Looking back on the development history of traditional Chinese medicine and exploring the charm of traditional Chinese medicine culture

China is one of the countries with the longest development of medical culture. From the dawn of civilization reflected on the land of the Central Plains, the clusters of prehistoric cultural bonfires throughout the land of China are connected from point to surface, forming a prairie fire. It is an inseparable part of the splendid culture of China's five-year history.

Chinese medicine is the working people of our country for thousands of years in the process of fighting against diseases, through practice, continuous understanding, and gradually accumulated medical knowledge, and the formation of the study of human physiology, pathology and disease diagnosis and prevention of a discipline. Starting from the legends of "Shennong tasting all kinds of grass", "the nine needles of the Yellow Emperor" and "Fuxi painting gown" in primitive society, traditional Chinese medicine has officially entered a long development. Today, with the headlines of Materia Medica, let's sort out the development process of traditional Chinese medicine in the past thousand years.

Originated in primitive society

Traditional Chinese medicine originated from human labor practice, as early as the primitive society has medical activities, when the primitive people use simple stone tools and wooden sticks to dig underground plant roots, hunting ferocious beasts, cutting animal muscles, crushing bone marrow and so on. At the same time, these simple tools and animal bone tools will be used to cut pus, cut off carrion, puncture and bleed, etc. It can be said that this is the earliest medical instrument.

In the process of using stone tools as production tools, it was found that one part of the human body could relieve the pain of another part after being stabbed, thus creating a method of using stone needle and bone needle treatment. On this basis, it gradually developed into acupuncture therapy, which later formed the meridian theory.

The discovery and use of fire not only played an important role in the cave tribes at that time, for example, cooked food was good for digesting food, keeping out the cold, lighting, dispersing the humidity in the cave and improving the living conditions and reducing diseases, but also provided many medical conditions for the development of human reproduction, such as heating with fire, it was found that hot stones or sand wrapped in animal skins and barks could be used for local heating to eliminate abdominal pain or joint pain caused by cold and dampness, and hot ironing was gradually developed.

In the primitive society, the earliest representative figures and representative works of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine were also produced. For example, in the middle and late Paleolithic period, Fu Xi, the ancestor of traditional Chinese medicine, looked up and inspected the internal organs, took everything from far away, took everything from close to everything and created the eight trigrams, distinguished yin and yang, and divided them into five elements, book deeds are made to remember things by knotting ropes, advocating cooked food, tasting hundreds of medicines, making nine needles, understanding internal organs, knowing meridians, using needle stones, pressing stilts, guiding, moxibustion, etc. to cure diseases and relieve pain. In the middle of the Neolithic Age, Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs. Shennong's herbal classics recorded that "Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs, met 72 poisons every day, and got tea."; In the late Neolithic Age, Huang Di, together with his courtiers Lei Gong and Lei Qi, discussed medical theories and wrote medical works, which were edited by later generations as "Huang Di Neijing" and constructed the theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Xia-Shang Two-Generation Theory Foundation

As early as the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the development of pottery and copper ware technology provided the basis for the dispensing and decocting of traditional Chinese medicine. According to the "Zhou Li. Tian Guan" records, in the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was a division of labor between doctors, doctors, food doctors, disease doctors and ulcer doctors, and the Zhou Dynasty has begun to use the methods of diagnosis, medicine, acupuncture, surgery and other treatment methods.

The Soup Sutra edited by Yi Yin is the earliest classic of traditional Chinese medicine decoction. He advocated the homology of medicine and food, the compatibility of monarch and minister, and the warmth and coolness of cold and heat. He developed the previous single-flavor medicine to multi-flavor medicine. Prescription treatment of diseases has become one of the most important features of Chinese medicine.

According to statistics, there are 67 kinds of animal drugs, 52 kinds of plant drugs, 3 kinds of mineral drugs, 1 kind of water drugs, and 3 kinds of unknown categories recorded in Shanhaijing, totaling 126 kinds. There are differences between internal and external use, and 31 kinds of diseases are treated, including internal, external, gynecological, eye, skin and other diseases. Among them, the records of tonic and prevention reflect the germination of ancient preventive medicine thought in China at that time.

From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, from Disease Treatment to Disease Prevention

As early as the spring and Autumn period of the 6th century BC, medicine and health gradually got rid of the restriction of witchcraft and tended to develop independently. Due to the continuous improvement of people's medical technology and the continuous enrichment of drug knowledge, the theory of traditional Chinese medicine came into being and developed. The famous doctor in the Qin Jinggong era-Yihe used the "six qi" of nature, yin, yang, wind, rain, obscure, and Ming to explain the cause of the disease. This is the earliest view of the cause of the disease in the history of medicine in the world.

