

Immortality

Heaven's gates are open to me,

I wear a dress from bird feathers;

Having bridled the dragon, I rush for a reason

To where my brothers are waiting for me.

I'm flying forward to the east side,

To the land of immortals at the borders of Penglai

Take the medicine, they told me,

And you will live forever without dying.

The idea of ​​a “moon hare” is associated with the elixir of immortality. Legend has it that when Buddha was suffering from hunger, a hare jumped into the fire to feed him. As a reward, Buddha sent him to the moon. There, in a magic agate mortar, he crushes the drugs that are part of the elixir of immortality. The "moon hare" is sometimes called the "doctor", "wonderful hare" or "agate hare". Agate mortars, which came to European alchemy from the countries of the Ancient East, are still used by chemists all over the world.

HEALING IN ANCIENT CHINA (mid 2nd millennium BC - 3rd century AD)

The oldest state in Chinese history, Shang (later called Yin) was formed in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. in the Yellow River (Yellow River) valley (Fig. 33). The creation of Chinese hieroglyphic writing also dates back to this time. Ancient Chinese texts were written on tortoise shields (shells), bamboo tablets, bronze ritual vessels, stone drums, and then on silk and paper, which was invented in China in the 1st century. BC e. Ancient China gave the world silk and porcelain, paper and ink, a compass and gunpowder.

For thousands of years, China has represented a unique example of the stability of the traditional system and traditional medicine, which is largely due to the locality of Chinese civilization, due to reasons of geographical, socio-economic and political nature.

Periodization of history and healing

There are four stages in the history of ancient China: the Shang (Yin) period (XVIII-XII centuries BC), when the first slave state in Chinese history was formed; the period of the Zhou dynasty (XI-III centuries BC), when many states existed on the territory of China; the period of the Qin Empire (III century BC), when the country was united into a single empire (during this period, at the behest of the first Chinese emperor Shi Huangdi (246-210 BC), the construction of the Great Wall of China began ), and the period of the Han Empire (206 BC - 221 AD) is the time of the greatest prosperity of ancient China. In the III-IV centuries. Feudal relations developed on the territory of China, which persisted until the 20th century.

In the history of healing in ancient China, there are two large periods: the royal (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the Han Empire (III century BC - III centuries AD) , when the chronicles of the Han dynasty were compiled and the medical works that have reached us were written down.

Sources on the history and healing of ancient China: medical monuments; writing (from the 3rd century BC), data from archeology, ethnography, monuments of material culture.

The first multi-volume history of ancient China, “Shi Ji” (“Historical Notes”), was compiled in the 1st century. BC e. the outstanding Chinese scientist Sima Qian (145-86 BC); it "widely uses materials from the chronicles of the Han Dynasty, which report on the successful application of the Zhen-tssh method and pulse diagnostics. The oldest surviving medical text from ancient China is the treatise "Huangdi Nei Jing" ("Canon of Healing of the Yellow Ancestor"), which is briefly called "Nei Jing" ("Canon of Healing"). It was compiled in the 3rd century BC in line with tradition in the form of a dialogue between a healer and the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people - Huangdi, to whom tradition attributes the authorship of this treatise. However, According to researchers, "Nei Jing" is the result of the collective work of many authors from different eras. "Nei Jing" consists of 18 books. The first nine ("Su Wen") are devoted to the structure and vital functions of the body, the recognition and treatment of diseases. The last nine volumes ( "Ling Shu") describes the ancient method of Zhen-Jiu.

Philosophical foundations of Chinese medicine

Original Chinese philosophy has gone through a long path of formation and development: from the cult of nature (earth, mountains, sun, moon and planets) to religious and philosophical systems (Confucianism and Taoism from the 6th century BC, other teachings) and the philosophy of spontaneous materialism (natural philosophy), which was formed in China by the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. and was developed in the works of Chinese scientists during the era of ancient empires.

