History and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Essay Example

ZHANG CONG ZHENG Introduction The Chinese traditional medicine is considered to be fundamentally based on the Huangdi Neijing. Throughout the of it evolutionary development, this was the single, most enduring variable that underpin medical treatment and method. Today, this is still the same in Chinese medicine. However, there are critical periods in the chronology of its history - with the emergence of specific sages - that helped to steer such development to the point that we know of today. The Song dynasty, the Jin and Yuan dynasties as well as the Ming and Qing dynasties were just examples of these pivotal periods. With respect to the sages, Zhang Cong Zheng is one of the most notable. This paper will explore his works, theories and philosophies including his influence in the development of Chinese traditional medicine. Influences, Methods and Philosophies Also known as Zhang Zi-he, Zhang Cong Zheng founded the Gong Xia Pai, which is the School of Attack and Precipitation or Purgation. Here, there was an emphasis on the approach to disease as caused by the presence of evil qi (Yang, 1993, pp.vii). This kind of qi involves those pathogenic factors that must be flushed out of the human body with the use of drugs and treatment, hence, the titular name of the school. Together with other great masters such as Liu Wansu, Li Gao and Zhu Zhenheng, Zhang Cong Zheng was able to further promote the Chinese traditional medicine, exploring it from different angles, enriching and expanding it in the process. Zhang Cong Zheng was born between 1156 and 1200 CE in He Jian, Hebei Province. The place and time is important because they underscore the influences to the sages philosophies that led to the school that he founded. First, he lived during the Jin-Yuan period and that the three other great masters were his contemporaries or close to his generation. What these all mean is that he was able to incorporate elements of treatment from his Jin-Yuan contemporaries. The great master Liu Wansu, for instance, was already dead during his time, but the sages cold/cooling method heavily influenced Zhang Cong Zhengs work. There were also protracted conflicts and plagues that marked the period, providing a new environment and, therefore, new requirements for medical treatment and practice. Zhang Cong Zheng is known for his purgation method, where treatment involves the inducement of pathogens in bodily processes. This works within an understanding of pathology based on the climatic qi of heaven and earth. According to Buck, Zhang Cong Zheng, through his purgation school improved on a Liu Wansus idea of balancing heat and cold and other qualities of qi, through his better interpretation and application of the dynamics between xie qi and zheng qi (pp.226). It is his expansive work on this aspect that distinguished his theories from other sources, particularly the Huangdi Neijing. In this classical medical text, it was stated that "disease is due to the presence of xie qi; combating pathogens ceases illness" (Buck, 2014, pp.226). Zhang Cong Zheng recognized this but took a more aggressive approach. His theory was that pathogens or the xie qi must not only be arrested. Rather, it must purged from the system. Zhang Cong Zheng’s purgation method is based on a framework that pathogens can be expelled through three bodily orifices: the skin (exterior), lower orifices and the upper orifices (head) (Buck, pp.226). His treatment, therefore, involved the evaluation of symptoms, the identification of pathogens and the prescription of purgative drugs and other treatments that would then induce the pathogens to leave the body through one or a combination of the three orifices. It is important to note that this approach is also based on the Shang Han Lung in the sense that it derives three of its methods, the diaphoresis (sweating), emesis (induced vomiting) and purgation as well as the use of drugs such as the ma huang (Buck, pp.226). Zhang Cong Zhengs innovations can be depicted in several areas. One of these involved his method of inducing perspiration. According to Yang (pp.x), "he did not merely use medicinals to effuse evils through the exterior but also those that supplement yin", with the aim of "enriching the source of water and boosting the root of the body" so that the patients body is better able to attack "evil" and reinforce the "righteous". This philosophy constitutes what the sage called as Dan Xi San Fa (Dan Xis Three Methods). In addition to the basic “Three Methods”, the sage expanded them so that they include acupuncture, moxibustion, steaming, exercise, induced salivation, sneezing, expelling flatus and dieretic method, among others (Dharmananda, 2001). His philosophies and treatment methods are compiled in a book called Rumen Shiqin or Therapies for Scholars (Shen-Nong, 2005). The content is considered to be scientific as it was typified by systematic observation and intensive research. From the perspective of others, Zhang Cong Zheng’s method is both aggressive and revolutionary. For instance, Lu