The origin of medical and health care activities in our country is ancient.Analyzing the laws of historical development, there is no doubt that medicine, like other cultural sciences, is closely related to the labor practice on which human beings depend.Labor has created human beings, and labor has enabled human beings to create all their own civilizations, so medicine to prolong their own life activities must also be formed, developed and spread in the process of labor. Since the production of writing was much later than the production of human medicine and health care activities, it is impossible to have historical documents at that time to prove when medicine and health care activities originated.We can only conduct historical, objective, and scientific analysis of the surviving documents and legends about the origin of medicine since the Warring States Period, and draw conclusions.And these analyzes have been continuously unearthed and unearthed in modern times. The remains and objects of ancient people have been confirmed.

The origins of medicine recorded in ancient documents are mostly concentrated in the era of Emperor Yan (Shen Nong), Taihao (Fuxi), and Huangdi (Xuanyuan).That was only during the period of patrilineal clan communes, only four or five thousand years ago.But we know that medical and health care activities are gradually enriched in labor practice.In order to survive, human beings struggle with nature, from adapting to nature to transforming nature. Many activities in the process are related to health care, and then develop from unconscious self-protection to conscious medical activities. This process can be traced back hundreds of thousands of years. Previous.

In the remains of hominids discovered 690,000 years ago in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, there are some ashes left in several caves.The thickest part reaches six meters, and there are many animal bones that have been burned in the ashes.This shows that people at that time were able to master and use natural fire, and they often roasted animal meat with fire.Because cooked food can shorten the process of digesting food, and fire can keep out the cold, illuminate, and disperse the damp in the cave, which improves the living conditions, naturally reduces diseases and strengthens the body.The use of fire was a huge impetus for the liberation of human beings from nature, and the use of fire by humans has also become an important advancement in health care activities.In the later long history, humans discovered that fire can dispel pain, and gradually gained experience in treating diseases with the method of "moxibustion 焫〔ruoruo〕".This is where the current moxibustion therapy comes from.

The earliest tools used by ancient humans to resist fierce beasts and hunt for food were stones.Large triangular pointed stone tools were found in the same strata as the Lantian man fossils 800,000 years ago, and the stone tools made by the Peking Man have made more obvious progress. The stone materials they used were selected and made more regular. , and there are stone tools suitable for different purposes such as scraping, chopping and cutting.The earliest tool for acupuncture therapy - the Bianstone (bianbian) stone, was born from this. ①Record: "The mountain of Gaoshi has many jades on it, and many admonition stones under it." The admonishment stone is an ancient medical needle discovered before the Warring States Period.Proverbs are needles, and the character of Proverbs comes from bamboo, which also means that the development of needles has a stage of bamboo.Among the ancient cultural relics unearthed in large quantities so far, there are stone needles, bone needles, pottery needles and so on.Acupuncture, which has been proven to be used to treat diseases, has already taken shape in the Stone Age.With the development of social productive forces, needles and needle techniques are also constantly improving, until metal needles were formed after the invention of smelting. The "Lingshu Jing" records "nine needles", that is, there are nine kinds of needles with different shapes and different uses, which can be used for acupuncture, cutting, bloodletting, and drainage of accumulated water and pus.It shows that in the Warring States Period, acupuncture treatment methods were already varied and reached a very high level.This progress would not have been possible without a comparable level of productivity.

According to the analysis of the existing medical books and relevant literature, acupuncture and moxibustion books appeared first, and their contents were the most mature. In ancient times, acupuncture and moxibustion were often considered first in the treatment of diseases.Possibly acupuncture and moxibustion are the earliest treatment methods in my country.And their emergence and development are entirely based on the labor practice of ancient people. The appearance of wine is also very ancient. "Shuowen" explained "medicine (medicine)" and said: "The work of curing diseases...the nature of medicine, but it is caused by wine. From You." The ancient Chinese word for wine is You. From the word "medicine", it shows that medicine and medicine are related to each other. Wine is connected. In "Huangdi Neijing Suwen", there are discussions on the production and medical use of mash.Liquor mash is juice wine.

