Research On The Morphological Function Of Viscera And Sense Organs Based On Tibetan Medical Metaphor Theory Of Human Anatomy

Research Aims.The purpose of the metaphors of the body in the renowned Four Medical Tantras is a field of knowledge using simile to explicate anatomy and function of each external and internal structure of the human body.To date,no research or historical commentary has been written on this topic.Thus,this is a hidden field of knowledge in which the actual meaning of the metaphors of the body-anatomy,functional characteristics of structures,and so forth—are presented in detail.Clear depictions of anatomy and physiology of body structures are presented through metaphor.For example,the heart,is presented through the metaphor of a king seated in the center of a palace.The characteristics,value,purpose,and aims of each metaphor become evident through detailed analysis.The purpose of this research is fivefold.First,this research seeks to unveil hidden principles of physical anatomy and function demonstrated through metaphor.Second,it fills a significant gap in research and commentary on this topic.Third,it not only provides greater depth to studying the principles of the human body but it also unveils more secrets of the hidden body.Fourth,it contributes greater understandings of balance and imbalance in the vital,vessel and sensory organs,providing a corollary to contemporary dissection science.Fifth,it establishes an invaluable and satisfactory resource to new learners in the medical field by providing greater ease in learning the structures.Research Methodology.The analysis employs both literary and practical research methods.In the literary analysis section,I analyze the detailed chapter on metaphors of the body as well as historical commentaries of the Four Medical Tantras and excellent works by contemporary experts.I analyze the metaphors to explain how anatomy and function are presented and the ways those metaphors explicate internal and external body structures.I consult related medical traditions to look at associated metaphorical descriptions.I provide a detailed analysis on the metaphorical meanings through contextual etymology,location,function,measurements,associated connections,and vulnerable points of the balanced state of each vital,vessel and sensory organ.In the practical analysis section,I draw from illustrations of internal and external anatomical structures on the medical thangkas,diagrams of actual corpses from contemporary dissection science,and recent three-dimensional images of the human body.I have delineated the meaning of the vital,vessel,and sensory organs using each visual resource and compared across these modalities.If one compares the vivid corpse diagrams with the medical thangkas along with their relevant commentaries and explanations,it appears that Tibetan medicine arrived at anatomical and functional explications of structures within the human body earlier than modern science.Research Results.First,I have detailed the anatomy and function of the vital,vessel and sensory organs through means of metaphor while maximizing explanatory ease and understanding.Two,I have shown that metaphors are not presented simply to teach similes,but to create associations with anatomical form,function,structural relationships,measurements,and vulnerabilities.Three,through contemporary corpse image diagrams,I have presented the characteristics of the metaphors,unveiling previously hidden anatomical meanings.Four,I have shown that metaphor demonstrates understandings of anatomy and physiology in accordance with that shown by contemporary dissection science,eliciting a new paradigm to teach structural anatomy and function.Five,the metaphors of the body illustrate key points of imbalance of illness,symptoms,and treatment,and demonstrate the importance of clinical cases.