| In this paper, names of diseases in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine(Huang Di Nei Jing,黄帝内经)excluding those appeared in the seven chapters dealing with the motion of Qi and two appendices were explored based on the traditional methods such as textual criticism and the Chinese exegetics. It is hoped that a general grasp of these diseases can be achieved with the reasonable explanation of the disease-names prone to misunderstanding attained. This work was expected to, in the process of studying each name, shed light on a method which can be generally extended into other similar researches.The threefold of the paper are:1. An overview of diseases involved in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine. According to the common disease classification with the consideration of intrinsic links among the disease-names,524names divided into33categories were analyzed briefly, contributing to a general grasp of these diseases.2. Doubt resolving of some disputable meaning of the disease-names in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine. More than50disease-names in22groups were focused on, serving to deepen the understanding of them.3. A Discussion on the problems related to the meanings of disease-names in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine. Based on the specific cases, primary research methods and basic principles to be followed were discussed.Main conclusions of the doubt resolving of some disputable meaning of the disease-names:1. Cold-fever, cold-fever weakness and weakness cold-fever diseases are named based on their main symptoms. The cold-fever disease encompasses a range of diseases typically manifested as cold and fever. The cold-fever weakness disease is equal to the weakness cold-fever disease, which encompasses a range of diseases typically manifested as cold-fever and weakness. 2. Li疠)disease and L/-wind(疠风)disease in Huangdi s Internal Classic of Medicine were not necessarily leprosy, but it also involves the "malignant pulse"(also called "red pulse"). or the "bian"((?),(?),编)disease used in Jin and Tang dynasty, or the lymphangitis in today’s sense.3. Nue(疟)disease, originated from the meaning of "slaughter" of the Chinese character“虐”,is the earliest kind of diseases with chill-fever alternation and relief-attack alternation observed by the ancient doctors. Although it shows symptoms recorded in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine same with the typical malaria in a sense of modern medicine, such kind of diseases may also include other diseases with the "alternation" symptoms mentioned above. So it is by no means an equivalence of malaria.4.Bi(痹)relevant to the injury caused by arrows, originally referred to diseases with the symptoms of pain in the legs. Later, its usage extended to mention all diseases with pain in limbs with so much meaning as pain and blockage developed. Consequently, most disease-names containing the Chinese character”痹”in Internal Classic were used to refer to the diseases with main symptoms of the limb pain.5. Wei(痿)disease originates from the Chinese character“委”，which signified weakness in ancient China, hence it was often used to mention the failure of limbs to move due to weakness.The Chinese character "易”is with the same meaning with“弛”however their difference in the writing style. Hence“痿易”is equal to’‘痿弛”,meaning the limbs are too weak to move. The Chinese character“厥”is with the same meaning with“蹶”however their difference in the writing style. Hence“痿厥”is equal to“痿蹶”,means weakness and reverse, hence for those patients who are not serious.they make unsteady walk and are prone to stumble; for the serious ones, they can hardly walk. It is a disease with such main manifestation as lower-limb malfunction and inability to move.6. As Chinese characters,"ke”(')and "sou’(嗽)share the meaning, namely they are just two names of a same disease. Hence in later ages, the compulsory differentiation of them not only violates their connotation in the Internal Classic, but has no benefit to clinical practice. Such a misuse should not be followed.7. The鼓胀(guzhang) mentioned in the chapter of Discussion on Abdominal disorders of Plain Ouestions(Su Wen.