English
Treatise on the Causes and Symptoms of Diseases (zhu bing yuan hou lun) is a medical reference that focuses on causes and disharmony patterns of diseases. It is the earliest record in China that categorizes the causes, symptoms and pathology of 1739 kinds of disease in a systematic manner. This book had considerable influence on the future practice of Chinese medicine because of its detailed descriptions.
Treatise on the Causes and Symptoms of Diseases (zhu bing yuan hou lun)
Diseases described in this book include smallpox, rickets, leprosy, measles, tuberculosis, kidney stones, taeniasis (tapeworm), and ascariasis (threadworm). Its detail knowledge about beriberi, referring to a cluster of symptoms caused by vitamin B deficiency, indicates a significant medical achievement of the time. It also mentions surgical procedures for abortions, tooth extractions and intestinal anastomosis, which is the joining of two parts of the intestines.
