叶霖

Ye Lin is an author about whom little is currently known. Publicly available information is limited, and his native place, dates of birth and death, and medical training cannot be reliably established; at present his writings can only be understood through the work held in the collection. The only extant work attributed to Ye Lin is A Compendium of Sha and Measles (Sharhen Jiyao), catalogued under medicine, which indicates that his focus was on sha and measles and similar externally contracted diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. Judging from the title, the phrase "compendium" suggests that the book gathers and organizes earlier discussions of sha and measles, selecting the essentials; it is thus a medical compilation and clinical reference rather than a collection of personal case records or a formulary. Works of this kind generally served clinical diagnosis and the checking of formulas, allowing physicians to match treatments to patterns, and they had a certain practical value in transmitting experience in diagnosing and treating contagious ailments such as sha and measles. Because biographical materials are lacking, Ye Lin's other activities and scholarly background await further sources.