Chapter 20 Section 3 on pathogenic microorganisms

In ancient my country, there was a certain understanding of the prevalence of infectious diseases very early. "Su Wen · Acupuncture Theory" pointed out: "The five epidemics are all infected with each other, regardless of size, and the symptoms are similar." In ancient times, infectious diseases were included in the general name of "typhoid fever". "Su Wen · Fever Theory" said: "Today's fever patients are all typhoid." Typhoid fever by disease prescription".Zhang Zhongjing's "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" specifically summarizes the initiation and development of typhoid fever (including various acute infectious diseases) and a series of theories of syndrome differentiation and treatment, which can be regarded as a monograph on infectious diseases.In the Sui Dynasty, Chao Yuanfang began to explore the source of the disease. In his "On the Origin of Diseases and Symptoms of Diseases", he clearly believed that some infectious diseases were caused by harmful external factors (at that time he called it "surly gas") caused by.Wu Youxing of the Ming Dynasty developed this brilliant insight.

Wu Youxing, whose characters are Ke, was born in Wu County, Jiangsu Province in the 1680s.During Wu's sexual life, plagues were frequent.According to "History of the Ming Dynasty", from the sixth year of Yongle (AD 1408) to the sixteenth year of Chongzhen (AD 1643), there were 19 major plagues.The great plague that broke out in 1641 spread throughout Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other vast areas. The prevalence and spread of the plague forced people to conduct in-depth investigation and research in order to seek more effective treatment measures.Wu Youxing completed the book "On the Plague" in 1642 AD through careful investigation and research, and put forward the theory of hostility.He believes that the epidemic is caused by "hostility". In "Plague Theory Preface", it says: "The plague is not a disease, it is not wind, cold, heat, or dampness, but there is a strange gas between heaven and earth (hostility." Qi).” Here it is specifically pointed out that “hostility” is a special substance that exists in nature.Wu Youxing believes that this hostility can infect the human body through the mouth and nose.But whether it causes disease or not depends on the virulence of the hostility and the person's own resistance.In some years, when the epidemic is prevalent, the disease will be severe and "the most contagious".In some years, when the epidemic is weak, there are not many patients, and it will not infect people.This kind of hostility not only makes the human body sick, but also makes animals sick, such as rinderpest, sheep plague, chicken plague, duck plague, etc.But "cows are sick but sheep are not sick, chickens are sick but ducks are not sick, humans are sick but animals are not sick."It can be seen that Wu Youxing already knew that the plagues of different types of animals were caused by different hostility.He said: "There are various kinds of diseases because of the difference of knowing qi", "at the right time, a certain qi is transmitted to a certain viscera and meridian, and it is specially emitted for a certain disease".Diseases such as freckles and pimples were attributed to the heart fire in the previous TCM theories, but Wu Youxing pointed out that "the real thing is not fire, but also mixed qi (hostility) is caused by the ear." ", that is, it is believed that pox, boils, and surgical suppurative infection are all caused by hostility infection.From the above, it can be seen that the so-called "hostility" is the pathogenic microorganisms that are about to emerge.It is indeed admirable to be able to achieve such scientific insights when there was no microscope at the time.After about 200 years, Western scholars discovered and saw pathogenic microorganisms with the help of microscopes.