Effective Prescriptions from Famous Physicians

Author: Wei Yilin (Yuan Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: November 1, 2006
Features: The Effective Prescriptions for World Physicians was compiled by the renowned physician Wei Yilin of the Yuan Dynasty. Wei, styled Dazhai, was a native of Nanfeng, Jiangxi, in the Yuan Dynasty. His family had been engaged in medicine for five generations. From a young age, he was eager to learn and began practicing medicine at the age of twenty. His knowledge and skills grew increasingly comprehensive and refined, saving many lives through his treatments. In his later years, he diligently studied ancient prescriptions, combined them with his family's medical traditions, and worked tirelessly for a decade. Eventually, he compiled the book and published it in 1343 (the third year of the Zhiheng era of the Yuan Dynasty).
This book consists of 20 volumes, categorized according to the thirteen departments listed in The Comprehensive Records of the Sacred Healing, with brief descriptions of diseases and syndromes for each department followed by corresponding prescriptions. Volumes 1–10 cover General Pulse-taking and Miscellaneous Diseases, Volumes 11–12 cover Minor Pulse-taking, Volume 13 covers Diseases of Wind, Volumes 14–15 cover Obstetrics and Miscellaneous Gynecological Diseases, Volume 16 covers Ophthalmology, Volume 17 covers Stomatology and Laryngology, Volume 18 covers Orthopedics and Metal Implant Surgery, Volume 19 covers Diseases of Sores and Ulcers, and Volume 20 contains selected passages from Sun Zhen's Book of Health Preservation. The acupuncture and moxibustion sections are interspersed throughout the book. Among them, the techniques for reducing dislocations of joints and the method of suspending for treating spinal fractures hold significant academic value. The Compendium of the Four Treasuries praises: "The ancient prescriptions recorded in this book are numerous and can serve as valuable references for research." Therefore, since the Ming and Qing dynasties, this book has become an important work for studying traditional Chinese medicine. The printed copies of this book are relatively rare. For this edition, the text was collated based on the first printing of Chen Zhichu in 1345 (the fifth year of the Zhiheng era of the Yuan Dynasty), which has fewer errors. The complex traditional characters and vertical arrangement have been converted to simplified characters and horizontal arrangement, and the text has been meticulously collated according to the existing Four Treasuries editions. To facilitate learning, a preface has been written, and an index is provided at the end for easy reference. This book is a must-read for clinical practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.
This is a clinical medical prescription book, compiled by the author who gathered and tested numerous effective prescriptions from ancient and modern masters, combining his family's five generations of medical traditions and personal clinical experience. The book introduces over 2,500 prescriptions, categorized according to the thirteen departments prescribed by the Imperial Medical College at the time, including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Wind Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Stomatology and Laryngology, Orthopedics and Metal Implant Surgery, and Diseases of Sores and Ulcers, covering over 270 diseases and syndromes. It is systematically comprehensive. Therefore, when studying this book, one should learn it comprehensively and focus on mastering the key points. The greatest feature of this book compared to others is its pioneering role in orthopedic techniques, its adoption of more scientific anesthesia methods, and its earliest use of suspending for treating spinal fractures, which brought honor to Chinese medicine. Thus, these aspects should be given special emphasis during study.