The Origin And Vicissitude Of The Six-poles Theory

"Six-poles" , a name of the symptom , is detected in Shennongbencao jing as the first time: "Sanggen, Baipi ...... cure thedisfunction of Shangzhong, five-fatigue, six-poles." There is similarrecordation in the Jinkuiyaolue: "...... five-fatigue, seven-damage,six-poles, thirty-six fault of the female are not included. " Zhubingyuanhouln explains it definitely that six-poles are the gas-pole, blood-pole, ligament-pole, bone-pole, muscle-pole, semen-pole. But in the North-south dynasty, Shanfanfang discusses integrally the measure and medicine to cure the six-poles diseases, builds up the especial treatment system..This paper researches the science of the evolvements of the six-poles diseases and the causations of the eclipse.The discusses of six-poles treatment in Shanfangfang is the earliest recordation in medicine books which are still exist. It circumstantiates that the gas-pole, blood-pole, ligament-pole, bone-pole, muscle-pole, semen-pole have a close relationship which the liver, heart, spleen, lung, kidney. Clearly, the five-limbs in Neijing theory is used for reference by the six-poles theory. The six-poles theory ameliorated the five-limb theory in three points:First, the skin-pole is replaced by the gas-pole, which accords the practice of the medicine. Second, the semen-pole appears. Third, the marrow-pole and the lung-pole appear. But the records are too simple and blur to bring huge influence.Through researching the literature, the six-pole theory probably has a close relationship with the Bianque-school, which was flourishing in Wei dynasty and Jin dynasty. The six-forfeit theory of the Bianque-school is probably another origin of the six-pole theory. In addition, the principle of "the wise doctor would cure the diseases when it is still in skin, muscle and ligament, then the six internal organs. When the five internal organs have the pathological changes, the patients are dying." In the Shiji, there is the records of Bianque and duke Qi. Bianque used the analysis method of skin—muscle— stomach—marrow, which were from the surface layer to the endothecium. It is similar to the six-pole theory.The six-pole diseases belong to the fragility diseases, and therepresentation of the exceeding weak body. The characterization of the six-pole is typical in the Zhubingyuanhoulun. In that characterization, the semen-pole is very different from the other five poles, which are rooted in five-limbs theory. The semen-pole is more weaker than the others. Before the Song dynasty, the inroad from the nature was thought to be the pathology of the six-poles, which came from the " inroading from the nature again " in Neijing. Semen-pole, which is weaker than other five poles, is different from others. Semen-pole is the result of the exacerbating of the other poles. "Semen being in kidney" , the concept of the semen-pole is the origin of the theory of " chronic diseases damaging kidney " .The archaic traditional Chinese medicine had a special way to analyzing diseases. This way is the analysis of the arrangement of the diseases in body. More grievous, more inner. In Shanfanfang and Qianjinfang, the six-poles have more than 15 classes: the overflowing-ligament-pole, the lacking-ligament-pole, the hot-vas-pole, the cold-vas-pole, the false-cold-vas-pole, the hot-muscle-pole, the false-hot-muscle-pole, thefalse-cold-muscle-pole, the hot-gas-pole, the false-cold-gas-pole, the overflowing-bone-pole, the false-cold-bone-pole, the hot-semen-pole, the false-hot-semen-pole, and so on. The symptom and the way of curing of every kind of disease had been recorded in detail, which are useful to medical practise.After the Song dynasty, the theory of six-poles had been eclipsing. There is still a lot of recordation of six-poles in Taipingshenghuifang, Shengjizonglu, Pujifang. But this recordation is all most the copy of the recordation in Shanfanfang, Qianjinfang or Zhubingyuanhoulun. Taipinghuiminhejijufang had abandoned the six-poles theory in a great measure, expecting two prescriptions. It is the symbol of the advancement of the theory of the weak-diseases and the comedown of the six-poles theory.After the Yuan dynasty, the six-poles theory had a trend of brachylogy. The doctors after the Yuan dynasty abandoned the complicated classes of the six-poles, using the simple principia instead of complicated theory. On the other hand, the explanation and practise also had the trend to the "five-weakness" and the "the weak five internal organs" beside the simplification of the six-poles theory. "...... it is the begin of five-weakness, six-poles andseven-harm are the same" , said in Renzhaizhizhifanglun. The six-poles had been treated as the kindred of the five-weakness with litter discuss, which is the typical attitude of the doctors after the Ming dynasty.The treatment of six-poles diseases changed. The only recordation in the Taipinghuiminhejijufang was the discuss of the "Duijinyinzi" and the " Shuanghetang" . In that book, the two prescriptions were thought to can cure all weakness diseases including five-weakness, six-poles, seven-hurt. It was the proof of the trend of the six-poles' simplification, hi the Ming dynasty, the doctor Wu, who attached importance to the six-poles theory, developed the theory of six-poles. In the Tifangkao, doctor Wu discussed six prescriptions: " zhugaojiu " , " renshenyangrongtang " , "shiquandabutang", "shengmaisan", "hugujiu", "guiluerxianjiao", which could cure the diseases of ligament-pole, vas-pole, muscle-pole^ gas-pole, bone-pole, semen-pole in turn. These six prescriptions are all hot-positive medicine in spite of classes. So the theory of six-poles had been simplified. The weakness had been thought to be the pathology and the principia of treatment. The pathology of "hurt again by irregular" had been abandoned. The theory of six-poles had become the enlargement of the weakness diseases of the five internal organs. The simplification of the theory and treatment facilitated the medical practise.After the Song dynasty, other sides of the treatment of the six-pole diseases had some new improvement, for example, the Qiangen, Gusuibu, Ziheche and the acupuncture were used to cure the diseases of the six-poles and the five-weakness.The six-poles theory contains profound pensee, for example the semen being the foundation, the semen creating the five internal organs, hexad; "the wise doctor would cure the diseases when it is still in skin, muscle and ligament, then the six internal organs. When the five internal organs have the pathological changes, the patients are dying." The evolvement of the diseases is well-regulated; the pathology of the six-poles diseases is "a long anesthesia, hurt again by the irregular, harm is done to the five internal organs" . So the anesthesia and the stroke are the important pathogeny.The theory of six-poles is not constrained by the five-elements theory, and has the special theory of pathology and pathogeny. The...