Studies On The Modern Famous Lingnan Physicians' Clinical Records And Proven Prescriptions

Objective and MethodsThis report focuses on issues regarding the continuation of the legacy and the future development of Lingnan (the southern region of the Five Mountains) traditional Chinese medicine. At the present time, records of proven treatments prescribed by experienced physicians specializing in Lingnan medicine are scattered and lack a systematic collection and categorization. Consequently, this information cannot be effectively utilized. By surveying clinical papers, comparative study, statistical analysis, and academic literatures research, we collected and categorized a large number of biographies, clinical records and prescriptions of many Guangdong's senior physicians specializing in TCM since 1949. This information is obtained from three sources:major libraries in Guangzhou, online information via search engines and the academic heirs or descendants of the physicians. Our study shows a general picture of Lingnan Chinese medicine's treatment cases and their proven prescriptions. From the perspective of literature study and prescription research, we analyzed types of diseases in the clinical records and their corresponding treatment prescriptions. We summarized and categorized the characteristics of drugs combination and explored the characteristics of diseases, the commonality and individuality of drugs physicians used. We focused on exploring the principle on the drugs usage based on a large number of proven prescriptions and provided important evidences for further research.ContentsThe study consists of four parts:(1) Research situation of traditional Chinese medicine in Lingnan and the clinical records (including proven prescriptions); (2) Overview of the collection and categorization of the senior Lingnan physicians'clinical records and proven prescriptions; (3) Analysis of commonality and individuality of methods of many senior Lingnan physicians; (4) Characteristics of drug combination in the clinical records and statistical analysis of the proven prescriptions. Results(1) Established a catalog of senior Lingnan physicians'clinical records and their prescriptions.A total of 28 relevant books were found after an extensive library search. These books also include academic works of many scholars at the Lingnan's school of TCM. We collected many senior Lingnan physicians'clinical records, proven prescriptions and related literatures by using Internet search engines and journal databases. The number of related literatures was 579. Among them,312 are essays by the physicians on their personal experiences, proven prescriptions and clinical records,42 are clinical observations,22 are on pharmacological research,166 are summaries of physicians'experience written by their descendants or academic successors,36 are on clinical observations, and one is on pharmacological research related topics.(2) Edited a book on senior Lingnan physicians'biography, clinical records and proven prescriptions.In this study project, we compiled and categorized medical literatures by 108 senior Lingnan physicians all over the Guangdong province. These literatures include physicians' biography, clinical records and proven prescriptions. The number of biographies is 108. 717 clinical records are collected from 105 physicians and 479 proven prescriptions are from 84 physicians. The book covers diseases in various areas of medicine such as internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, ENT, orthopedics, and dermatology. The information in the book is compiled in a well organized format.(3) Analysis of the commonality and individuality of senior Lingnan physiciansThough their academic emphasis differs and everyone has his/her own unique method, the physicians often possess common knowledge on TCM theories on Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases of Zhang Zhongjing, Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach of Li Dongyuan and Treatise on Seasonal Febrile Diseases of Ye Tianshi. This is due to their in-depth understanding of the geography, climate and people's living habits in Lingnan, and the essence of TCM on the therapeutic strategy—treatments depend on time, place and patients.(4) Statistical analysis on the usage of drugs in the clinical records and the proven prescriptions.The weather in Lingnan in general is hot and humid in the summer but cold and dry in the winter. The regional weather in the northern mountainous area and that in the southeast coastal area are very different. The former is dry and cold and the latter is typically humid and hot and, consequently, the diseases in these two areas are different. Physicians are typically specialized in the common diseases in his/he own area and their prescriptions also differ due to the difference in area condition. However they share a common practice-cooling heat and eliminating dampness, regulating Qi by promoting blood circulation and expelling wind-evil with dredging channel as in the basic principle of recognizing diseases syndrome and emphasizing the change of Qi, blood, yin and yang.ConclusionsWe collected a large amount of research data through collecting and organizing many Lingnan senior physicians'clinical records and proven prescriptions. This collection provides information for various purposes and serves as a basis for future discussion. Our analysis of the data reflects the academic characteristics of these physicians. From analyzing a large number of prescriptions, we provided a new perspective on the secondary development of some proven prescriptions. Our future study direction includes further discussions on clinical records and proven prescriptions, in-depth research on the diseases' characteristics in Lingnan, dosage of drugs, compatibilities between drugs, exploration and usage of drugs in Lingnan, and therapeutic regimen.