Brief Introduction Of Academic Thoughts Of Warm-induced Diseases Of Famous Modern Lingnan Physicians And Collection And Studies Of Therapeutic Experience Of Summerheat-damp Diseases

Backgrounds:Due to the unique geographical position of Lingnan region(the southern region beneath the Five Mountains) and the special constitution of local people, summerheat-damp diseases become one of the most frequently encountered warm-induced diseases of Lingnan region,which is recorded in the historical materials of past dynasties.After the Opium War(broke out in 1840,the beginning of the modern history of China),the economic center of China moved to the South,and the communication with external world of Lingnan region became extraordinarily closer than before.Guangdong as the southern gate of China's foreign trade and exchanges,its transportation was prosperous and its population was condensed but its public sanitation remained in poor condition.In the late years of Qing Dynasty,there were frequent outbreaks of severe epidemic and infective diseases in Lingnan region with the replacement of dynasties and conflicts between warlords.On the basis of theories of warm-induced diseases of Jiangsu and Zhejiang,Lingnan physicians proceeded from the local reality and fought against warm-induced diseases.They had treated warm-induced diseases with herbal medication and accomplished therapeutic effects when the antibiotics were not invented and widely used.And treating summer-heat damp diseases was the important component of therapeutic experience of Lingnan physicians.It is a pity that Lingnan physicians focused on the clinical practice rather than the writing of medical books some of which are lost or become anonymous.Thus the collection and studies of these cultural legacies are taken into the agenda. Objectives:On the basis of previous studies,this study aims at:(1) Collection and studies of academic experience of treatment of famous deceased Lingnan physicians with summerheat-damp diseases after 1840,which tend to generalize relative principles of prevention of summerheat-damp diseases;(2) Retrospective analysis of 358 case historical data of summerheat-damp diseases in recent five years,which attempt to discuss the syndromes and therapies of Lingnan's summerheat-damp diseases,and put the therapeutic experience of famous hingnan physicians into medical practice in order to shed light on the medications and therapies of severe external contracted diseases of Lingnan region nowadays.Methods:(1) Literature study.Based on the summarization of the academic thoughts and clinical experiences of famous modern Lingnan physicians,this study collects and studies their medical literature,case histories,medical discussions and descendant interpretations of their academic thoughts,and makes use of various methods of literature collection and studies (investigations of medical literature,historical studies,academic studies of traditional Chinese medicine,studies of case histories,and horizontal compilation and comparison of medical literature,etc.) so as to generalize relative principles of prevention of summerheat-damp diseases established by famous hingnan physicians specialized in warm-induced diseases.This study tends to comment the featured therapeutic experience of famous Lingnan physicians and retrospective studies,to collect and study general principles and features from the therapeutic experience of famous Lingnan physicians in treating summerheat-damp diseases in order to analyze the theoretical backgrounds of their featured therapeutic experience.(2) Clinical retrospective analysis.All the cases mentioned in this study are chosen from the medical records of patients qualified as summerheat warmth, damp warmth,summerheat-damp diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the period of Jan.1^st,2004 to Oct.31^st,2008.The cases mentioned above which are within the range of all ages and genders,comprise 150 cases of summerheat-damp diseases,12 summerheat warmth diseases,and 196 damp warmth diseases.The relevant data obtained from the cases mentioned above are evaluated by the statistical analysis on the basis of the SPSS11.5 software package.The general descriptive analysis is introduced to deal with the patterns of traditional Chinese medicine,and the frequency and weight analysis with the quantitative analysis of pattern indexes,and the clustering analysis(clustering of indexes and cases) with the attribution of pattern types.Therefore the differentiation and therapeutic principles of summerheat-damp diseases of Lingnan region can be summarized.Contents:The study concludes 5 related issues on which analyses were carried out and resulted as follows:(1) Understanding of summerheat-dump diseases of Chinese medicine:This issue discusses the origin,causes and pathomechanism,hierarchical analysis, differentiation,and therapeutic methods of summerheat-damp diseases so as to generalize the comprehensive understanding of summerheat-damp diseases and underline the collection and studies of therapeutic experience in summerheat-damp diseases of famous Lingnan physicians.(2) Brief introduction of academic thoughts of warm-induced diseases of famous modern Lingnan physicians and collection and studies of therapeutic experience of summerheat-damp diseases:This issue collects and studies the academic thoughts of seven physicians,including the brief introduction of warm-induced diseases,the therapeutic experience in summerheat-damp diseases, the analysis of proved case histories and the summaries.(3) Featured therapeutic experience of summerheat-damp diseases and retrospective studies:This issue derives the general principles of prevention of summerheat-damp diseases from the conclusions of common and particular characters of the academic thoughts of physicians.The retrospective studies attempt to consider the climate,geographical environments,constitution of local people,and life styles of Lingnan region in order to account for the causes of summerheat-damp diseases,and then analyze the academic origin of treatment of famous Lingnan physicians with summerheat-damp diseases in light of four pivotal theories of warm heat of the warm disease school influencing on the Lingnan physicians. (4) Discussion and prospects:This issue focuses on some relative problems which are not sufficiently explained in the main body of this study,and points out the insufficiency and the probable developments of this study.