Orthopedic Essentials

Author: Qian Wenyan (Qing Dynasty); Edited and Annotated by Sheng Weizhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-20
Features: This book was written by Qian Wenyan, a Qing Dynasty orthopedic physician. Qian Wenyan, styled Xiuchang and styled Songxi, was from Shanghai. In his youth, he studied medical books but did not receive a true transmission. In the 46th year of the Qianlong reign (1781), he accidentally broke his left arm and was cured by the contemporary physician Yang Yucang, after which he became his disciple and student. Later, he learned the techniques of setting fractures and dislocations, as well as secret methods for treating injuries, and combined them with the "Essentials of Orthopedic Techniques" from the Golden Mirror of Medicine. His treatments often achieved quick and effective results. Feeling that the vast number of internal and external medical books lacked detailed explanations on orthopedics, despite mentioning the subject, he compiled the essence of Orthopedic Techniques and combined his practical experience to write this book in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (1808). The book is divided into four volumes: Volume 1 includes anatomical diagrams of the human body and acupoints for each part; Volume 2 presents 36 common treatment methods for orthopedic conditions; Volumes 3-4 contain 137 commonly used injury-treating formulas and emergency techniques. Qian Wenyan advocated that treating injuries must involve understanding pulse theory and combining pulse and symptom analysis to clearly distinguish between deficiency and excess. He emphasized the rigor of manual techniques, stating: "Those who set dislocations rely on their manual skills," "Touching externally, skill arises internally; the hand follows the mind, and the method follows the hand," and "If the patient has a strong constitution, blood clots are easily resolved, and recovery is swift. If the patient has a weak constitution, recovery will be difficult. If the manual technique is further mistaken, it will be impossible to reverse the situation—extraordinary caution is required!" The book is comprehensive in theory, methods, and formulas, with concise language, making it a highly practical reference for traditional Chinese medicine orthopedics.