Zhang Lu

Zhang Lu (1617–1699), courtesy name Luyu and styled Shiwang Laoren in his later years, was a native of Changzhou in Jiangnan (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu) and a renowned physician of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. After the fall of the Ming he lived in seclusion on Dongting Mountain for more than a decade before returning to Suzhou to practice medicine, where he earned a high reputation and was counted, together with Yu Chang and Wu Qian, among the three great physicians of the early Qing. His Zhang shi yi tong (Comprehensive Medicine According to Mr. Zhang) circulated widely, and he also wrote works on cold damage disorders, materia medica, formulas and pulse diagnosis, making contributions in each of these fields. His writings are known for clinical practicality and clear organization and are valued by later physicians. This site holds twenty works under his name, chiefly medical, though some fall under world history, foreign literature and inspirational growth, suggesting that certain entries have been grouped under him from different authors. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and readers should consult prefaces to his books and histories of medicine for further study.