Ten Maladies in Healing the Healer

吴楚Jul 2024

2.7

Word count: 9.5K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought have distinctive features: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers—all are profound and extensive. This series, "Essential Classics of Chinese Culture: Original Texts," preserves the original appearance of the books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their temperament and immerse themselves in the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Ten Maladies of Medicine is a medical discourse by the Ming dynasty physician Wu Chu, belonging to the "Essential Classics of Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series. The title points to the "maladies" of physicians and the medical profession; it belongs to the tradition of medical discourse that reflects on abuses in medicine and discusses medical ethics and the successes and failures of diagnosis and treatment, unlike mere formularies or materia medica. This book preserves the original appearance of the text and is suitable for readers interested in Chinese medical literature and traditional medical discourse to encounter the primary text directly. Its value lies in showing how ancient physicians examined their own profession and clinical practice, offering primary textual clues for understanding Ming dynasty medical ideas. Note that this is not a modern Chinese medicine textbook or clinical guide; its contents have the limitations of their era, and readers should treat it as material for medical history and intellectual history rather than using it to diagnose themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Chinese medical discourse and literature on medical ethics who want to read primary texts
Students of Chinese medical history or Ming dynasty medical thought who need primary materials
Readers with some foundation in Chinese medicine who wish to understand ancient physicians' reflections on medical abuses

Not a good fit for

Readers with no foundation in Chinese medicine who want a systematic introductory textbook
People hoping to use the book for self-diagnosis and self-treatment or to find modern clinical prescriptions

Reading tips

First understand Wu Chu's era and the genre of medical discourse, then read through the book to grasp its argumentative thread.
Take notes on passages concerning medical ethics and abuses, and read them against the words of physicians of the same period.
Treat the prescriptions and diagnostic content only as historical material; they do not replace professional medical advice.

版权信息
医医十病
序言
一、医医不学无术之病：
二、医医脉症罔辩之病：
三、医医轻忽人命之病：
四、医医遵守时套之病：
五、医医药似对症之病：
六、医医曲顺人情之病：
七、医医轻药保名之病：
八、医医吝惜药料之病：
九、医医妒忌谗谤之病：
十、医医欺哄诈骗之病：

FAQ

Is Ten Maladies of Medicine a formulary about treating illness?

Not entirely. Judging from the title and the traditional classification of medical discourse, it is more a text discussing physicians' abuses and the successes and failures of the medical art than a household formulary centered on prescriptions. The book may touch on diagnostic and treatment topics, but it should be read as medical discourse and medical history material, not as a manual for finding prescriptions to treat illness.

Can I read this book without knowing Chinese medicine?

You can read it, but the depth of understanding will be limited. This book presents the original appearance of the text and lacks modern vernacular explanation, involving Chinese medical terminology and physicians' backgrounds. Readers without a foundation may easily remain at the literal level; it is advisable first to acquire general knowledge of Chinese medical history, or to read it alongside an annotated anthology of medical discourse before entering the primary text.

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About the author

吴楚 Author

Wu Chu is an author for whom only limited public information is available, and verifiable details about his writing remain scarce. Two of his works are included in the collection: Personality Parasitism and Medical Doctors' Ten Maladies. Judging from their common categories, his writing touches on two directions: science fiction and culture. The former title carries a distinctly science-fictional ring, suggesting that the author may use fictional premises to explore the relationships among personality, consciousness, and individual existence; the latter is closer to cultural and real-world issues, showing a notable range in his choice of subjects. Because basic information such as dates of birth and death, nationality, and English name is not clearly recorded, it is difficult to give a fuller account of his life and creative development. Though the number of available works is small, they already reveal a writer who moves between imaginative fiction and cultural reflection, while his specific style and influence await further materials and readers' engagement.