Chapter 15 Section Four: Taoist Doctor Ge Hong

Ge Hong, a native of the Jin Dynasty, was a representative figure of Taoism who was keen on alchemy and seeking immortality. Of course, the result was counterproductive.But after several centuries, his alchemy theory and method were introduced to Europe via India, Persia, Arabia and Spain, which objectively led to the beginning of pharmaceutical chemistry. Therefore, the world has long recognized that the pioneer of modern chemistry is Chinese alchemy.Ge Hong not only made special contributions in alchemy and health preservation, but also was a medical scientist with outstanding achievements.

Ge Hong, courtesy name Zhichuan, self-named Baopuzi, was born in Jurong, Danyang (now Jurong County, Jiangsu).Although both his grandfather and father were high-ranking officials, his family was in decline when he was young, so he "cut wages to trade paper and pens", farming and woodcutters must carry classics and history, and finally became a well-learned man who understands the past and the present.He has written more than 600 volumes of books such as "Baopuzi", covering a wide range of knowledge, and has made relatively high achievements in literature and philosophy. He is known in history as "well-informed, profoundly connected, and outstanding in Jiangzuo".He was once named "Marquis of Guannei" because of his military achievements. Knowing that he was ugly and dull-spoken, and that his official career would be difficult, he lived in seclusion in the mountains and specialized in alchemy and Taoism.

Ge Hong attaches great importance to the research of prescriptions and medicines, and deeply feels that the previous prescriptions have many shortcomings and cannot meet the needs of first aid.So I collected the writings of predecessors, combined with my personal treatment experience, and compiled 100 volumes of the medical masterpiece "Yuhan Fang", but unfortunately this book has not been handed down to future generations.After the completion of the great work, I felt that the volume was too large to be used urgently, so I "adopted its outline" in "Yuhan Fang" and compiled it into three volumes of "Prescription for Rescuing the Soldiers after the Elbow", also known as "The Prescription for Emergencies at the Elbow", referred to as "The Prescription of the Elbow" ".The book focuses on emergency treatment, while the prescriptions focus on simplicity, cheapness, availability, and efficacy, which has a great influence on future generations.The book first introduces first aid methods, including stroke, coma, sudden death, acute abdomen, etc.; it has a detailed description of the clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of many diseases, classified according to the names of diseases in Western medicine today, including infectious diseases, parasitic diseases, neuropsychiatric diseases , Respiratory, digestive, urinary and other system diseases, dermatology, surgery, ENT diseases and so on.For example, the symptoms of "sore sores" are "sores on the head, face and body, which appear around the body in a short time, shaped like fire sores, all wearing white paste, and life will follow the decision. If it is not cured immediately, those who suffer from it will die." Earliest record. "Corpse note": "It makes people cold and hot, and they are twilight [huanghuang] silent. They don't know what they are suffering, but they are evil everywhere. Over the years, they gradually stagnate and even die. Pass it on to others, and even destroy the family." In fact, it is probably tuberculosis.Another example is jaundice: "The skin is yellow. At the beginning of the disease, the limbs are heavy and uncomfortable. After a while, the eyes are yellow, and gradually the face is yellow and the whole body is yellow. If you are urgently ordered to drown in white paper, the paper will be dyed like tiller [nie Nie]." Here not only Accurately described the change process of jaundice, and proposed to confirm jaundice with paper urine.In addition, milk (rich in B vitamins) is used to treat beriberi (called "slow wind" in ancient times, which is today's peripheral neuritis); puncture and drainage to treat ascites; bamboo tubes to fix fractures; reed tubes to rescue suffocation (artificial respiration) They are all very precious historical materials of medical science.

There is also the world's earliest record about scrub typhus in the book: "When you first get it, the skin is red, like adzuki beans, millet, and millet. When you rub the red skin with your hands, it hurts like a thorn. After three days, the joints will be strong, and the pain will be cold and hot. There are sores on the red surface." And it is believed that the disease is transmitted by sand lice, "Sand lice are found in both water and land, and they will definitely hit people after new rains and before dawn and dusk." "It is as big as the end of a hair. "Pili", "it can be picked with a needle, it is as red as a pill, and it can be moved on the claws".It is also pointed out that the disease is more common in the south of the Five Ridges.It was not until the beginning of this century that American scholars proved that the pathogen of scrub typhus was a kind of Rickettsia, and clarified the life history of the small spider mites carrying the pathogen.

"Behind the Elbow" also made outstanding contributions in terms of immune prevention and control technology.For example, there are ways to prevent scrub typhus by raising white ducks and geese to eat sand lice (the intermediate host of the pathogen - the little red spider). Therefore, if poisoned, it is crumbs and clothes." When first seeing this sore, "take fine crumbs (sand lice crumbs) and apply musk on it."This method of external application and internal administration of insect shavings is in line with the principles of modern immunology.It was not until 1945 that the world's scrub typhus vaccine was successfully developed.Modern studies have proved that the rabies brain contains rabies virus. By 1888, French biologists made a rabies vaccine through multiple generations of inoculation to reduce toxicity, and successfully used it on humans. This is an important contribution of modern medicine.However, the original thought and technology of this prevention and treatment method were recorded in "Behind the Elbow" more than 1,500 years ago.The book says: "The cure for rabies biting people is to kill the bitten dog, take the brain and apply it (external application to the wound), and then there will be no recurrence."

"The Back of the Elbow" was later added by Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty to "Hundred Sides of the Elbow" (taken from the Buddhist scriptures "there are four major human beings, and one big one has one hundred and one diseases"). , called "Guangcuo Reserve Emergency Prescription".The present biography is the supplementary edition of the three eras.