Why are there so many famous doctors in ancient China, why almost no one has passed down the medical skills completely?

Birth, old age, sickness and death are the natural laws of the evolution of the biological world. As one of the living beings in the world, we will inevitably be disturbed by various diseases. When encountering doctors with excellent medical skills, people will cite the allusions of "Hua Tuo's rebirth, Bian Que's rebirth" to express their appreciation and gratitude, which shows the far-reaching influence of ancient famous doctors. Nowadays, we rarely hear about the deeds of this group, and those techniques of rejuvenation that were once well-known have gradually faded out of people's field of vision with the passage of time. From being popular for a while to being gradually lost, what kind of development process has the ancient magical medicine experienced?

Acupuncture bronze man

We know that before Western medicine was introduced into China, traditional Chinese medicine occupied the dominant position of ancient traditional medicine for a long time, and it persisted for several years. Chinese traditional Chinese medicine culture has a long history and can be traced back to the primitive society. At that time, the working people had not yet accepted civilization, and their cognition in the medical field was still at a blank stage. In the widely circulated myth of Shennong tasting all kinds of herbs, Shennong with the head of a cow could not bear to see people suffering from illness and was determined to benefit all sentient beings. He had tried all kinds of herbs in search of a prescription, and finally died of a fatal disease after eating the heartbroken herb.

With the maturity of modern medical level, heart transplantation is becoming more and more popular. However, due to its low postoperative survival rate, heart transplantation has very strict technical requirements for doctors. We might as well make a bold guess: in the case of a serious lack of medical resources, can the ancient famous doctors be able to create amazing miracles of life?

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Bian Que was very skilled in medicine. There is a story recorded in Liezi Tang Wen: One day Duke Lu and Zhao Qiying came to visit Bian Que, saying that they felt uncomfortable, but it was difficult to find out the root cause of the disease. Bian Que quietly looked at Gong Hu in front of him, thinking that he was strong in spirit and very weak in body, and he was scheming but lacking decisiveness. Bian Que then turned around and told Qi Ying that he was weak in mind and strong in body, but had no ambition but was too persistent. After thinking for a moment, Bian Que said that if the two of them can exchange their hearts, then all the abnormal conditions of the body can be solved easily. Therefore, Gong Hu and Qi Ying drank the medicinal wine prepared by Bian Que and passed out for many days. During this period, Bian Que cut open the chests of the two to take out the hearts, carefully placed them interchangeably, and then put the magic medicine into their mouths. After Gong Hu and Qi Ying woke up, they were surprised to find that their bodies had returned to their original health, so they happily returned home.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Bian Que tempered the skills of rejuvenation to the point of perfection. Can his magical skills be inherited? In the Qin and Han dynasties, the development of traditional Chinese medicine went a step further and reached an unprecedented peak. During this period, a generation of famous doctors such as the genius doctor Dong Feng, the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing, and the originator of surgery Hua Tuo emerged. They made clinical medicine focusing on the treatment of typhoid fever, miscellaneous diseases and surgery tend to be specialized, and constantly filled the gaps in the medical field.

The famous "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" was produced in this period. The book contains the mechanism of the human body and various etiologies, as well as a series of recuperation methods for diseases. It is hailed as one of the four classic works of traditional medicine by later generations. "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" not only introduces people to detailed treatment methods, but also guides people to pay attention to physical health care and actively prevent diseases. For heat, more heat is generated" and other health-preserving mentality. At this time, the ancients had already mastered certain medical knowledge, and gradually formed their own independent and complete system.

The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the most powerful periods of national power in Chinese history. The environment of national unity, social stability, economic growth and cultural prosperity undoubtedly provided extremely convenient conditions for the development of traditional medicine. Medicine has developed in an all-round way and ushered in the second boom. After the Tang Dynasty, a large number of local medical works in China crossed the ocean and spread to Japan, North Korea, India, Vietnam and other countries one after another, and gradually became well-known at home and abroad. Foreign medical experts began to study the extensive and profound Chinese medicine culture. In the Song and Song Dynasties, the development of traditional Chinese medicine was fully supported by the government, and the Hanlin Medical College was specially established, which was later the Bureau of Imperial Medicine, which became the cradle and gathering place of ancient medical talents.

Unfortunately, the dominance of traditional Chinese medicine was later broken. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, China was besieged and invaded by Western powers. The blood stained half of the sky red, and it solidified quietly in the moments that poured into Bauhinia City, announcing the end of the war. In order to protect themselves, the stupid feudal rulers had to reluctantly cede part of their sovereignty. At the same time as the decline of the country's fortunes, modern Western medicine continued to flow in, and foreign clinics blossomed everywhere, which had a serious impact on the local Chinese medicine culture. People began to view traditional Chinese medicine in the thinking mode of the Western medical system, thinking that the once highly sought after medical skills lacked scientific basis and should not be hyped up. In the face of public criticism, traditional Chinese medicine has fallen into the great challenge of survival and abolition.

In fact, the loss of ancient magical medicine is also related to its own limitations. Due to the limitation of the productivity of the times, the types of occupations in ancient China were relatively simple, and the industry was highly competitive. Therefore, even doctors who save lives have to worry about their livelihoods. Similar to many traditional cultures, Chinese medicine attaches great importance to family inheritance. Although the best-selling medical books more or less record the diagnosis and treatment methods of some diseases, theoretical knowledge accounts for the vast majority of them, and the specific prescriptions have to be determined by doctors themselves. For uncommon intractable diseases, different doctors often prescribe different prescriptions. When an effective herb is discovered, more doctors condense it into a secret recipe and pass it on to future generations, rather than making it public. The closed social environment has greatly blocked the spread of traditional Chinese medicine, so many magical medical skills have disappeared.

Beijing Nanqing Rentang

Time has changed, and many years later, we have long forgotten this dusty past, and those magical medical skills that once benefited thousands of people have also been transformed into a glimpse of history with the passage of time. Although TCM did not win this well-matched game in the end, it finally found its own position after repeated changes. Now that the traditional Chinese medicine system we see is gradually becoming more complete, is it possible to regain its previous reputation? let us wait and see.