Traditional Medicine in Asia

Traditional Medicine in Asia
A part of the preface of Hyangyakjipsongbang, which
was written with a writing brush in block letters in
1443 AD.
used for the treatment of diseases for
several centuries. 4 From the specialized
book on acupuncture or the sections on
acupuncture in various classics, it is evident
that acupuncture had already been
established as a scientific system of
medicine. 1
The general introduction to the
acupuncture section of Tonguibogam, (5) a
typical medical classic, describes the
methods of making needles, seasonal
acupuncture, the selection of acu-points,
application of moxibustion, acu-moxa
combination and the stimulation intensity
of acupuncture and moxibustion, etc. This
section contains a systematic description
of the circulation course of the 14
meridians, the 365 acu-points on each
meridian, selection of acu-points,
indications, contraindications, application
70
of acupuncture and moxibustion, as well
as the theory of meridians. 1,5
Clinical aspects of Koryo
medicine
The medical classics published in DPR
Korea before the 17th century include
manuals addressing the clinical aspects,
as well as systematic and specialized books
on internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology,
etc. 1
Uyebanryuchwi, 6 a comprehensive
medical classic published in the country in
1445, has the value of a great
encyclopaedia. The book, consisting of as
many as 365 volumes, contains a
compilation of the material from 153
medical classics published before the 16th
century at home and abroad, and a
systematic presentation of the contents,
which are divided into different
categories.
1, 6
Tonguibogam is a well-known classic
in the form of a manual which was
published in 25 volumes in 1610. One
section of it describes the function
(physiology) and shape (anatomy) of the
five viscera and six entrails, manifestations
of the illness connected with them, and the
pathological mechanisms involved.
The clinical section contains a detailed
description of the causes of various
symptoms and syndromes, methods of
differentiating these, prognosis, medication
(use of a single medicinal plant and herbal
prescriptions), the therapeutic methods of
acupuncture and moxibustion, their
contraindications, etc. The section on
diarrhoea alone mentions 20 syndromes,
classified according to the shape of the
stool, the different factors that induce
diarrhoea, the correlationship between
diarrhoea and the internal organs and the
severity and duration of the illness. It