(5) Retrospective studies of relevant case histories of summerheat-damp diseases during the recent five years:In the case of the statistical analysis of the treatment with summerheat-damp diseases,this issue puts the therapeutic experience of famous Lingnan physicians into medical practice,and chooses relevant synchronic data of case histories of the damp warmth and summerheat warmth diseases in the near five years.According to the data mentioned above,the statistical analysis intends to examine the incidence proportion,incidence time,onset time and courses of diseases,the thermal spikes and types,the transition and the differentiation,and to analyze the pattern indexes,differentiation and types,and frequency of herbal medication of 150 cases of summerheat-damp diseases.Thus the causes and characters of summerheat-damp diseases can be clarified and the therapeutic experience of famous physicians further put into medical practice.Conclusions:(1) Collection and studies of medical literaturea) The summerheat-damp diseases are one of the most frequently encountered warm-induced diseases of Lingnan region,which are more frequently encountered than summerheat warmth diseases.b) The incidence time of summerheat-damp diseases is not limited to the period of Great Heat to Autumn Equinox,but between April and October (sweltering and rainy period).c) The causes of summerheat-damp diseases attribute to both internal and external pathogens.Therefore,the incidence of summerheat-damp diseases usually manifests dual disease of defense and qi,with the high fever at the onset.In addition,the defense-aspect pattern of summerheat-damp diseases is transient,while the qi-aspect pattern is palpable.d) The differentiation of summerheat-damp diseases takes defense,qi, construction,and blood differentiation as the outline of differentiation, and consider bowels and viscera,triple burner,and six-channel differentiations,and confirm whether the complicate syndromes are mixed up with summerheat-damp diseases.Finally,it is necessary to distinguish normal, transmuted,heavy syndromes or critical illness derived from summerheat-damp diseases in order to clarify the dynamic changes and prognosis of these diseases.e) The therapeutic methods of summerheat-damp diseases are usually clearing summerheat and transforming dampness.Clearing summerheat but not hurting liquid and qi,while nourishing liquid and qi but not ceasing dispelling pathogens.Clearing summerheat and enriching yin,supporting vital qi and dispelling pathogens should be emphasized in the whole process of treatment.f) The principles of herbal medication in treating summerheat-damp diseases.Lingnan physicians establish the therapeutic principles of herbal medication by underlining "clearing summerheat-damp but not hurting liquid and qi,while nourishing liquid and qi but not ceasing dispelling pathogens". Lingnan physicians generally choose fresh products,flower herbs,melons and aromatic medicinal plants,which are cool clearing and aromatic, summerheat-resolving and outthrusting,dampness transforming and spleen-arousing,and clearing summerheat-damp but not hurting liquid and qi.(2) Results of clinic retrospective studiesa) The summerheat-damp diseases are one of the most frequently encountered warm-induced diseases of Lingnan region and more frequently encountered than summerheat warmth diseases,which confirm the persistent understanding of famous hingnan physicians with summerheat-damp diseases for a long time.b) The incidence time of 150 cases of summerheat-damp diseases is generally between April and October,especially between June and September.c) Summerheat warmth diseases have severe onsets and short courses,while damp warmth diseases have mild onsets and long courses.Summerheat-damp diseases are situated between those of summerheat warmth diseases and damp warmth diseases.d) The overwhelming majority of 150 cases of summerheat-damp diseases have fevers of high degrees.e) The transition of summerheat-damp diseases is featured in the clarified qi-aspect pattern,especially in the upper burner lung-defense pattern.f) The fever types of summerheat-damp diseases are usually represented as fever and aversion to cold,consistent low fever,postmeridian high fever and late afternoon tidal fever.Summerheat-damp belongs to new contracted warmth pathogens,so the pattern of defensive exterior appears at the onset of summerheat-damp diseases frequently with fever and aversion to cold.Summer heat is derived from yang brightness,and yang brightness has such a qi-aspect high fever that a postmeridian high fever or late afternoon tidal fever will appear.Once summerheat-damp smolders but doesn't resolve,the pathogens will be deep-lying in yin-aspect with the consistent low fever.g) At the onset of summerheat-damp diseases,the upper burner lung-defense pattern is obvious.Furthermore,the summer heat exuberance pattern will be distinguished and the disease shift outspread after the pathogens pass to the qi-aspect.Thus the smoothing the upper burner and the clearing summer heat and transforming dampness should be underlined in clinical therapies.h) The therapeutic methods of summerheat-damp diseases aim at clearing summer heat,transforming dampness and enriching yin and clearing heat.So choosing herbal medication should take into account the herbal products which are clearing summer heat and summerheat-damp but not hurting liquid and qi, enriching yin but not reinforcing heat and lodging pathogens.The correct therapeutic experience of famous modern Lingnan physicians with summerheat-damp diseases can be corroborated by the clinical retrospective studies,which are still leading the way in the prevention of warm-induced diseases of Lingnan region.