Li Shizhen
Encyclopedia
Li Shizhen courtesy name Dongbi (东璧), was one of the greatest Chinese herbologists and acupuncturists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was his 27-year work, which is found in his epic book the Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目 "Compendium of Materia Medica"). He is also considered to be the greatest naturalist of China, and was very interested in the proper classification of herb components.
The book has details about more than 1,800 drugs (Chinese Medicine), including 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also described the type, form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatments of 1,094 herbs. His Materia Medica
has been translated into many different languages, and remains as the premier reference work for herbal medicine. His treatise included various related subjects such as botany
, zoology
, mineralogy
, and metallurgy
. The book was reprinted frequently and five of the original editions still exist.
and was influenced by the Neo-Confucian
beliefs of the time. He was born in what is today Qizhou, Qichun County, Hubei
in July 3,1518 AD and died 75 years later, in 1593.
Li's grandfather had been a doctor who traveled the countryside and was considered relatively low on the social scale of the time. His father was a traditional physician and scholar who had written several influential books. He tried to move up in society and encouraged his son to seek a government position. Li took the national Civil Service Exam
three times, but after failing each one, he turned to medicine. At 78, his father took him on as an apprentice. When he was 27, and a practicing physician, he cured the son of a Chu
prince and was invited to be an official there. A few years after, he got a government position as assistant president at the Imperial Medical Institute in Beijing
. However, even though he had climbed up the social ladder, as his father had originally wanted, he left a year later to return to being a doctor.
In his government position, Li was able to read many rare medical books; he also saw the disorder, mistakes, and conflicting information that were serious problems in most medical publications of the time and soon began the Bencao Gangmu to compile correct information with a logical system of organization. A small part was based on another book which had been written several hundred years earlier, Jingshi Zhenglei Beiji Bencao ("Classified Materia Medica for Emergencies") – which, unlike many other books, had formulas and recipes for most of the entries. In the writing of the Bencao Gangmu, he travelled extensively, gaining first-hand experience with many herbs and local remedies and consulted over 800 books – nearly every medical book in print at the time.
Altogether, the writing of the Bencao Gangmu took 27 years, which included three revisions. Ironically, writing the book allegedly took a considerable toll on his health. It was rumored that he stayed indoors for ten consecutive years during the writing of the Bencao Gangmu. After he had completed it, a friend “reported that Li was emaciated.”
Li died before the book was officially published, and the current emperor paid it little regard. However, it remained one of the most important materia medica
of traditional China
.
Li had exemplary recording techniques. Seeking to fix the errors of previous works, the medicinal plants and substances in the Bencao Gangmu were clearly organized and categorized. With every entry, he included:
The Bencao Gangmu contained nearly 1,900 substances, which included 374 that had not appeared in other works. Not only did it list and describe the substances, but it also included prescriptions for use – about 11,000 - 8,000 of which were not well known.
The Bencao Gangmu also had 1160 illustrated drawings to aid the text.
In addition to writing the Bencao Gangmu, Li was one of the first to recognize gallstone
s, use ice to bring down a fever, and to use steam and fumigants to prevent the spread of infection. Li also emphasized preventative medicine.
He said that “‘To cure disease is like waiting until one is thirsty before digging a well…’” and listed over 500 treatments to maintain good health and strengthen the body, 50 of which he invented himself.
The Bencao Gangmu still has scientific, medical, and historical significance today. A plant or substance’s inclusion in the Bencao Gangmu is a sign of posterity. Medical clinics and manufacturers use his name and image on their logos and products and there was even a movie made about his life in 1956. His image can be found at almost every traditional medical college in China, as well as many books on Chinese medicine and there is even a Li Shi Zhen award for “doctors and researchers who have made valuable contributions to traditional Chinese medicine.”
While only six copies of the original edition remain – One in the US Library of Congress
, two in China
, and three in Japan
(a seventh copy in Berlin was destroyed during World War II
) – several new editions and numerous translations have been made throughout the centuries, and it was not replaced as the pharmaceutical materia medica
of China
until 1959: over 400 years after its first publication.
The book has details about more than 1,800 drugs (Chinese Medicine), including 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also described the type, form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatments of 1,094 herbs. His Materia Medica
Materia medica
Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing . The term 'materia medica' derived from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De materia medica libre...
has been translated into many different languages, and remains as the premier reference work for herbal medicine. His treatise included various related subjects such as botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
, and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
. The book was reprinted frequently and five of the original editions still exist.