The teaching of ancient Chinese philosophers about the material world is set out in an anonymous natural philosophical treatise of the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e, “Xi qi zhu-an”: the single primordial matter of taiji gives rise to two opposing substances - the feminine (yin) and the masculine (yang); the interaction and struggle of these principles give rise to the five elements (wu xing): water, fire, wood, metal and earth, from which the entire diversity of the material world arises - “ten thousand things” (wan wu), including humans. The five elements are in constant motion and harmony, mutual generation (water gives birth to wood, wood - fire, fire - earth, earth - metal, and metal - water) and mutual overcoming (water extinguishes fire, fire melts metal, metal destroys wood, the tree is the earth, and the earth covers the water) (Fig. 34). The objective world is knowable and is in constant motion and change. Man is part of nature, part of the great triad of Heaven - Man - Earth, and is in harmony with the world around him.

Among the prominent representatives of spontaneous materialism in ancient China was the philosopher and physician Wang Chong (27-97), the author of the polemical treatise “Lun Heng” (“Critical Reasoning”). He recognized the unity, eternity and materiality of the world, developed the doctrine of the “granular” (atomic) structure of matter, fought against the superstitions and prejudices of his time, and opposed Taoist ideas of immortality. “Among the creatures that carry blood in their veins,” he wrote, “there are none that do not die.” The development of spontaneous materialism in ancient China took place in a complex struggle with Confucianism and the Taoist religion.

The elemental materialistic views of ancient Chinese philosophers (with elements of dialectics) formed the basis of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The basic theoretical principles of ancient Chinese medicine have stood the test of time and, in their main features, have been preserved for three thousand years.

Knowledge about the structure of the human body began to accumulate in China in ancient times, long before the ban on autopsy of the bodies of the dead (around the 2nd century BC), which was associated with the establishment of Confucianism as the official religion. This is evidenced by preserved anatomical tables of a later period (VI-VII centuries).

Ideas about diseases and their treatment in ancient China had a natural philosophical basis. Health “was viewed as the result of a balance between the principles of yin and yang and the five elements of xing, and illness was seen as a violation of their correct interaction. Various ratios of these disorders were combined into several syndromes, which were divided into two groups: the excess syndrome - yang and the deficiency syndrome - yin. The variety of diseases was explained by the breadth of interaction of the organism with the surrounding world and nature, the characteristics of the organism itself (in the treatise “Nei Jing” five temperaments are described; in time this coincides with the period of formation of similar ideas in ancient Greece), a long stay in one of the emotional states (anger, joy, sadness, reflection, grief, fear and fear) and other natural causes.

The art of diagnosis in ancient China was based on the following methods of examining a patient: examination of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes and tongue; determining the general condition and mood of the patient; listening to sounds arising in the human body, identifying its odors; detailed questioning of the patient; pulse examination; pressure on active points. According to legend, these methods were introduced by a legendary healer who lived in the 11th century. BC e. and known under the pseudonym Vian Que (Little Magpie); his real name is Qin Yueren. Historical chronicles of the Han dynasty tell of miraculous healings carried out by Bian Que and his students, skillfully using acupuncture and moxibustion, massage and local medicines. (For comparison, we note that the diagnostic methods used by doctors of the classical period of Greek history in the 5th-4th centuries BC are in many ways similar to the ancient Chinese methods listed above.)

One of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China is the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe circular movement of blood, set out already in the most ancient medical treatise of China - “Ii Jing”: “The vessels communicate with each other in a circle. There is no beginning and no end in it... The blood in the vessels circulates continuously and in a circular manner... and the heart rules over the blood.” “Without a pulse, it is impossible to distribute blood among large and small vessels... It is the pulse that determines the circulation of blood and “pneuma”... You look forward, you look back - everything comes from the pulse. The pulse is the inner essence of a hundred parts of the body, the most subtle expression of the inner spirit..."

