The Supreme Commander of the Medical Fortress

王好古Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.1

Word count: 12K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

A treatise on cold-damage disorders. Twelve juan. Written by Wang Haogu of the Yuan dynasty. The author first composed it in 1291; the original manuscript was later lost, and having "recovered seven or eight parts in ten" from memory, he republished it in 1297. The work takes the twelve channels as its framework, beginning with cold-damage and appending miscellaneous patterns.

Its scholarly lineage is grounded in Zhang Zhongjing, with supplementary reference to the discourses and therapeutic methods of such masters as Zhang Yuansu and Li Dongyuan. Many of its selected formulas are drawn from the Formulary of the Bureau of Harmony. Wang held that one should "examine the illness according to the pulse and determine the formula according to the pulse," and the book records no small number of his own experiential formulas. Four Ming editions and other versions are extant.

Editor's review

Yi Lei Yuan Rong is a cold-damage work by Wang Haogu of the Yuan dynasty in twelve juan. Taking the twelve channels as its framework, it first discusses cold-damage and then appends miscellaneous patterns; the structure is clear and makes it easy to trace topics by channel. Scholarly, the book is grounded in Zhang Zhongjing while also drawing on Zhang Yuansu, Li Dongyuan, and other masters; it frequently selects formulas from the Formulary of the Bureau of Harmony and records many of Wang's own experiential formulas, presenting the transitional character of Jin-Yuan physicians as they integrated classical formulas with contemporary ones. The book's dictum to "examine the illness according to the pulse and determine the formula according to the pulse" tightly links pulse diagnosis to formula treatment and is key to understanding Wang's scholarly character. The original manuscript was once lost and republished after being reconstructed from memory, a background that also reminds readers that the content has the nature of organized recollections. This edition is a modern collated version, suitable as reference reading for advanced study of cold-damage theory and for research on Jin-Yuan medicine; however, the work is long and interweaves formulas with discussion, so beginners should enter selectively rather than plow straight through from beginning to end.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Advanced students of Chinese medicine who need to broaden into the Jin-Yuan masters while studying cold-damage theory
Clinical practitioners of Chinese medicine who wish to understand pattern-differentiation and formula construction organized by the twelve channels
Researchers in Chinese medical literature and history concerned with the transmission of Jin-Yuan medicine
Experienced enthusiasts of Chinese medicine who have read basic commentaries on the Treatise on Cold Damage and wish to advance

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers of Chinese medicine not yet familiar with the six channels of cold-damage and the basic formula-pattern system
Readers who want only single formulas and proven remedies and are unwilling to understand pulse patterns and theoretical frameworks
Medical professionals seeking modern evidence-based conclusions and standard treatment protocols

Reading tips

First read the general introduction at the beginning of the volume and the outline of the twelve channels; establish the overall framework before selecting specific diseases and patterns.
Read alongside the original text of the Treatise on Cold Damage, marking where Wang supplements or develops it.
Pay particular attention to cases of "examining the illness according to the pulse and determining the formula according to the pulse," and note the correspondences between pulse patterns and formulas as you go.
The work is long; read it in two rounds by cold-damage and miscellaneous patterns—first a general survey, then a close reading by channel.

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
伤寒不可汗不可下不可吐诸证
太阳证
易简建中加减法
阳明证
少阳证
活人治妇人伤寒妊娠服药例
太阴证
少阴证
厥阴证
三焦热用药大例
发诸药
发黄兼诸杂证
序
圣世无补

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and the Treatise on Cold Damage?

The book is grounded in Zhang Zhongjing's scholarship, takes the twelve channels as its framework, and begins with cold-damage before appending miscellaneous patterns; it is an important development within cold-damage studies. It is not a substitute for the Treatise on Cold Damage but an extension of Wang's work based on Zhongjing, incorporating the discourses and therapeutic methods of Zhang Yuansu, Li Dongyuan, and other masters. It is suitable for reading after one is familiar with the basics of the Treatise on Cold Damage.

How should one understand "examining the illness according to the pulse and determining the formula according to the pulse"?

This is one of Wang Haogu's therapeutic principles: judge the nature of the illness from the pulse, then determine treatment from the pulse, directly linking pulse diagnosis to formula selection. When reading, combine it with specific disease entries in the book and observe the correspondences between pulse descriptions and chosen formulas to appreciate his pattern-differentiation logic.

Does the loss of the original manuscript and its reconstruction from memory affect its reading value?

This publication background shows that the content has the nature of organized recollection, and readers should recognize that some accounts may be less complete than the first draft. Still, the twelve-channel outline of the whole book is clear and the system of formulas and discussion remains fairly substantial; it retains value as a reference for understanding Wang's scholarship and the transmission of Jin-Yuan medicine, provided one reads with careful cross-checking.

The twelve juan are substantial—where should one begin?

It is advisable to read the general introduction at the beginning first to understand the organizing logic of the twelve-channel framework, then select channels and patterns one is familiar with. The cold-damage section can be read against the original text of the Treatise on Cold Damage; for the miscellaneous-pattern section, browse the table of contents first and then choose key points. Reading in two rounds—general survey first, close reading second—is more effective than forcing one's way through volume by volume from the start.

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About the author

王好古 Author

Wang Haogu was an important physician of the Jin-Yuan period, though public sources offer limited detail about his life, and his birth and death years, native place, and scholarly lineage are not clearly recorded. Judging from the six works held in the collection, his writings center on clinical medical theory and materia medica. Tangye Bencao organizes the properties, flavors, and uses of drugs while drawing on earlier works on materia medica; Yinzheng Lueli focuses on the differentiation and treatment of yin patterns, showing attention to deficiency-cold pathogenesis; Cishi Nanzhi and Yilei Yuanyong deal with medical theory and clinical formulas. His concise, practical style emphasizes the analysis of patterns and the basis for drug use, reflecting the bold argumentative manner of Jin-Yuan physicians. These works have been cited repeatedly in later Chinese medical literature and have influenced the development of materia medica and yin-pattern theory.