A Study On The Medical Books Compiled And Printed By The Prefectures In The Ming Dynast

The Ming Dynasty was the heyday of book engraving in China.In addition to the official court,bookstores,and private collectors,there was also a special official organization-Ming Dynasty vassal government.As the vassal government of the Ming Dynasty,which was granted the title of Prince Zhu,the printed books of the vassal government were not only exquisitely formatted and of high quality,but also had a large number of engraved books,making it an important benchmark in the Ming Dynasty calligraphy industry.While publishing books,members of the vassal government also compiled a large number of medical books,which are important literature materials in the field of medical research.At present,historical research mostly focuses on the political,economic,and cultural background of the imperial fiefdoms’inscriptions.Medical research is relatively brief,and the medical community has less in-depth exploration of non medical fiefdoms.Therefore,the research related to the Ming Dynasty vassal governments’ compilation and engraving of medical books is often vague and erroneous.This article conducts a systematic study on the medical books compiled and engraved by the Ming Dynasty the vassal government.Firstly,based on the "vassal government medical books" recorded in Zhang Xiumin’s "History of Chinese Printing",extensive collection of local chronicles,catalog books,and library vassal government medical books was conducted for supplementation.Secondly,the medical records compiled and engraved by the vassal government are examined one by one in chapters,sorting out the process and reasons for the compilation and engraving of medical records,examining the compilation and engraving time,personnel,selection of base materials,collation characteristics,and version dissemination of the vassal government.Finally,a systematic analysis is conducted on the overall characteristics of the medical records of the Ming Dynasty vassal government,and its impact and value are explored.In the Ming Dynasty,there were a total of 16 vassal states that compiled and engraved medical books,which were divided into six chapters according to different regions.Each chapter was sorted according to the quality and value of the vassal script.The first chapter was the Zhou,Zhao,Tang,and Hui vassals in Henan Province.Firstly,the medical deeds of Teng Shuo,Liu Chun,and other relevant personnel in the Zhou vassal state were examined,and the compilation characteristics of Zhou’s " Prescriptions for Universal Relief" were systematically summarized,And comprehensively examined four lost books in the "Prescriptions for Universal Relief":"Wang Shi Bo Ji Fang","Yang Zi jian Quan Hu Ming Fang","Shang Han Qian Fa",and "Medical Invention";Secondly,the sources and printing characteristics of the original texts of Zhou Fan’s "Pocket Formula",Zhao Fan’s "Wang’s Pulse Classic","Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen",and "Huang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu" were verified.At the same time,it was found that the lost works of Zhou Fan’s "Bao sheng Yu Lu" and Tang Fan’s "Bao sheng Bei Lu"still exist today.The second chapter is about the Liao,Xing,and Chu vassals in the Huguang region.Firstly,it is verified that the compiler of the "Ten Books of Dong yuan" carved by the Liao vassals is Zhu Zhi,the King of Liao Jian.At the same time,the background of the three times the vassals published the book is sorted out,and more than 20 existing domestic and foreign versions of the book are systematically summarized;Secondly,correct the errors in the titles of the fan engraved books.For example,the Liao fan’s " Yang Sheng Ri Lan "is actually a mistake in Zhou Shou zhong’s " Yang Sheng Yue Lan ",and the " Yang Sheng Zha Zhuan " is actually a synonymous work of Zhou Shou zhong’s "Yang Sheng Zha Lei ".At the same time,it supplements the three herbal works edited by Xing fan.The third chapter is about the Qin dynasty in the Shaanxi region.Through the investigation of the two medical books " Qian Jin Bao Yao" and "Hai Shang Fang",it was found that the source and characteristics of the medical books printed by the Qin dynasty were the original source and printing characteristics.Furthermore,it was further verified that the unknown version of the "old woodcut" in the original book of" Hai Shang Fang " was the "ancestor of Hu Wenhuan’s" Shou Yang Cong Shu"series.Chapter 4 is about the Ning Fan in Jiangxi region.Firstly,it systematically summarizes the background,characteristics,and uses of the medical records compiled and engraved by Zhu Quan of the Ning Fan;Secondly,it was verified that the vassal king of Yiyang who published medical books in the Yiyang Prince’s Mansion was Zhu Duokun,and the publication date was during the Jiajing period.Chapter 5 is about the Heng,Lu,and De vassals in the Shandong region.Firstly,it corrects the number of times Heng vassals have printed medical books and the time when De vassals have printed medical books.At the same time,it verifies the publication and timing of the two medical books,"Lu Fu Jin Fang" and "Lu Fu Mi Fang".It also examines the source of the basic texts of Heng vassals,"She Sheng Zhong Miao Fang" and "First Aid Liang Fang".Chapter 6 covers the Shu and Dai vassals in the Sichuan region,the Shen vassals and Dai vassals in the Shanxi region,and the Qing vassals in the Ningxia region.It examines the background and timing of the carving of medical books in each vassals,while also verifying the basic and proofreading features of Shen’s "Medical Shuo",and supplementing the two health preserving works published by Qing vassals.Chapter 7 systematically examined the overall characteristics of the Ming Dynasty’s vassal government’s compilation and engraving of medical books.It can be concluded that there were a total of 79 types of medical books compiled and engraved by the vassal government.The purpose of these medical books can be summarized into seven aspects.In addition to the commonly believed medical treatment,health preservation,benefiting the world,and avoiding taboos in the academic community,there is also a willingness to educate the people,indulge in old literature,inherit family studies,and use medicine to serve the country and achieve great success.The personnel who assist in the compilation and engraving of medical books by the feudal lords cover a wide range of fields,including not only liangyisuo liangyi,yishi,yiguan,and doctors,but also senior historians,professors,and wise men from all directions.The institutions responsible for publishing medical books include not only the Gongzheng Office,but also the Fengci Office,Chengfeng Office,and the engraving workers hired outside the feudal government.Most of the medical records printed by the imperial court come from the imperial court’s own compilation,followed by the Ming dynasty and less from the Song,Jin,and Yuan dynasty.The layout characteristics of these fiefdoms are similar to the overall publishing characteristics of the Ming Dynasty engraving industry.During the middle and late Ming dynasties,black mouth,bilateral,and Zhao style characters were used.Although the overall appearance of white mouth,unilateral,and square characters was observed in the middle and late Ming dynasties,a few thin black mouth and bilateral characters appeared due to the different base texts selected during the printing of each fiefdom.The medical books printed by the feudal lords are mainly in the category of prescription books,followed by the category of health preservation.The formation of this characteristic is mainly due to the non medical status of the feudal lords and the social needs at that time.The temporal characteristics of the imperial government’s publication of medical books differ greatly from the overall characteristics of the Ming Dynasty’s book engraving industry.In addition to the large number of medical books published during the Jiajing period,the imperial government also compiled and engraved a large number of medical books in the early Ming Dynasty,and the frequency of book engraving during this period was even equal to that of the Jiajing period.In addition,from the regional characteristics of the medical books compiled and engraved by various vassals,it can be seen that they are mainly concentrated in Jiangxi,Henan,Huguang,and other places.The medical books compiled and engraved by the Ming Dynasty vassal government not only effectively promoted the development of Ming Dynasty medicine,promoted the exchange of medicine between China,Japan,and Korea,but also effectively assisted in the stability of Ming Dynasty society.Until today,these medical books still provide a large number of rare books for medical research,preserve a large number of lost literature,and provide a large number of effective secret formulas for clinical research.