The healers of ancient China came to these conclusions empirically (in Europe, a scientifically based theory of blood circulation was formulated in 1628 by W. Harvey, see p. 186). While examining the patient, they studied the pulse at no less than nine points and distinguished up to 28 types of pulse; Of these, ten were considered basic: superficial, deep, rare, frequent, thin, excessive, loose, viscous, tense, gradual.

The ancient method of pulse diagnostics was constantly improved by many generations of Chinese healers and over time turned into a harmonious doctrine of the pulse, which was the pinnacle of diagnostics in ancient China. It is most fully presented in the work of the famous Chinese doctor of the 3rd century. n. e. Wang Shuhe - “Mo Jing” (“Treatise on the Pulse”, 280) (Fig. 35).

Outside of ancient China, the doctrine of the pulse spread relatively late. In the ancient Indian treatises Charami (1st-2nd centuries) and Sush-ruta (4th century) the pulse is not mentioned. This fact is explained by the relatively late establishment of mutual contacts between China and India (trade routes from the 2nd century BC). BC, the spread of Buddhism in China - from the 1st century AD).In the Middle Ages, the method of pulse diagnostics penetrated into the territory of Central Asia: theoretical justification for the study of the pulse in the “Canon of Medicine” by the outstanding physician of the medieval East Ibn Sina (980-1037) in many ways similar to the provisions of ancient Chinese medicine.

A characteristic feature of traditional Chinese medicine is Zhen-Jiu therapy (Chinese Zhen - acupuncture; Latin acupunctura; Chinese Jiu - moxibustion). The empirical roots of this method go back to ancient times, when it was noticed that injections, cuts or wounds at certain points of the body lead to the healing of certain ailments. For example, squeezing the central fossa of the upper lip helps lift the patient out of a state of fainting, and inserting needles at the base of the first and second fingers on the back of the hand cures insomnia. Thus, on the basis of long-term observations, philosophers and healers of ancient China came to the conclusion about the existence of “vital points”, the irritation of which contributes to the regulation of life processes. They believed that through the holes made in the “vital points”, the disturbed balance of Yin-Yang is restored; the beginning of Yang leaves the patient’s body in case of its excess or enters the body in case of its deficiency, as a result of which the disease disappears. Historical chronicles of the Han Dynasty report individual cases of successful use of acupuncture by doctors Bian Que (11th century BC), Fu Wen (1st-2nd centuries BC), Hua Tuo (2nd century BC) .) and others.

The first detailed presentation of the theory and practice of this method is given in the treatise “Nei Jing”, especially in its second part “Ling Shu”. (it is called the “Canon of Acupuncture”), which describes the “vital points”, the channels along which they are located, collaterals, needles and methods of their introduction, indications and contraindications for the use of acupuncture and moxibustion.

In the 3rd century. n. h. physician Huangfu Mi (215-282) systematically summarized the achievements in the field of Zhen Ju over the previous 4-5 centuries and compiled an extensive compilation work “Zhen Ju Jia and Jing” (“Classical Canon on Acupuncture and Moxibustion”, 265), which remained the main source of knowledge in this area until the 11th century and was known outside China starting in the 5th century.

The first acupuncture needles were made of stone. They had a very thin hole (like a syringe needle), through which the beginning of yang was believed to move. Subsequently, needles began to be made not only from silicon or jasper, but also from bone, bamboo, and later from metals: bronze, silver (Fig. 36), gold, platinum and stainless steel. With the development of this method, there was a specialization of needles and their division into types.

The Nei Jing treatise describes nine types of needles: a tipped needle for superficial pricking, a rounded needle for massage, a blunt needle for tapping and pressure, a sharp triangular needle for venous puncture, a saber-shaped needle for removing pus, a sharp round needle for rapid insertion, thread needle (most commonly used), long needle for piercing thick muscles, large needle for treating joints.

The rich variety of needles indicates the breadth of the acupuncture method in ancient times: it was used for the treatment and prevention of diseases, for pain relief during operations, and also in combination with massage and the cauterization method, that is, thermal effects on “vital points” through lit cigarettes, stuffed with dry leaves of medicinal plants.