In the 5th century BC, Bian Que (a native of Qin Yue) used the four diagnoses of "watching, hearing, asking and cutting" and acupuncture techniques to diagnose and treat various diseases. According to legend, "The Hard Classic" was written by him. This is a classical medical book, and its content includes physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and other aspects.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, internal and external transportation has become increasingly developed. Rhino horn, amber, antelope horn, musk in ethnic minority areas, and longan in the South China Sea have gradually been adopted by mainland physicians. Medicinal materials from Southeast Asia and other places are also constantly entering China, thus enriching people's knowledge of medicinal materials. The earliest existing pharmacology monograph in China, Shen Nong's Materia Medica, was handed down at that time. It is a simple summary of thousands of years of medication experience before Qin and Han Dynasties. It contains 365 kinds of drugs and describes the pharmacology theories of Jun, minister, assistant, emperor, seven emotions and four qi and five flavors. Long-term clinical practice and modern scientific research have proved that most of the efficacy contained in the book is correct, such as ephedra for asthma, coptis chinensis for dysentery, seaweed for gall and so on.

The basic theory of pulse diagnosis was established from Bian Que to Huangdi Neijing. Although in the era of Neijing, the method of cutting the whole body pulse was still the main method, but it was also clearly put forward the method of cutting the pulse to take an inch.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, traditional Chinese medicine made great progress. Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, studied classical medical books deeply, collected effective prescriptions from all people, and combined with his own clinical experience, wrote "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases". The six meridians were used to distinguish typhoid fever and viscera to distinguish miscellaneous diseases, which established the theoretical system and treatment principles of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, and laid the foundation for the development of clinical medicine. Later, the book is divided into "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and "Synopsis of the Golden Chamber". The two books have 269 paid-in prescriptions, which basically summarize the commonly used prescriptions in various clinical subjects and are known as "the ancestor of Fang Shu".

Hua Tuo first used general anesthesia to perform surgical operations, and created the anesthetic "Ma Tao San", which is the earliest anesthetic in world history and is regarded as the "originator of surgery" by later generations ". Hua Tuo used alcohol to perform abdominal surgery, creating a precedent for general anesthesia.

Jin and Tang Dynasties to the two Song Dynasties, development improved

The two Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties have been enriched and improved on the basis of the medical theory and the achievements of clinical medicine formed during the Qin and Han Dynasties. The Western Jin Dynasty physician Huangfu Mi Ji ancient and modern, wrote "acupuncture and moxibustion A and B" 12 volumes, 128 articles. This book is the earliest existing acupuncture and moxibustion book in China. Its content includes viscera, meridians, acupoints, pathogenesis, diagnosis, acupuncture techniques, acupuncture prohibition, acupoint indications, etc., which has a great influence on later generations of acupuncture and moxibustion medicine.

Wang Shuhe, a famous doctor in the Wei and Jin dynasties, has unique views on the pulse of traditional Chinese medicine. Wang Shuhe combines his own clinical experience to collect the great achievements of ancient pulse diagnosis method. His ten volumes of "Pulse Classic" are widely spread in the world. This book is the earliest existing pulse study monograph in China. In 610 AD, Chao Yuanfang and others in the Sui Dynasty collectively compiled "Treatise on the Sources of Diseases", which is the earliest extant monograph on etiology and syndrome in China. The book consists of 50 volumes, containing more than 1700 syndromes, discussing the etiology, pathology and symptoms of various diseases, as well as intestinal anastomosis, induced abortion, tooth extraction and other operations.

In 657 AD, the Tang government organized more than 20 people, including Su Jing, to compile the herbal medicine and completed the "New Materia Medica" in 659 AD. This is the first pharmacopoeia issued by the government in ancient China, and it is also the earliest national pharmacopoeia in the world. It is 883 years earlier than the Nuremberg Pharmacopoeia issued in 1542. The book consists of 54 volumes, including three parts: Materia Medica, Medicinal Chart and Figure Sutra.

Sun Simiao is a great medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty. He is the author of "Qianjin Yaofang" and "Qianjin Yifang" in 30 volumes each. Two books on clinical subjects, acupuncture, dietotherapy, prevention, health, etc. are discussed. Especially in the prevention and treatment of nutritional deficiency diseases, outstanding achievements. In 752 AD, the secret of Waitai written by Wang Tao, a medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty, is another medical masterpiece. The book has 40 volumes and contains more than 6000 poems. It can be said to be the great achievement of the pre Tang Dynasty. A large number of ancient medical documents have been preserved for later generations.

With the social stability and the development of science and technology in the Song Dynasty, traditional Chinese medicine achieved prosperity. During this period, the government attached great importance to TCM education and set up a "Taiyi Bureau" to cultivate TCM talents. The courses students take include "Neijing", "Difficult", "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and so on. The teaching methods have also been greatly improved. For example, the acupuncture doctor Wang Only once designed and cast two bronze men for acupuncture teaching and examination of doctors. During the examination, the trial officer will inject water into the copper points and seal them with wax for external use. If the subject selects the acupoint correctly, the needle can enter the water. The Song Dynasty made important achievements in various subjects of traditional Chinese medicine, including Chen Ziming's "Women's Good Prescription", Qian Yi's "Children's Medicine Certificate Direct Tips", Song Ci's "Wasn", the official pharmacopoeia "Kaibao Materia Medica", "Jiayou Materia Medica", "Materia Medica Tujing" and so on.