Yuanyin stated that his treatment “is something like an old general confronting the enemy: after crossing the river, he mobilizes the troops at the bank and burns the ships, leaving no escape route. Because the soldiers have to fight for their lives out of desperation, they eventually win the battle” (Dharmananda). To provide some contexts about Zhang Cong Zheng’s work and medical philosophy, it is important to cite that he has worked as a military doctor and this background played an important role in his approaches. Unarguably, he viewed treating illness as some form of battle, where the body wages war against evil pathogens. The emergent concept involved strategic treatment and the emphasis on nourishing the body and its defenses so that it functions as a strong fortress that is capable of eliminating illness. Also, his radical approach is similarly based to military strategy, particularly with his belief in the use of force – one that is of equal measure to the disease, obstacles and their causes – to address disease. One can observe, therefore, that his method requires discipline, hygiene and refinement not just of the body but also of the mind and the spirit. Impact Zhang Cong Zhengs works and methods effectively laid the foundation for the attack and drain school that would emerge later on. Specifically, this can be demonstrated in the content and influence of Zhang Cong Zheng’s “Six Doors and Three Methods” theory where he stressed that the previous treatment methods are ill-equipped to address contemporary diseases. Here, the “six doors” meant six influences that could lead to diseases and these are: wind, summer, heat, humidity, fire/heat, dryness and cold. Clearly, the sage provided one of the critical impetuses that shifted the emphasis of Chinese traditional medicine from indirect or non-directive to directive orientation. Based on previous knowledge and his own observations, he was able to innovate. Together with Liu Wansu, Zhang Cong Zheng pioneered the aggressive direct approach, which characterizes Chinese traditional medicine today. A helpful modern day resource that could serve to demonstrate contemporary application of Zhang Cong Zheng’s approach includes Yang’s (2009) work on Chinese herbal medicine. He provided a detailed guide as to what illnesses can be cured by the purgative method, including a comprehensive guide to the process. Another enduring impact that can be attributed to Zhang Cong Zheng involve his role in the development of the “nourishing the yin” approach that would emerge later in the chronology of Chinese traditional medicine (see Liu, pp.52). Though the sage is not the originator of the concept as it has been cited in the works of Liu Wansu and Zhu Dan-xi, he helped to promote, expand and refine it so that it became an important element in the modern Chinese medical practice. In the sage’s view, nourishing the yin is related to the concept of strong Wei Qi, wherein the body is strengthened so that disease is immediately defeated or could be prevented from infesting the body. The Wei Qi is an important concept in modern Chinese medicine. Conclusion In evaluating Zhang Cong Zheng’s work and in identifying his role in the development of Chinese medicine, it is helpful to remember the contexts of the medical tradition in the country as well as the changing landscape that he experienced in his lifetime. It is due to these contexts that one is finally able to appreciate the sage’s medical philosophy: that it was a result of mixed influences and personal experiences. His innovations were consequences of his expansion and modification of what has been established so far. He complemented this with his own knowledge and research, particularly in his stint as a military doctor. The purgation method and the school and practices built upon it were not extraordinarily revolutionary but they were linchpins that drove further developments in traditional Chinese medicine. Particularly, these were critical in the shift towards a directive orientation to treating diseases. This orientation now typifies modern Chinese traditional medicine. All in all, Zhang Cong Zheng truly deserves his position as one of the Four Great Masters in Chinese traditional medicine as his philosophy forms an integral part of its modern iteration. References Buck, C., 2014. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine: Roots of Modern Practice. London: Singing Dragon. Dharmananda, S., 2001. The Jin-Yuan Medical Reform. ITM Online, [online]. Available at: . [Accessed 6 April 2015]. Liu, T., 2009. Chinese Medical Qigong. London: Singing Dragon. Rossi, E. and Caretto, L., 2007. Shen: Psycho-emotional Aspects of Chinese Medicine. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier Health Sciences. Shen-nong, 2005. TCM History: The Jin-Yuan Period 1115-1368 AD. Shen-Nong, [online]. Available at: [Accessed 6 April 2015]. Yang, S., 1993. The Heart & Essence of Dan-xis Methods of Treatment. Boulder, CO: Blue Poppy Enterprises. Yang, Y., 2009. Chinese Herbal Medicines: Comparisons and Characteristics. 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