The plant most often used for these purposes was moxa (Russian: common cholyn; Latin: Artemisia ulgaris). Moreover, it was believed that the effectiveness of moxa increases with years of storage. Thus, for the treatment by cauterization of a disease that arose seven years ago, mok-i;a, collected three years ago, was recommended.

In ancient China, there were several methods of moxibustion. Direct cauterization was carried out with a burning cigarette in close proximity to the body. With the indirect cauterization method, the cigarette was some distance from the point of impact, and medicinal substances could be placed between the cigarette and the body. Moxibustion with warm needles combined both acupuncture and moxibustion: a cigarette was twisted around the needle and lit when the needle was in the tissue; In this way, a combined effect was achieved (the effect of a needle and a smoldering medicinal plant).

Medicinal healing in ancient China reached high perfection. From traditional Chinese medicine they entered world practice: from plants - ginseng, lemongrass, camphor, tea, rhubarb, resin; from products of animal origin - deer antlers, liver, gelatin; from minerals - iron, mercury, sulfur, etc. The world's first known Chinese pharmacopoeia was created in 502, with seven books describing 730 species of medicinal plants.In ancient China, there were institutions that today are called pharmacies.

Nevertheless, everyone who reached. Our works on medicines were compiled not in ancient (slaveholding) China, but in feudal China, that is, during the Middle Ages - a time of rapid flowering of traditional Chinese culture and medicine (see p. 166).

The first special medical schools also appeared in China only in the Middle Ages (from the 6th century). Until this time, knowledge about traditional healing was passed down by inheritance or in a narrow circle of initiates.

The development of surgical treatment in ancient China (as well as the dissection of human corpses) was constrained. not affected by religious prohibitions that arose in the last centuries BC. e. in connection with the establishment of Confucianism.

Hua Guo is considered the greatest surgeon of ancient China. (141-208), who became famous as a skillful diagnostician and expert in Zhen-Jiu therapy. He successfully treated fractures and performed operations on the skull, chest and abdominal cavities. One of the ancient Chinese books describes a case of recovery of a patient from whom Hua Tuo removed part of the spleen. For pain relief during operations, Hua Tuo used mafusan, mandrake, and also the method of acupuncture, achieving the desired result by introducing one or two needles.

The strength of ancient Chinese medicine was the prevention of disease. Even in the treatise “Nei Jing” it was noted: “The tasks of medicine are to heal the sick and improve the health of the healthy.”

For a long time, important therapeutic and preventive measures in ancient China were massage, therapeutic gymnastics at xing or (translated from Chinese - the game of five animals), based on imitation of a stork, monkey, deer, tiger and bear, breathing exercises, which were used by the people for maintaining health and achieving longevity.

Chinese chronicles report the improvement of ancient cities from the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. (pavements, sewerage, water supply). There is evidence of the widespread introduction of variolation to prevent smallpox. So, according to legend, in the 12th century. BC e. During the smallpox epidemic, Chinese healers tried to prevent the spread of the disease by rubbing crusts of smallpox pustules into the nostrils of healthy children (for girls in the right nostril, and for boys in the left).

Traditional Chinese medicine has long developed in isolation from other cultures around the globe. Thus, information about it penetrated into Europe only in the 13th century.

In the modern world, traditional Chinese medicine plays an increasingly important role. The scientific study of her heritage is important for the development of modern scientific medicine.

About the emergence of medicine in Ancient China in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. legends and chronicles tell. Treatment methods developed by Chinese doctors influenced the medicine of Japan and Korea, Tibet and India. The doctrine of vital channels and active points on the surface of the human body is one of the foundations of reflexology - a modern method of diagnosing and treating diseases. The art of healing in Ancient China, as in other countries, included knowledge of a variety of medicines of plant and animal origin.

