Huangdi Neijing, 300 BC – From Supernatural Forces to Natural Causes

The Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) is China's oldest and most famous medical classic, compiled by various unknown authors around 300 BC – 200 BC. The work consists of two main texts, the Su Wen (Basic Questions) and Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot), each containing 81 chapters.

According to scholar Paul Unschuld, the Huangdi Neijing "plays a role in the history of Chinese medicine comparable to that of the Hippocratic writings in ancient Europe. Progress and major paradigm shifts have reduced Hippocrates to the honored originator of an outdated tradition. In contrast, many practitioners of Chinese medicine still regard the Su Wen as a valuable source of theoretical inspiration and practical knowledge in modern clinical settings."

The text contains questions asked by the legendary Yellow Emperor and subsequently answered. The first text, the Su Wen, discusses medical theories and diagnostic methods. The second, the Ling Shu, discusses acupuncture treatment.

Unlike earlier works that emphasized demonic influences on health, the Neijing addresses more natural causes, including diet, age, lifestyle, and emotions. As well as considering other forces and concepts such as Yin and Yang, and Qi/Ki (a life process or "flow of energy"), the Neijing also addresses many aspects of the normal and abnormal functioning of the human body, along with diagnoses and treatments.

According to the Neijing, people have five "internal organs" (the heart, spleen, lungs, liver, and kidneys) and six "internal parts" (the gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and Triple Burner (which regulates the body's heat, moisture, and temperature)). Although the Triple Burner appears to have no solid anatomical form, some acupuncturists believe it plays a role in the circulation of various fluids. Some organs are functional connections with no visible channels, but into which needles may be inserted during acupuncture.

Some chapters of the Neijing use an analogy of a bureaucratic division of labor, in which specific tasks are assigned to parts of the body. Sometimes organs are cast as rivals for supremacy. If the organs prevail over the mind, this may adversely affect health and even cause death.

Description of the Article Image: Acupuncture (the insertion and manipulation of needles at various points on the body) is discussed in the Huangdi Neijing. Shown here is an acupuncture chart published in Shi si jing fa hui (An Exposition of the Fourteen Meridians) by the Chinese physician Hua Shou (1304–1386).

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