History of Chinese Medicine

OM301: HISTORY OF EASTERN MEDICINE Week 2: Shang Dynasty to Warring States Period

Yueqikun Wang, L.Ac, Dipl.OM

ywang17@vuim.edu

QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEK?

SHANG DYNASTY (1600-1046 BC)

Known for their iconic cast bronze ritual vessels and bells to communicate with ancestors

Development of Chariots

Early knowledge of disease and surface anatomy detailed on Oracle bones

Treatment methods included surgical lancing, massage, bone setting, teeth extraction, and herbal medicine

No evidence that “needles” were used in any energetic form but for lancing.

ORACLES BONES/JIǍ GǓ 甲⾻

Earliest known body of writing

Used as divination tools by diviners, invocators, shamans

Records about life in ancient history

Found as by an archaeologist in a herbal pharmacy （Long Gu & Gui Ban）

Approx. 20 diseases names recorded

Involved seasonal epidemic diseases and diseases caused by excess rain

Understanding of the human body & diseases were described in the various characters such as.. head, ear, eyes, nose mouth, tongue, tooth, nape, arm, buttocks, toe and heart.

WŪ 巫/SHAMANESS

Earliest gravesites found were of wū 巫 shaman

Role in society was to perform divination rituals, dream interpretation, healing, exorcisms, and performing rain dances

TĀNG YÈ JĪNG 湯液經/DECOCTION CLASSIC

Yi ̄ Yi ̌n 伊尹： First to “develop” decoctions/ta ̄ng 湯

• Author of the tāng yè ji ̄ng 湯 液經/Decoction Classic

• Han dynasty physician Zhang Zhong Jing 張仲景 will be highly influenced by the work

The text describes Chinese herbs and their interactions in terms of the Five Phases and flavors. It is one of the first text we know of solely devoted to herbal formulas...

Consists of twenty five herbs, classified in sets of five according to Flavors and 5 Phase identification

ZHOU DYNASTY (1046-256 BC)

Fall of the Shang Dynasty due to cruel and autocratic rulers

First historical case where right to rule was based on ethical justification instead of power

Initiation of the “Mandate of Heaven”

Herbal medicine still mixed with folklore and superstitions

Development of the Yi Jing易經

FOUR KEY ASPECTS OF THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN

The right to rule is granted by heaven

There can be only one ruler because there is only one heaven

The right to rule is based on ruling fairly, justly, & wisely

Right to rule is not limited to one dynasty

The right to rule granted by Heaven and the will of ancestral spirits...

• The Son of Heaven

• Given to fair and virtuous rulers

Lost of the mandate due to…

• Corrupt & Lazy officials and rules with poor morals

• High Taxes

• Revolts, invasions, civil wars, crimes

• Natural Disasters

BRONZE BELLS

Displays of bronze bells and other bronze vessels were an indicator of wealth & political status

Part of a ritualized form of court music that also included strings, percussion and wind instruments

• Wood- Jue (Mi)

• Fire- Zhi (So)

• Earth- Gong (Do)

• Metal- Shang (Re)

• Water- Yu (La)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJaMCKVOFJM

ZHŌU YÌ 周易 (YÌ JĪNG易經)

Considered the oldest Chinese classic texts

This would later become Yì ji ̄ng 易經/Book of Changes

King Wen helped to arrange the hexagrams and the Duke of Zhou wrote the line statements/commentaries

Offered a model for understanding and predicting change and transformation

Contains the fundamental principles for all aspects of life and philosophers, politicians, mystics, shamans, alchemists, even todays mathematicians and scientists highly regard this text

SPRING & AUTUMN PERIOD (722- 476 BCE) & WARRING STATES PERIOD (475-221 BC)

SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD (722- 476 BCE)

Due to numerous rebellions and poor relations to neighboring states the Western Zhou fragments into 170 smaller states

A period of great spiritual & philosophical development during the Spring & Autumn Period (722- 476 BCE)

• Mo Zi - Mohism

• Confucius - Confucianism

• Lao Zi- Daoism

• Shang Yang- Legalism

• Zuo Yan - Naturalism

CONFUCIANISM It takes the spring and autumn period Confucius as the teacher, takes the Six Skills(Ritual, Music, archery, driving, calligraphy and arithmetic 礼、乐、射、御、书、数) as the method, advocates the "rites and music" and "benevolence and justice", advocates the"doctrine of the mean", advocates the "rule of virtue" and "benevolent governance", and attaches importance to moral and ethical education and people's self- cultivation.

Confucianism emphasizes the function of education and believes that the only way for a country to be stable and the people to be prosperous and happy is to lay emphasis on enlightenment and light punishment. Advocate "teach without class", to the ruler and the ruled should carry on the education, make the whole country all become the moral person.

In politics, they also advocate the rule of the country by etiquette and the moral persuasion.

LEGALISM

• Created by Shāng Yāng • Rejected all notions of religion and

practices, and believed a nation should be governed by strict law

DAOISM

• Advocated by Lǎo Zi ̌ • Believed that human nature was good and

can achieve perfection by returning to original state.

• Believed that like a baby, humans are simple and innocent although with development of civilizations it lost its innocence only to be replaced by fraud and greed.

YIN YANG SCHOOL (NATURALISM)

• Developed by Zou Yan • Synthesized the concepts of yin- yang and

the Five Elements.

• Attempted to explain the universe in terms of basic forces in nature

WARRING STATES PERIOD (475-221 BC)

Four main states at the time ❖ Qin, Jin, Qi & Chu

Iron technology spreads and is cheaper to produce than bronze.

Weapon and Armor improvements: Crossbows, axes etc

Rise of the Shì ⼠ /Scholar & Fa ̄ng shì ⽅⼠ /Prescription gentlemen

No formal academies existed at the time but the rise of the professionally educated physicians & medical apprenticeships existed

“THE ART OF WAR” RELATED TO MEDICINE

Written by Sun Zi 孫⼦

Scholars started using the military strategies and putting into medical domain

• Weak/Deficient (xu虛)

• Replete/Excess (shi 實)

• Inner (nei內)

• Outer (wai 外)

BIǍN QUÈ 扁鵲 (407-310

The “first” recorded physician to combine folk shamanism with theoretical doctrine

Yao Wang 藥王 - Medicine King

Preformed heart transplants

Gained X-ray-like ability and could see through peoples bodies - zàng xiàng 藏象/ visceral manifestation

sì zhěn 四診/four pillars of examinations (looking, listening-smelling, questioning & palpation)

Pulse taking methods

Attributed author of Nàn Ji ̄ng 難經/ Difficult Issues Classic