One of the first Chinese healers, who lived about five thousand years ago, is the mythical emperor Shen Nong, who used all kinds of herbs for treatment. According to legend, he compiled descriptions of about 70 poisons and antidotes, died at the age of 140, and after his death became the deity of pharmacists. He is considered the author of one of the oldest in the world, the “Canon of Roots and Herbs,” containing a description of 365 medicinal plants.

As ancient literary monuments testify, already three thousand years ago there were four sections in Chinese medicine - internal medicine, surgery, diet and veterinary medicine. In the 10th century, much earlier than in other countries of the East and West, Chinese Taoist monks, who lived as hermits in mountain caves, learned to vaccinate against smallpox. The source of the vaccination material was smallpox crusts taken from the nose of a person who had been ill. To prevent illness, they were inserted into the nostrils on a cotton swab. Much later, a method of applying smallpox material to a scratch arose.

Chinese medicine has its roots in the deep past and is associated with the ancient philosophy according to which there is a Great Triad: Heaven-Man-Earth. The unity of two principles - Earth and Sky (yin and yang) is the source of the emergence of all things in the Universe, their combination and interaction determine the alternation of cosmic phenomena.

A person is subject to the same laws as the Universe, therefore his life and health are determined by his relationship with the outside world, in particular, with the seasons. “To establish harmony with yin and yang,” says an ancient Chinese medical treatise, “means to establish harmony with the four seasons. If you argue with them, you will ruin a life; if you live in harmony with them, you will forget about illnesses.” Associated with yin and yang is the idea of ​​two types of diseases - “hot”, resulting from an excess of internal warmth, and “cold”, caused by its lack. Diseases caused by cold were treated with “warm” medicines, and “fever” diseases with cold medicines. Parts of the human body, its internal organs are divided into two groups - yin and yang, in accordance with the Tai Chi symbol.

Five principles of the Universe

Yin and yang are the sources of the five principles of the Universe: “... yang changes and yin is always with it. This is how water, fire, wood, metal and earth arise.” The whole variety of things in the Universe consists of them. Philosophers of Ancient China believed that the elements were constantly in motion and interconnected. So, for example, a tree gives birth to fire and overcomes the earth, water gives birth to a tree and overcomes fire.

Wu-shin star.

The entire system of relationships between man and the Universe was taken into account by Chinese doctors when prescribing methods for treating diseases and making medicines. A large role in this was played by the system of magical numbers, a special place among which belongs to the number 5. The five elements corresponded to the doctrine of the five categories of human character, the five temperaments. Human strength and health were nourished by five plants: rice, millet, barley, wheat and soybeans. The movements of Chinese gymnastics were likened to the “games of five animals” - lion, deer, bear, monkey and bird. Recipes for preparations from medicinal plants were compiled in such a way that they achieved the correct combination of five tastes. Chinese lemongrass was called the “fruit of five tastes” and was revered by doctors precisely because all the tastes are contained in the fruits of this plant: its skin is sweet, the flesh is sour, the seeds are bitter and tart, and the tincture from them has a salty taste.

When talking about the philosophical aspect of medicine in Ancient China, one cannot fail to mention the concept of qi. “All beings,” wrote in the 5th century. BC. the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “carry yin and yang within themselves, are filled with qi and form harmony.” Qi is the vital force associated with blood and breathing, a characteristic of the rhythmic work of the human body as a whole, the totality of all its systems. Under the influence of yin it moves downward, under the influence of yang it moves upward and is constantly in the process of condensation or dispersion. All things in the world, including humans, are filled with qi. When condensed, it forms visible things; in a state of extreme dispersion, it represents emptiness.

In various philosophical schools of Ancient China, qi meant morality, moral spirit, and the pursuit of truth.

Acupuncture.

Tradition connects the appearance of acupuncture with the name of the famous sage Fu-Xi, who lived at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. His main achievement in medicine was the creation of the doctrine of vital channels and active points located on the human body.

