Notes from the Clinic
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Summary
Notes from the Clinic is a collection of popular Traditional Chinese Medicine essays co-written by Yu Changrong, a Fujian expert in internal medicine, and his son Yu Yinian, published by People's Military Medical Press in 2010 as part of the "Guoyi Xin Xuetang Series." The essays originated with Yu Changrong: from 1979 to 1981, at the invitation of the Fujian branch of China News Service, he wrote short pieces on TCM knowledge, which the agency distributed to Chinese-language newspapers in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia; after 1982, busy with clinical work and textual research, Yu Changrong handed the writing duties to his son Yu Yinian, whose new pieces appeared mostly in Science and Culture, Fujian Health News, Fuzhou Evening News, and other publications. These essays were once printed internally under the title A Branch of Apricot Beyond the Wall; for formal publication they were rearranged by content into three parts. Part One, "Plants and Animals," begins with everyday items such as Fujian tangerines, loquats, olives, lychees, longans, persimmons, and pears, and covers more than fifty medicinal plants and animals including plum, bamboo, pine, mugwort, calamus, lotus, chrysanthemum, peony, herbaceous peony, honeysuckle, ephedra, globe amaranth, fleeceflower root, platycodon, and finger citron, explaining their properties and medicinal value. Part Two, "Treating Illness and Preserving Health," introduces common medicines for nasal and throat ailments, summer cooling drinks, eliminating the "six harms" in health preservation, medicinal congee, eye care, dos and don'ts of taking Chinese patent medicines, proper use of ginseng, preventing constipation, sleep, and drinking, and other everyday health knowledge. Part Three, "Physicians and Medical Talks," draws on classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and the deeds of physicians such as Zhang Congzheng and Wu Ruifu to discuss TCM diagnostic and treatment thinking—using medicine as one uses troops, disease has root and branch so treatment has order, pulse-taking, and "treating the head when the head aches." The book is brief in length and plain in language, mostly insights from clinical practice.
Editor's review
这部书的难得之处，在于它既不是高头讲章的学术专著，也不是拼凑而成的养生鸡汤，而是由两位真正坐诊开方的中医人写给普通人看的小文章。俞长荣是福建中医学院的老院长、《伤寒论》研究名家，文字里带着老一辈医家的分寸感：说橘子、说枇杷、说生姜蜂蜜，从不夸大成“神药”，而是把性味、宜忌、适用人群一一点明；到了下篇谈“用药如用兵”“病有标本，治有先后”，又能看出他几十年临证的功底。书中文章原为海外与省内报刊而写，因此每篇都不长，几百字讲透一件事，随手翻读毫无压力，适合放在床头或案头。需要提醒的是，本书成文于二十世纪八九十年代，个别观点与材料带有时代痕迹，读者宜把它当作了解中医思维与生活智慧的入门读物，而不是自我诊疗的处方依据。114页、78千字的小册子，定价不高，作为中医文化入门或赠予家中长辈，都算妥帖。
Who it's for
A good fit for
- 对中医药文化感兴趣、希望从生活事物入门的普通读者
- 家中有老人，想找一本浅近的养生保健读物的人
- 中医、中西医结合专业低年级学生，作为课外读物了解医家文风
- 喜欢短篇随笔、习惯碎片化阅读的读者
Not a good fit for
- 希望通过本书寻找具体疾病处方、替代正规诊治的读者
- 要求系统完整、体例严整的中医教材或学术专著的读者
- 偏好现代循证医学表述、对传统理论持排斥态度的读者
Reading tips
- 可按上、中、下三篇顺序读，也可先读中篇“疗病·养生”，再回头看植物篇。
- 读到涉及具体药物用法与剂量的段落，请勿自行照方抓药，应咨询执业中医师。
- 留意文末署名：未署名者为俞长荣所作，可借此体会父子两代人的文字差异。
- 若对《伤寒论》或张从正、吴瑞甫等医家产生兴趣，可顺着下篇线索查阅相关专著。
About the publisher
People's Military Medical Press
China · Founded in 1950
People's Military Medical Press publishes monographs and textbooks on military and clinical medicine, and also extends into popular health, wellness, and motivational psychology titles. Its catalogue includes health books such as Very Old Medicinal Wine Recipes, Dietary Therapy and Massage for Common Women's Ailments, and Smart Food Pairings for Nutrition, as well as motivational and applied psychology works like 100 Action Plans for a Minimalist Life, Practical Ways to Enjoy Happiness and Win at Life, and Tea House of the Soul: Inspirational Stories That Influence Teenagers Throughout Their Lives. Its authors include Xing Qunlin, Su Chunli, Zhang Xueliang, and Wu Fei, along with the editorial board of the National Medical Classics Health Library series. Because public information is limited, this description focuses on the publishing directions reflected in the available titles: drawing on a medical background while covering both professional medical publishing and popular health reading.