Jin Yuan Ming and Qing Dynasties, rapid development

The gateway of medicine was divided into the period of Jin and Yuan Dynasties, which formed a situation of contention among the four schools of medicine, namely Liu Wansu (Shouzhen), Zhang Congzheng (Zihe), Li Gao (Dongyuan) and Zhu Zhenheng (Danxi), liu Wansu of the "Cold and Cool School" advocated the theory of attacking fire, Zhang Congzheng of the "Attacking Down School" advocated the theory of attacking evil, Zhu Danxi of the "Danxi School" advocated the "theory of phase fire", "theory of yang surplus and yin deficiency", and Li Gao of the "Spleen and Stomach Theory".

In the Ming Dynasty, China has begun to use human pox vaccination method to prevent smallpox, until the 18th century, the invention of the invention of the invention of vaccinia vaccination vaccinia vaccinia was gradually replaced, become the pioneer of medical immunology in the world. From the 17th to the 19th century, due to the continuous prevalence of infectious diseases, people formed and developed the school of epidemic fever in the process of fighting against infectious diseases. The summary of traditional Chinese medicine literature in the Ming Dynasty and various disciplines have made great progress, such as Xu Chunpu's "Ancient and Modern Medical System", Zhang Jingyue's "Jingyue Complete Book", Yang Jizhou's "Acupuncture Dacheng", Wang Ji's "Shishan Medical Case" and so on.

Li Shizhen's book Cheng is known as a landmark drug masterpiece of traditional Chinese medicine-"Compendium of Materia Medica". This book was thoroughly revised on the basis of the previous works of Materia Medica, with more than 800 references. It lasted 27 years and was first published three years after his death. This book contains 1892 kinds of drugs, with more than 11000 attached prescriptions. It adopts the advanced classification method at that time, contains evolutionary ideas, detailed styles, and rigorous words. It is not only a masterpiece of medicine, but also a study of animal minerals. The masterpiece of natural history was called "Chinese Encyclopedia" by British biologist Darwin ".

In the Qing Dynasty, there were many literatures on traditional Chinese medicine, covering a wide range, and traditional Chinese medicine was well integrated into daily necessities. Since then, the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese medicine has reached a historical peak.

Since the Opium War, with the widespread spread of Western medicine in China, the coexistence of Chinese medicine and Western medicine has been formed. Some physicians gradually realized that Chinese and Western medicine have their own strengths, so they tried to combine the two kinds of academics, and gradually formed the school of Chinese and Western medicine. Its representative figures include Tang Zonghai's "Five Kinds of Chinese and Western Medical Books"; Zhang Xichun's "Medical Sinceration in China and Western Records" and so on. When there is a large influx of western science and technology culture, correspondingly, the society and medical circles gradually have the names of "traditional Chinese medicine" and "traditional Chinese medicine". Therefore, modern western medicine is gradually called "western medicine" and "western medicine".

New China so far, the combination of Chinese and Western, integrity and innovation

After the founding of New China, the Chinese government decided in 1956 to establish four Chinese medicine schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, and changed the Nanjing School of Traditional Chinese Medicine to Nanjing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and at the same time opened Chinese medicine or added Chinese medicine courses in Western medicine colleges. Since then, in Chinese history, Chinese medicine education has been officially incorporated into the track of national higher education.

Over the past few decades, the Academy of traditional Chinese Medicine (now changed to the Chinese Academy of traditional Chinese Medicine) has taken a variety of measures to inherit and sort out the academic experience of well-known old traditional Chinese medicine doctors in China, published more than 100 medical cases, medical words, medical theories, medical experience, and collected a large number of unilateral prescriptions. Remarkable achievements have also been made in the collation and research of ancient Chinese medicine literature. According to statistics, there are more than 4000 kinds of ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine in China, and more than 1000 kinds have been sorted out, studied and published.

Since 1980, the government has organized the compilation of 25 volumes of "Atlas of Materia Medica", drawing 5000 scientific specimen spectra of plant medicine, animal medicine and mineral medicine. These pictures are drawn according to the original shapes of animals and plants, with accurate proportions and bright colors, and have become treasures of great scientific value.

Since 1956, classes for leaving Western medicine to study Chinese medicine have been widely set up all over the country, and a group of doctors who love Chinese medicine, study Chinese medicine, and master both Chinese and Western medicine skills have been trained. They have become the backbone of the work of integrated Chinese and Western medicine.

The contribution of traditional Chinese medicine to the world is undeniable, and its development process is not easy. As young people in the new era, we should not forget traditional Chinese medicine. Historically, the Chinese nation has repeatedly experienced natural disasters, wars and plagues, but it has been able to turn the crisis into peace again and again, with an increasing population and the inheritance of civilization. Traditional Chinese medicine has made great contributions.