The Interior-exterior Demarcation

The interior-exterior demarcation——On Cold Damage : an archeology of knowledge study of the interior-exterior concept Purpose This dissertation applies an archaeology of knowledge research methodology to investigate the interior-exterior concept in the Chinese medicine classic, On Cold Damage and researches the history of the text's formation and evolution, as well as the history of ideas behind the interior-exterior pattern identification theory, the eight-principles pattern identification theory and the six channel pattern identification theory. Method Discursive formation analysis methodology within archeology of knowledge was applied to investigate the On Cold Damage classic and to research the development, enunciative modalities, concept expansion and subject formation of strategies for the object of the interior-exterior concept within the classic. 1. Analysis of the object of the interior-exterior concept in medical documents throughout history, i.e. the disease range of the interior-exterior concept in the diagnosis and treatment process. 2. Enunciative modalities of the interior-exterior concept, e.g. in what way, with what other concepts, in what order of relationships do they appear in its diagnosis and treatment system. 3. How was the demarcation made between the interior-exterior. 4. The subjects are appropriate for the interior-exterior concept, or what are the appropriate topics for employing the interior-exterior concept. Conlusion 1. In the On Cold Damage classic and related texts, the interior-exterior concept went through four stages. The first stage was from the Han through the Tang dynasties: the exterior referred to the shell of the body and the interior referred to the Zang Fu organs; it was characterized by being substantive, diversified, emphasized pulse taking and is applicable for all diseases. The second stage was from the Song through the Yuan dynasties, marked by a rise in the use of a broad understanding of cold damage: interior-exterior pattern treatment system was at the core of the pattern treatment system; it was used in the context of promoting diaphoresis for exterior conditions and attacking the lower for interior conditions; at this stage the concept had begun to break away from only referring to the parts of the physical body. The third stage was from the end of the Yuan through the beginning of the Ming dynasties: during this period a narrow understanding of interior-exterior from On Cold Damage was prevalent, focusing on "diseases of winter resulting from cold invasion"; the pattern identification framework for interior-exterior transformation invoked yin and yang theory as the main principle. The fourth stage was the end of the Ming through the beginning of the Qing dynasties: this period was marked by the revival of using the On Cold Damage classic to treat all diseases; interior-exterior theory pattern identification was used to treat all diseases; interior and exterior conditions from the Song and Yuan periods represented two specific pattern transformations for differentiating the presenting disease between two major categories within the pattern identification system; the principle method for differentiation focused on whether the patient presented with chills or not, whether the tongue was white, yellow or dark red and whether the pulse was deep or superficial. 2. During these four stages of development , the relationship between interior-exterior theory and the six-channels theory underwent three transformations: in the first stage the exterior referred to the shell of the body and the interior to the zang fu organs with the interior-exterior concept being at the foundation of all the interior-exterior relationships between the zang fu organs and the channels and collaterals (i.e. zang fu organs are of the interior and channels and collaterals of the exterior, the three yin channels are of the interior and the three yang of the exterior, the yang ming channel is interior relative to the tai yang channel of the exterior). In the second period, th...