Historical parallels: “In ancient times,” the legend tells, “when China was ruled by Fu-Xi, versed in many sciences, one of his subjects had a headache.” This man became so ill that he could not find peace either day or night. One day, while cultivating a field, he accidentally hit himself on the leg with a hoe and noticed a strange thing: the headache went away after this blow. Since then, local residents began to deliberately hit themselves on the leg with a piece of stone when they had a headache. Having learned about this, the emperor tried to replace the painful blows with a stone with injections of a stone needle, and the results were good. Later it turned out that such injections, applied to certain places on the body, help not only with headaches, but also with other diseases. It has been observed that exposure to certain points of the body leads to relief from pain or illness. For example, squeezing the central fossa of the upper lip helps lift the patient out of a state of fainting, and inserting needles at certain points at the base of the first and second fingers cures insomnia.

The first needles were made of stone. Later they began to make them from silicon or jasper, from bone and bamboo, from metals: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, stainless steel. There were 9 needle shapes; among them were cylindrical, flat, round, triangular, spear-shaped, needles with a sharp and blunt end.

The active points were affected not only by acupuncture, but also by cauterization. Cauterization was performed using a hot metal stick, lit sulfur powder, and crushed pieces of garlic.

Pulse study.

One of the great achievements of the doctors of Ancient China was the idea of ​​​​the circular movement of blood. The “Canon of the Internal” says that the heart continuously pumps blood in a circle, and the doctor can judge the movement of blood by the pulse. “Pulse is the inner essence of a hundred parts of the body and the most subtle expression of the inner spirit.” Chinese doctors distinguished more than 20 types of pulse. They came to the conclusion that every organ and every process in the body has its own expression in the pulse, and by changing the pulse at several points, one can not only determine a person’s illness, but also predict its outcome. This teaching is set forth in the “Canon of the Pulse” (III century AD).

Historical parallels: The tradition of carefully studying the patient’s pulse was characteristic of the medical knowledge of different countries, but it was in Chinese medicine that it was developed most deeply. Later, the doctrine of the pulse was developed in the medical writings of the Arabs and from Arab treatises passed into the medicine of medieval Europe.

Periodization of history and healing

In the history of healing in ancient China, there are two large periods: the period of formation (XVIII-III centuries BC), when the oral tradition prevailed, and the period of the Han Empire (III century BC-III century AD). . BC), when the chronicles of the Han Dynasty were compiled and the medical works that have reached us were written down.

Philosophical foundations of Chinese medicine

The teaching of ancient Chinese philosophers about the material world gives rise to two opposing substances - the feminine (yin) and the masculine (yang); the interaction and struggle of these principles give rise to the five elements (wu xing): water, fire, wood, metal and earth, from which the entire diversity of the material world arises - “ten thousand things” (wan wu), including humans. Man is part of nature, part of the great triad Heaven - Man - Earth, and is in harmony with the world around him.

The elemental materialistic views of ancient Chinese philosophers formed the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. The structure of the body - each organ was correlated with the substances yin and yang. The yin organs perform conservation functions and do not give up what is stored in themselves, while the yang organs do the opposite (for example, the stomach, intestines). Anatomical knowledge was modest, since autopsies were prohibited due to the adoption of Confucianism. The idea of ​​health is that health is a state of balance between yin and yang in the body, and disease is a violation of this ratio. Various ratios of these disorders were combined into several syndromes, which were divided into two groups: the syndrome of excess - yang and the syndrome of deficiency - yin. The variety of diseases was explained by the breadth of interaction of the body with the surrounding world and nature, the characteristics of the body itself, a long stay in one of the emotional states (anger, joy, sadness, etc.) and other natural reasons.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The art of diagnosis in ancient China was based on the following methods of examining a patient: examination of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes and tongue; determining the general condition and mood of the patient; listening to sounds arising in the human body, identifying its odors; detailed questioning of the patient; pulse examination; pressure on active points. Historical chronicles of the Han dynasty tell of miraculous healings carried out by Bian Que and his students, skillfully using acupuncture and moxibustion, massage and local medicines. One of the greatest achievements of the philosophical thought of ancient China is the idea of ​​​​the circular movement of blood and pulse. When examining a patient, they studied the pulse at no less than nine points and distinguished up to 28 types of pulse. Over time, the method of studying the pulse turned into a harmonious doctrine of the pulse, which appeared the pinnacle of diagnostics in ancient China.

