JournalTOCs School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK Email: journaltocs@hw.ac.uk Tel: +00 44 (0)131 4513762  Your IP address: 18.97.14.89 |
JournalTOCs School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK Email: journaltocs@hw.ac.uk Tel: +00 44 (0)131 4513762 Your IP address: 18.97.14.89 |
Open Access journal
At the beginning of the initial cholera outbreak in China, Wang Qingren (王清任), after years of clinical trials, became an early representative who discovered the infectious characteristics and observed the course of cholera in the field of traditional Chinesse medicine (TCM). Kou Langao (寇兰皋) and Xu Zimo (徐子默), both medical practitioners, constructed a diagnosis and treatment system for cholera with cold patterns under the theory of typhoid. They represented “School of Cholera with Cold Patterns” (SCCP). In the 1860s, with the influence of Wang Shixiong’s (王士雄) studies on the nature of cholera under the theory of epidemic febrile disease, the “School of Cholera with Heated Patterns” (SCHP) prevailed thereafter. The two schools complemented each other in theories and contributed to the integrity of TCM in cholera diagnosis and treatment. By reviewing previous literature, books, clinical cases, and historical materials in medical field, this article aims 1) to summarise the influence of TCM on the cognitive development towards cholera in the late Qing dynasty; 2) to explore the origin of the controversy between SCCP and SCHP from historical evidence; 3) to summarize the historical lessons from the debate over cholera in TCM based on the principle of treatment based on pattern identification, and offer suggestions for the current prevention and treatment of new diseases using TCM.
As a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents an established medical system with a rich history and abundant clinical experience. TCM is an empirical medicine, the process of which is analogous to ChatGPT’s learning and development model. In TCM, inquiry is a relatively objective way of traditional syndrome differentiation. Although various artificial intelligence systems related to TCM consultation exist, their interactive abilities remain limited. The study standardized the primary complaint and instructed ChatGPT to simulate a TCM practitioner, conducting three comprehensive inquiry tests. The results yielded unexpected conclusions, revealing that ChatGPT could simulate a TCM practitioner’s inquiry with patients, confirming its potential in the field of TCM inquiry. However, current applications still pose certain limitations and risks. Hence, to integrate ChatGPT-like language models with traditional TCM AI to establish an associative mode that can facilitate TCM diagnosis and treatment with more convenience and standardization is crucial, yet at the same time, it should be treated very carefully.
The key point in studying or teaching the history of Chinese medicine is on the doctrines underlying it and on its perception of the body, physiology, pathology, and its treatment. Namely, there is often a tendency to focus on reading and analysing the classical canons and therapy-related texts including formularies and materia medica collections. However, focusing on these sources provides us with a one-sided presentation of Chinese medicine. These primary sources lack the clinical down-to-earth know-how that encompasses medical treatment, which are represented, for instance, in the clinical rounds of modern medical schools. Our traditional focus on the medical canons and formularies provides almost no clinical knowledge, leaving us with a one-sided narrative that ignores how medicine and healing are actually practiced in the field. This paper focuses on the latter aspect of medicine from a historical perspective. Using written and visual sources dating to the Song dynasty, clinical encounters between doctors and patients including their families are depicted based on case records recorded by a physician, members of the patient’s family, and bystanders. This array of case records or case stories will enable us to narrate the interaction between physicians and patients both from the clinical perspective and from the social interaction. This paper will also discuss visual depictions of the medical encounter to provide another perspective for narrating medicine during the Song dynasty. Medical case records and paintings depicting medical encounters are exemplary of the potential of Chinese primary sources for narrative medicine.
Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system (ADNS) are characterized by the formation of a pronounced neurologic deficit and often lead to disability. The attention of doctors and researchers is increasingly attracted by complementary medicine as adjuvant or preventive therapy for various diseases, including autoimmune diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a combination of treatment methods that include acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietetics, physical exercises, and other methods that are often used in conjunction with recognized approaches of official medical science. The article describes the application of TCM techniques in autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, and demonstrates clinical experience in the use of acupuncture, herbal medicine, diets and physical exercises. Traditional and complementary medicine is an important and often underestimated healthcare resource, especially in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system.
During the late Qing dynasty (1840 A.D.-1912 A.D.), a large quantity of Western medicines entered China, which continuously impacted the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market and revealed the shortcomings of Chinese medicines. Some personages in the TCM community followed the trend of learning from the West, and attempted to reform TCM, with the improvement on decoction becoming an important aspect of this effort. Through debates and trials, the improvement on decoction underwent three stages of conceptual evolution: “taking Chinese medicines as the foundation and referring to the dosage forms of Western medicines”, “introducing Western techniques to serve the preparation of decoctions” and “integrating the theories of TCM and Western medicine to improve decoctions”. The study highlights the effective complementarity between modern TCM and Western medicine in the field of pharmacy, and provides valuable experience and support for the reevaluation of the value of TCM in contemporary society.
The article focuses on the dissemination and development of Chinese medicine in Pakistan. Religious records show that Chinese medicine was introduced to Pakistan as early as 1,400 years ago, while Hijama (Chinese cupping) was used by Prophet Hazrat Muhammad to cure different types of diseases. Exchanges and cooperations between China and Pakistan continue to the present day. Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, cupping therapy and herbal medicine are practiced with significant merits in today’s Pakistan. In the future, with the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative and the landmark project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Chinese medicine can be strengthened through cooperations at the herbal medicine trade level, the research and development level, the educational level, and the social association level.
With the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture and moxibustion, research on acupuncture and moxibustion in the Western world is deepening. The concept of acupuncture and moxibustion popular in the West is formed. By investigating the localization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Western world, this paper introduces several kinds of acupuncture and moxibustion popular in the West and concludes the spread of acupuncture and moxibustion popular in the West through hospitals and clinics, academic works, social organizations, education, and training. This paper provides a global vision developing domestic acupuncture and moxibustion and promoting academic prosperity and technical progress of world acupuncture and moxibustion system.
The international recognition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has continuously increased, and that medical practice has gradually become incorporated into the medical systems of many nations. As an important country in the Belt and Road Initiative, Iran has enormous potential for cooperation with China in medical and health care. High-level officials of the two countries attach great importance to cooperation in both areas. Despite the recent rapid development of TCM in Iran, that medical practice still faces many problems; examples here are the lack of practitioners of TCM as well as the paucity of comprehensive cooperation among herbal medicine factories, publishing houses, traditional medicine colleges, and universities in the two countries. The present study collected and analyzed materials related to the practice of TCM in Iran; it made a deep examination of the current situation, problems, and development prospects regarding TCM in Iran with the aim of providing ideas and references to promote the international development of that form of medicine. Following an analysis of the development trends of TCM in Iran in recent years, it became evident that the prospects for TCM in that country are extensive, and the practice has excellent potential.
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of legal regulation of acupuncture in the United States, as the first acupuncture law was enacted in Nevada. Acupuncture, like any other medical modality, is regulated at the state level, with each state formulating and enforcing its own laws and statutes over time. This article narrates the legislative process and major developments of the acupuncture profession in Minnesota, in the context of legislative developments across the country. It tells how this midsize, Midwest state’s acupuncture profession became regulated, and examines the challenges faced by the profession before and after state statutes were enacted. Minnesota stands as a representative example of the legislative process in other states.
