The Quintessence of Medicine

Name: The Quintessence of Medicine
ISBN: 9787513235099

陈嘉璴China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine · ChinaAug 2017

3.6

Word count: 91K words
Chapters: 30
ISBN: 9787513235099

Report an error Find this book

Summary

Medical Essence, also known as The Secret Wonders of the Medical School, was compiled by the Qing dynasty physician Chen Jialu. This book is a secret text transmitted within the Shenzhai school and brings together five works, most of them by Zhou Zhigan and his disciples: the two-volume Pulse Method Explained, written by Zhou Zhigan with commentary by Chen Jialu; the three-volume Three Books of Shenzhai, by Zhou Zhigan; selected excerpts from Selected Writings on Rectifying Yang, by Zhou's disciple Zha Wanhe; the one-volume Essential Sayings from Five Books, by the Ming dynasty physician Hu Shenrou; and the one-volume Brush Talks, by Chen Jialu himself. This edition is based on the 1749 Daonan Tang woodblock print from the fourteenth year of the Qianlong reign.

Editor's review

Medical Essence is a compilation of texts transmitted within the Shenzhai school, edited by Chen Jialu in the Qing dynasty. It contains five parts: Zhou Zhigan's Pulse Method Explained and Three Books of Shenzhai, Zha Wanhe's Selected Writings on Rectifying Yang, Hu Shenrou's Essential Sayings from Five Books, and Chen's own Brush Talks; the base text is the Daonan Tang edition of the fourteenth year of Qianlong. Its value lies not in any single complete masterwork but in gathering the Shenzhai lineage's pulse methods, pattern identification and treatment, and questions and answers from the teacher's school, allowing readers to see the academic thread of this school, which begins with pulse diagnosis and emphasizes the spleen and stomach and the ascending and descending of yin and yang. Pulse Method Explained includes Chen Jialu's commentary, making Zhou's essential pulse teachings easier to understand; Brush Talks contains the editor's own insights and comments and is the key to grasping the book's editorial intent. For readers studying Chinese medical schools from the Ming to the Qing dynasties, especially the transmission of the Shenzhai school, this book is a relatively concentrated body of primary material. It is suitable for researchers in medical history and literature, graduate students of Chinese medicine, and clinicians interested in pulse studies and lineage-based medical discussions; it can also serve as supplementary reading for courses on the various schools of Chinese medicine. The entire book is written in classical Chinese medical discussion and commentary and is not an introductory work.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers in the various schools of Chinese medicine and medical history literature, focusing on the transmission of the Shenzhai school
Graduate students of Chinese medicine who need to study the original works of physicians such as Zhou Zhigan and Hu Shenrou
Clinical Chinese medicine practitioners hoping to draw pattern-identification ideas from Shenzhai pulse methods and treatment
Teachers of courses on Chinese medical academic schools, using it as supplementary material on the Shenzhai lineage

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners among Chinese medicine enthusiasts, lacking preparation in classical Chinese and Chinese medical theory
Readers seeking only a single complete clinical manual
General readers expecting a modern vernacular translation and popular introduction

Reading tips

Begin with Chen Jialu's Brush Talks to understand the editor's intent in compiling the book and the key points of the Shenzhai school, then move on to the main texts.
Read Pulse Method Explained alongside Three Books of Shenzhai, noting the correspondence between pulse methods and pattern identification and treatment.
When reading Essential Sayings from Five Books, combine it with Hu Shenrou's other works to understand his academic connection with the Shenzhai school.
Make brief summaries of each book as you read, recording lineage relationships and core views to facilitate cross-comparison of the five works.

About the publisher

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine China · Founded in 1989

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.

版权信息
内容提要
校注说明
脉法解
周序
林序
弁言
自序
例言
卷上
卷下
慎斋三书
题语
序
凡例
周慎斋先生列传
卷之一
卷之二
卷之三
正阳篇选录
查了吾先生列传
正阳篇选录已见慎斋书者俱不录
慎柔五书
慎柔师小传
五书要语
陈氏笔谈
笔谈小引
笔谈医案传心录嗣出
先严行状略录
校注后记

FAQ

What is the relationship between Medical Essence and The Secret Wonders of the Medical School?

They are different titles for the same book. This book is also known as The Secret Wonders of the Medical School, and the content is identical; readers searching the literature can cross-reference the two titles to avoid duplicate searches.

Whose works are collected in this book?

It mainly collects Zhou Zhigan's Pulse Method Explained and Three Books of Shenzhai, along with selected excerpts from his disciple Zha Wanhe's Selected Writings on Rectifying Yang and Hu Shenrou's Essential Sayings from Five Books, plus the editor Chen Jialu's own one-volume Brush Talks.

Is this book suitable for learning introductory pulse diagnosis?

Not entirely. Although Pulse Method Explained deals with pulse studies, it belongs to the Shenzhai school's pulse system, with concise and abstruse wording and interspersed commentary; it is better read after one already has a foundation in pulse studies and is not suitable as an introductory textbook.

What is the base text used for this edition?

It is based on the Daonan Tang woodblock print of the fourteenth year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing dynasty, a mid-Qing print; the textual information is explained in the editorial notes.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

陈嘉璴 Author

Chen Jiacheng is the author of the book Medical Essence. Due to limited publicly available information, very little is known about his life: his nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and medical career are all undocumented, and no commonly accepted English rendering of his name has been established. Judging from the surviving work, Chen Jiacheng's writing centers on medicine. One work by him is held in the collection, namely Medical Essence, commonly classified under medicine. The title's phrase "essence" usually implies a gathering of key points, suggesting that the book may focus on organizing and compiling the essentials of medical knowledge rather than offering an extensive systematic treatise. On the available evidence, a fuller picture of Chen Jiacheng's writings must await further historical sources; readers and researchers may regard him as an author known for distilling the essentials of medicine, with Medical Essence serving as the main basis for examining his medical views.