A characteristic feature of traditional Chinese medicine is Zhen-Jiu therapy (Chinese Zhen - acupuncture; Latin acupunctura; Chinese Jiu - moxibustion). The empirical roots of this method go back to ancient times, when it was noticed that injections, cuts or wounds at certain points of the body lead to the healing of certain ailments. Thus, on the basis of long-term observations, philosophers and healers of ancient China came to the conclusion about the existence of “vital points”, the irritation of which contributes to the regulation of life processes. They believed that through the holes made in the “vital points”, the disturbed balance of Yin-Yang is restored; the beginning of Yang leaves the patient’s body in case of its excess or enters the body in case of its deficiency, as a result of which the disease disappears.

The first acupuncture needles were made of stone. They had a very thin hole through which the beginning of yang was believed to move. Subsequently, needles began to be made not only from silicon or jasper, but also from bone, bamboo, and later from metals: bronze, silver (Fig. 36), gold, platinum and stainless steel. With the development of this method, there was a specialization of needles and their division into types. The Neijing treatise describes nine types of needles.

The rich variety of needles indicates the breadth of the acupuncture method in ancient times: it was used for the treatment and prevention of diseases, for pain relief during operations, and also in combination with massage and the cauterization method, that is, thermal effects on “vital points” through lit cigarettes, stuffed with dry leaves of medicinal plants.

In ancient China, there were several methods of moxibustion. Direct cauterization was carried out with a burning cigarette in close proximity to the body. With the indirect cauterization method, the cigarette was some distance from the point of impact, and medicinal substances could be placed between the cigarette and the body. Moxibustion with warm needles combined both acupuncture and moxibustion: a cigarette was twisted around the needle and lit when the needle was in the tissue; In this way, a combined effect was achieved (the effect of a needle and a smoldering medicinal plant).

Medicinal healing in ancient China reached high perfection. From traditional Chinese medicine they have entered world practice: from plants - ginseng, lemongrass, camphor, tea, rhubarb, resin; from products of animal origin - deer antlers, liver, gelatin; from mineral substances - iron, mercury, sulfur, etc. In 502, the first Chinese pharmacopoeia known in the world was created, in seven books of which 730 species of medicinal plants are described. In ancient China, there were institutions that today are called pharmacies.

The first special medical schools also appeared in China only in the Middle Ages (from the 6th century). Until this time, knowledge about traditional healing was passed down by inheritance or in a narrow circle of initiates.

The development of surgical treatment in ancient China (as well as the dissection of human corpses) was constrained. not subject to religious prohibitions.

HuaGuo is considered the largest surgeon of ancient China. (141--208), who became famous as a skilled diagnostician and expert in Zhen-Jiu therapy. He successfully treated fractures and performed operations on the skull, chest and abdominal cavities. For pain relief during operations, Hua Tuo used the acupuncture method, achieving the desired result by introducing one or two needles.

The strength of ancient Chinese medicine was the prevention of disease. Even in the treatise “Neijing” it was noted: “The tasks of medicine are to heal the sick and improve the health of the healthy.”

For a long time, important therapeutic and preventive measures in ancient China were massage, therapeutic gymnastics based on imitation of a stork, monkey, deer, tiger and bear, breathing exercises, which were used by the people to maintain health and achieve longevity.

There is evidence of the widespread introduction of variolation to prevent smallpox. So, according to legend, in the 12th century. BC e. During the smallpox epidemic, Chinese healers tried to prevent the spread of the disease by rubbing crusts of smallpox pustules into the nostrils of healthy children.