The living environment of the primitive people was very harsh, because their ability to transform the environment was very poor at that time.Pekingese live in natural caves in Longgu Mountain.According to textual research, there was a period when the cave was occupied by hyena (lie) dogs; it was temporarily relocated due to flooding, and because the roof of the cave continued to collapse, it had to look for another inhabitable part in the cave.Living in such an environment, their lifespan is very short.Through the study of the remains of 22 ape-man fossils unearthed: there is only one person between 50 and 60 years old; 15 people under the age of 14.In the long life later, people gradually realized the harm of the harsh natural environment to the human body; realized that cold, humidity, heat, wind and rain, and the infestation of insects and beasts can all cause people to suffer from illness.Due to the accumulation of labor experience and the gradual improvement of their creativity, they are no longer content to adapt to the natural environment, but to transform the environment through their own labor.Hence the invention of clothing and shelter, and their constant improvement.From living naked, to using bark and animal skins to keep out the cold, to inventing sewing and primitive textile labor, and creating unique clothes; The cellar was developed into a wooden house and a stone house.All show that with the development of productivity, people's living conditions are gradually improving.And every progress in these struggles against nature is actually for the purpose of health care and disease prevention.In the course of this series of labor practices with clear objectives, people gradually became aware of the pathogenic factors and methods of disease prevention.

Similar health care methods also have primitive dances.Due to the rough tools of primitive people, it is not easy for primitive people to hunt and harvest.Therefore, when they get a larger prey, one can imagine their happy mood.At this time, they imitate the joyful movements of animals jumping and flying to express the joy of victory, and the original dance came into being.After dancing, the body is naturally warm and the spirit is happy. Naturally, it is also regarded as a part of the content of life.A long time later, people discovered that similar exercises can strengthen muscles and bones, and they took it as a way to keep fit and prevent diseases.This is how channeling was born.Daoyin is a form of physical exercise in ancient times, just like the current gymnastics with breathing adjustment.Both ancient dances and guidance often imitated the gestures of animals, reflecting their blood relationship.

The accumulation of ancient medical knowledge is also closely related to human production and life practice.Collecting wild fruits was one of the sources of human life in ancient times.From blind collection to selective collection and consumption, this process shows that people have already had perceptual experience of some poisonous plants and passed them down from generation to generation.Which plants can cause diarrhea; which plants can cause vomiting; and which plants will cause lethargy or sweating after accidental ingestion, etc. These understandings have laid the foundation for drug treatment.Subsequently, human beings changed from collecting wild fruits to inventing agriculture; from hunting to fish and animal husbandry; and the arrival of the age of metal smelting enabled people to accumulate knowledge about ore properties.As a result, some biases and toxicity of plants, animals, and minerals have been gradually recognized by people, which is actually pharmacological knowledge.As people's understanding of diseases deepens, these biases such as vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, and sleeping are also used to treat diseases.Therefore, medicine is also derived from labor practice.

From the above analysis of the origins of moxibustion, acupuncture, guidance, medicine, etc., we can also find a characteristic: ancient medical and health knowledge was gradually formed and communicated with each other in the production and life practices of working groups in various places, rather than just one place at a time. invention.Therefore, "Suwen·Different Methods and Prescriptions" said: "The stone needles also come from the east"; "The poisons also come from the west"; "The moxibustion also comes from the north"; Come from the south"; "Guiding and pressing (massage) also come from the center".

Medicine is not invented by a certain person, but in the process of the occurrence, development and dissemination of medicine, some people have made outstanding contributions in some aspects, and people will commemorate them from generation to generation.It is for this reason that some legends of someone who invented medicine are preserved in ancient texts.But the method is nothing more than using the title of the leader (such as Shennong, Fuxi, Huangdi, etc.) to commemorate the honor of the tribal group.

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Notes: It records mountains and rivers, roads, tribes, products, sacrifices, medicine and witches, and primitive customs in various places, and preserves ancient myths and legends as well as historical and geographical documents.It was originally written by Xia Yu and Boyi. According to research, it was probably written in the Warring States Period, with some additions and deletions in Qin and Han Dynasties.