素问)is a mistaken way of writing for谷胀(guzhang).The later is a disease with such main manifestations as distension-fullness of the heart and abdomen and a meal in the morning hindering that in the evening, which are caused by weak spleen-stomach and undigested food. We should not mistake it for the latter one, which mainly manifests as greenish yellow discolouration of the body skin, a bulge of the muscular in abdomen and distension of abdomen with edema around the body.8. Kuang disease in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine manifests as the disorder in spirit, mainly including Dian desease (depressive psychosis) and Kuang disease (manic psychosis), part of which belong to the epilepsy in modern medicine’s sense. As for kuangxiao and jingkuang, they are disease-names created according to the specific manifestations of the patients with spirit disorder.9. Xian(痫)was very likely rooted from the character’瞯”,of its main symptom is the upwards looking, covering the Xian disease (epilepsy) and Jingfeng disease (infantile convulsions) used in later ages.10. The name of“黄疸”’(Huang Dan) disease, with such inner-heat symptoms as yellow discoloration of skin, eyes and fingernails, was originally recorded as’‘黄瘅’’)Hudng Dan). It reflects the pathomechanism of inside heat outside steaming, covering the yang-huang used in later ages and, gradually, yin-huang“胃疸”(Wei Dan) is with the symptoms including swift digestion with rapid hungering, fatigue-weakness and yellow discoloration of the body, but without such manifestations as yellow discoloration of eyes and urine. As such, it is similar with the xuhuang(虚黄)or lanhuang'黄)used in later ages, and with part of uncinariasis.11. Guange(关格)disease is a general name for neiguart(内关),waiguan(外关)or guanyin(关阴),and geyang(格阳),signifying a dangerous prognosis due to the overall excess of zang-fu organs, yin-yang and interior-exterior. From Ming dynasty on, doctors,12. The disease-name of jia(瘕)originates from the character“叚”·with the meaning of loan and dependence, indicating the diseases dependent on the site of zang-fu organs. If it is to be understood this way. all the disease-names relevant to jia can be well explained. Shijia(石瘕)is a gynecological disease with a kind of stone-hard masses sited in uters. Shanjia疝瘕)has the main symptoms such as stuffiness-heat with pain and turbid urine with white discoloration in the lesser abdomen. Chongjia(虫瘕)is the disease with abdominal pain caused by parasites. Fujia虙瘕)has such main symptoms as hardness-pain in the intestine. Xuejia(血瘕)has the main symptom such as pain in the intestine. Dajia大瘕),also called Da-jia-xie(大瘕泄),has main symptoms including pain in the abdomen, tenesmus and pus-blood stool. Tangjia(溏瘕),namely Tangxie(溏泄),was named after its mud-like stool. Shuijiabi(水瘕痹)is a disease with obstructed qi movement in the abdomen because of the water retention.13(?)疝,’(Tui Shan),“(?)疝”(Tui Shan) and颓疝”(Tui Shan) have character styles different from each other, but share the connotation, which were generalized as“(?)疝”in the later ages, signifying the males’ external genitalia edema with bearing-down pain. In severe cases, the patients may show urinary suspension and extreme weakness, so it was also named as’“(?)癃”Tui Long)“癃(?)”(Long Tui),“痴癃疝”(Tui Long Shan). It was discussed in the Internal Classic that some tu-shan falls within hydrocele or scrotal elephantiasis due to filariasis. Changtui肠接)disease caused by small intestine crashed into the scrotum tumor scrotum is with the main symptoms including masses in scrotum going up and down, and turing up and away due to the bearing-down of the intestinal tube, which is also considered why it was named changtui(肠(?)).14. Dong-xie(洞泄),with one of its characters "洞" meaning swiftness, mainly manifests as the immediate diarrhea after eating without digestion.15. Long癃),or stranguria in a sense of modern medicine, referred to dysuria and frequent urination accompanied by spasm-pain of abdomen especially in umbilical region. Bilong(闭癃)referred to the severe condition of long with the symptoms of urinary obstruction. In the Eastern Han dynasty, long was replaced by lin because of its similar pronunciation to the Emperor’s name. Today’s internal medicine of TCM, however, separates long and lin as different diseases with particular symptoms, as is an undesirable inheritance of the doctors’failure to understanding the