Contents
- Part One: Plants and Animals
- Talking Tangerines at Spring Festival
- Luquats in Season in March
- Savory Olives
- Fujian's Prized Fruits: Lychee and Longan
- On Persimmons
- Peaches and Plums Speak Not, Yet a Path Forms Beneath Them
- A Fine Tonic, a Fine Nourisher: Lotus Seeds
- The Many Uses of a Small Pear
- Notes on Goji Berries
- Good as a Vegetable, Good as a Medicine: Ginger
- Full of Brewing Worth, Cherishing Fragrance All the Way: Honey
- In Praise of the Evergreen
- Talking Plum in the Plum Month
- Hard to Be a Day Without This Gentleman: Bamboo
- Pine Trees and Their Chinese Medicine Companions
- Mugwort, Calamus, and Realgar at Dragon Boat Festival
- A Branch of Red Apricot Beyond the Wall
- Lotus Fragrance Fills the Pond in the Sixth Month
- Dogwood at the Double Ninth Climb
- Talking Chrysanthemums in the Chrysanthemum Month
- The Two Finest Flowers: Peony and Herbaceous Peony
- The Little Immortal of the Medicine Shop: Honeysuckle
- Random Notes on Ephedra
- No Means to Relieve Poverty, Yet Power to Bring Spring: Globe Amaranth
- Seeking Good Medicine Among Grasses and Trees
- Flowers: A Woman's Health Companion
- Fleeceflower Root to Accompany Your Sleep
- Platycodon for Diffusing the Lungs and Discharging Pus
- Finger Citron for Regulating Qi
- Good Birds on the Branch Are Friends Too
- On Rats and Cats
- Frogs Everywhere by the Green Grass Pond
- Part Two: Treating Illness and Preserving Health
- Common Good Medicines for Nasal and Throat Ailments
- Summer Cooling Health Drinks
- A Brief Introduction to Traditional Health Drinks
- Health Preservation Begins with Eliminating the "Six Harms"
- The Finest of Foods: Congee
- The Gluttonous Monk, Eggs, and Fasting
FAQ
《诊余随笔》是谁写的？
由福建中医内科专家俞长荣与其子俞宜年合著。文章发端于俞长荣1979年起为海外中文报刊撰写的中医药小品，1982年后由俞宜年接手续写，2010年由人民军医出版社正式出版。
这本书是学术专著还是科普读物？
属于中医科普小品集。全书以随笔形式谈身边动植物药性、日常养生与医理医话，语言通俗，篇幅短小，并非系统的学术论著。
书中的方药可以直接照用吗？
不建议。书中内容多为知识性介绍与个人经验，且成文年代较早，个体体质与病情差异很大，用药应在执业中医师指导下进行。
这本书有多少页、多少字？
据出版信息，全书114页，约78千字，大32开平装，2010年8月第1版，定价16元。
“诊余随笔”还有其他同名的书吗？
有的。例如2024年厦门大学出版社出版《平堂诊余随笔：杨叔禹医案医话初辑》，作者与内容均不同，选购时请注意核对作者与ISBN。
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