He Yanshen

This volume in the "Century of Distinguished Chinese Physicians: Clinical Masters" series presents the He Yanshen collection, compiled and edited by Ma Fengbin. Organized into sections that include a biographical sketch, treatment of specific diseases, commentary on difficult cases, miscellaneous clinical notes, and a chronological biography, the book systematically presents the academic experience amassed by He Yanshen, a renowned physician from Dongguan, Guangdong, over decades of clinical practice. The section on specific diseases covers the differentiation and treatment of externally contracted febrile diseases, discussing the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to viral infection, typhoid fever, pulmonary infection, Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, and other conditions; it also addresses the treatment of stroke with attention to the relative urgency of the root and branch, and devotes separate topics to asthma, gastritis and enteritis, liver disease, nephritis, habitual abortion, infertility, measles, severe infantile diarrhea, and thrombocytopenic purpura. Each disease is introduced with a medical discourse followed by case records and appended commentaries explaining the key points of differentiation and the rationale for modifications of formulas and medicinals. The commentary on difficult cases analyzes ten cases in detail, reflecting He's qualities of meticulous thought and clear judgment and his skill in modifying ancient formulas to treat modern diseases. The miscellaneous clinical notes include his account of self-study, reflections on reading, and views on errors of collation in ancient texts, substitutes for rhinoceros horn and tiger bone, and the consumption of ginseng. The book is oriented throughout toward clinical practice, integrating theory, method, formula, and medicinals into a coherent whole, and is an important reader for studying the clinical experience of Lingnan Chinese medicine.