| Shang Han Lun represents a classic works integrated with medical theory and practice. It inherited the basic theories of classical medicine books such as Huangdi Neijing, Nan Jing, and absorbed rich experiences of the people fighting against disease then. Moreover, the principle of treatment based on syndrome differentiation established by Shang Han Lun influenced the progress of theory and clinics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) profoundly. So it was regarded as 'the saint book of medicine'. The end of East Han dynasty was a flourish age in phylogeny of Chinese astronomy when Zhongjing wrote Shang Han Lun. In that age, there were many famous astronomer and invents of science and technology. The invention of Quarter calendar had profound understanding and accurate timing method of a year, a month and a day, which assisted Zhongjing in observing the development and judging the prognosis of disease.Chronobiological medicine is a newborn and heated subject in modern times, so as the Traditional Chinese chronobiological medicine in TCM. In the view of chronobiological medicine, we could find that the idea of chronobiological medicine existed in many ancient books of TCM, especially in Shang Han Lun. This article is to analyze the idea of chronobiological medicine in Shang Han Lun deeply and roundly and to discuss the underlying mechanism in terms of modern study.The idea of chronobiological medicine in Shang Han Lun included physiological temporal rhythm, pathological temporal rhythm, and therapy based on time. Many works such as Shang Han Li, Ping Mai Fa and Bian Mai Fa mentioned about temporal rhythm. Further more, in accordance with the viewpoint of "correspondence between human being and universe", Zhongjing explained the physiological temporal rhythm by the rhythm of wax and wane of yin-yang in nature and temporal rhythm of pulse manifested in four seasons and day-night. The full text of Chapter 22, Volume 10 of Shang Han Lun discussed the pathological temporal rhythm in a more detailed way, as it explained temporal rhythm of a disease in forms of the disease occurring time, course period, transformation time, terminal time, recovery time, near recovery time, relapse time, and pathologic pulse manifested by the rhythm. By therapy based on time, Zhongjing also put forward that the therapy method should be made according to qi movement's rhythm of ascending and descending in the four seasons, and clued on the application of therapy based on time to observe curative effect and estimate prognosis.TCM probed into the mechanism of temporal rhythm mainly from the point of "correspondence between human being and universe" which differed from westernmedicine that hunts after biological clock of body. Our forerunners studied chronometer, geography and sociology, and realized that variety of waxing and waning of yin-yang was influenced by the hosts of heaven at the time when they observed the tight relationship between the hosts of heaven and the rhythm of natural phenomena. Along with the progress of science and technology and increasing accurate knowledge about celestial bodies' movement, we found it rational that our forerunners discussed the mechanism of natural temporal rhythm, which did not depart from the theory of correspondence between human being and universe and could be testified by modern science.Shang Han Lun not only mentioned about the rhythm of year, four seasons and day-night but narrated the amply of the seven days' rhythm, which showed Zhongjing's apt observation and superior experience on physiology and pathology of body. Whatever at home or abroad, the study about the seven days' rhythm was in rarity. Whereas, the textual dissertation of Shang Han Lun was so plentiful which embodied the great of Zhongjing. In this article, I generally discussed the mechanism of temporal rhythm and explored into the mechanism of seven days' rhythm in Shang Han Lun, and put forward that moon phase was the every controller of seven days' rhythm. I also demonstrated the existence of seven days' rhythm from aspects of dise... |
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