Great Formulas for Women

Author: Chen Ziming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The Great Compendium of Gynecology was compiled by Chen Ziming, a renowned physician of the Southern Song Dynasty. Ziming, styled Liangfu, was from Linchuan (now Fuzhou, Jiangxi). Born into a family of physicians, he was familiar with medical books from an early age and traveled extensively across southeastern China, collecting and studying various medical formulas, thus gaining fame and serving as a medical instructor at the Mingdao Academy in Jiankang Prefecture. Concerned that existing gynecological medical works were scattered and lacked comprehensive coverage, making it difficult for physicians to thoroughly study them, he compiled this book by selecting the best from various sources and adding his family's empirical formulas. It was completed in the first year of the Jiaxi era (1237). The book consists of 24 volumes, divided into eight sections: Regulation of Menstruation, Various Diseases, Conception, Fetal Education, Pregnancy, Postpartum Recovery, Labor and Delivery, and Postpartum Care. Each section is further divided into numerous conditions, with over 260 discussions detailing the etiology, symptoms, and treatment methods for various gynecological diseases, supplemented by some medical case studies. Its rich and practical content made it one of the most popular gynecological of the time and laid a foundation for the development of later gynecology and obstetrics. For this edition, the original text of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) was used as the base, which had been carefully collated and annotated by Qing Dynasty scholars. Multiple collations and reference texts were selected for meticulous proofreading to meet the needs of a broad readership.