relation of the two characters in Ming or Oing dynasty16. The disease with the such main symptoms as heat-pain in lesser abdomen and white discharge were named as gu(蛊)by the ancient physicians, because it bears resemblance with those caused by the depletion of essence-qi after the bite of gu the parasite This is a kind of denomination by ancient doctors fowllowing the principle of "cause identification according to the disease pattern" It should not be understood as specific parasitic diseases of any kind. 17. Lou(瘘)disease, originating from the connotation of Chinese character“娄”,was named after the considerable number of the fistula after the burst of luoli(瘰疬)Further, the lei-li yet to burst can also be called as lou. In addition, it has the shapes of fistula similar with the mice biting, so the name of shulou(鼠瘘)was developed. And it can be called jinlou(筋瘘)according to its pathomechanism of cold or heat nature toxic qi accumulated in the sinews and vessels..18. The disease-name of zhi(痔)disease was not originated from zhitu(峙突)the bulge. The theory that such a disease is caused by insect bites recorded in Name Explaination (Shi Ming,释名)1naybe the ancient doctors’earliest understanding on its pathomechanism. The name was very likely rooted from the character“蚩”in chichong(蚩虫)They observed the symptom of bleeding in patients’ swelling-ulcer of anus, and considered insects the cause. This is how it is named and how“蚩”bears the meaning of the insect.19. Ruzi Zhongfeng(乳子中风) in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine is what is called Chanhou Zhongfeng in Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (Jin Gui Yao Lue,金匮要略),which belongs to postpartum fever today.20. Mujin(目浸)disease in Huangdi’s Internal Classic of Medicine is what is called maijin(脉浸)disease in Pulse Book(mai shu,脉书),or the jin(浸)discussed in Name Explaination,, which belongs to Nuroupanjing(胬肉攀睛)used in later ages, but does not to uncontrolled tears or tears immersion.21. Biyuan(鼻渊)disease is named after the symptom of running snot like a spring. It is replaced by bitia鼻淟)or bidong(鼻洞)to avoid the same pronunciation of the character“渊”with an emperor’s name in Tang dynasty. The Chinese character“洞”in the name of bi-dong disease means quick flow.22鼽衄"(Qiu Nu) was recorded as“(?)”(Qiu Nu) in Moxibustion Classic on the11Meridians around Limbs(zu bi shi yi maijiu jing,足臂十一脉灸经),meaning a disease appearing both nasal obstruction and running of nasal mucus.23.’‘喉吤’’(Hou Jie) was first recorded as“喉介’’(Hou Jie). It is a disease showing block in throat, which can be categorized into meih-qi(梅核气),houbi(喉痹)or yeg(噎膈)disease depending specific conditions.24. Jiajie(痂疥)disease, as a kind of disease with coarse and itching skin easy to produce scales, is called ganfie(干疥)disease in later ages. The Chinese character“肬”’(You) is equal to“疣”(You) that means the small proud fleshes across the skin, while the "肬" described by "as little as scabs" has the characteristics containing coarse skin and easiness to produce scales and thus might well be the kujinjian((?)筋箭)used in the later ages.Through the practice in the textual research on the connotations of disease-names in Internal Classic, the following knowledge is obtained:1. Other than the basic methods widely adopted in the researches on the nouns in Internal Classic, we can still comprehensively apply such approaches as referring to the alternative version, connotation identification according to pronunciation, a focus given to the intrinsic materials of textual research in Internal Classic, incorporation of cultural knowledge. the full application of unearthed literature, referring to the knowledge of medicine and many others. The more comprehensive methods we adopt, the more convincible our conclusion will be.2. In the researches of the nouns in Internal Classic, two principles should be followed, that is, generality and synchronicity. Only with these principles can our research conclusion be convincible.However large the number of disease-names and especially those in controversy are in Internal Classic, we believe through the continuous efforts made by scholars that all the more disease-names will be well explained, greatly promoting the development of the Internal Classic-based theory of diseases in TCM. |
PDF Full Text Request