Biography
In addition to the Bencao Gangmu, Li wrote eleven other books, including Binhu Maixue (瀕湖脈學 "A Study of the Pulse") and Qijing Bamai Kao (奇經八脈考 "An Examination of the Eight Extra Meridians"). He lived during the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
and was influenced by the Neo-Confucian
Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
beliefs of the time. He was born in what is today Qizhou, Qichun County, Hubei
Qichun
Qichun County is a county of Huanggang, Hubei, China.Qichun County is the birthplace of famous herbalist Li Shizhen, who was born and lived in Qizhou town, on the southern edge of the County, alongside the Yangtze River...
in July 3,1518 AD and died 75 years later, in 1593.
Li's grandfather had been a doctor who traveled the countryside and was considered relatively low on the social scale of the time. His father was a traditional physician and scholar who had written several influential books. He tried to move up in society and encouraged his son to seek a government position. Li took the national Civil Service Exam
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
three times, but after failing each one, he turned to medicine. At 78, his father took him on as an apprentice. When he was 27, and a practicing physician, he cured the son of a Chu
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:Surname:* Chu , a common Chinese surname for 朱 , but it can also refer to any Chinese surname whose pinyin is "chu", such as 楚, 储, 褚, 初, 除 and other possible surnames....
prince and was invited to be an official there. A few years after, he got a government position as assistant president at the Imperial Medical Institute in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. However, even though he had climbed up the social ladder, as his father had originally wanted, he left a year later to return to being a doctor.
In his government position, Li was able to read many rare medical books; he also saw the disorder, mistakes, and conflicting information that were serious problems in most medical publications of the time and soon began the Bencao Gangmu to compile correct information with a logical system of organization. A small part was based on another book which had been written several hundred years earlier, Jingshi Zhenglei Beiji Bencao ("Classified Materia Medica for Emergencies") – which, unlike many other books, had formulas and recipes for most of the entries. In the writing of the Bencao Gangmu, he travelled extensively, gaining first-hand experience with many herbs and local remedies and consulted over 800 books – nearly every medical book in print at the time.
Altogether, the writing of the Bencao Gangmu took 27 years, which included three revisions. Ironically, writing the book allegedly took a considerable toll on his health. It was rumored that he stayed indoors for ten consecutive years during the writing of the Bencao Gangmu. After he had completed it, a friend “reported that Li was emaciated.”
Li died before the book was officially published, and the current emperor paid it little regard. However, it remained one of the most important materia medica
Materia medica
Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing . The term 'materia medica' derived from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De materia medica libre...
of traditional China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Bencao Gangmu
The Bencao Gangmu was a massive literary undertaking. Li's bibliography included nearly 900 books. Because of its size, it was not easy to use, though it was organized much more clearly than others that had come before, which had classified herbs only according to strength. He broke them down to animal, mineral, and plant and divided those categories by their source. Dr. S. Y. Tan says: “his plants were classified according to the habitat, such as aquatic or rock origins, or by special characteristics, e.g. all sweet-smelling plants were grouped together.”Li had exemplary recording techniques. Seeking to fix the errors of previous works, the medicinal plants and substances in the Bencao Gangmu were clearly organized and categorized. With every entry, he included:
- “Information concerning a previously false classification;
- Information on secondary names, including the sources of the names;
- Collected explanations, commentaries and quotes in chronological order, including origin of the material, appearance, time of collection, medicinally useful parts, similarities with other medicinal materials;
- Information concerning the preparation of the material;
- Explanation of doubtful points;
- Correction of mistakes;
- Taste and nature;
- Enumeration of main indications;
- Explanation of the effects; and
- Enumeration of prescriptionsMedical prescriptionA prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient. Prescriptions may include orders to be performed by a patient, caretaker, nurse, pharmacist or other therapist....
in which the material is used, including form and dosage of the prescriptions.”
The Bencao Gangmu contained nearly 1,900 substances, which included 374 that had not appeared in other works. Not only did it list and describe the substances, but it also included prescriptions for use – about 11,000 - 8,000 of which were not well known.
The Bencao Gangmu also had 1160 illustrated drawings to aid the text.
In addition to writing the Bencao Gangmu, Li was one of the first to recognize gallstone
Gallstone
A gallstone is a crystalline concretion formed within the gallbladder by accretion of bile components. These calculi are formed in the gallbladder, but may pass distally into other parts of the biliary tract such as the cystic duct, common bile duct, pancreatic duct, or the ampulla of...
s, use ice to bring down a fever, and to use steam and fumigants to prevent the spread of infection. Li also emphasized preventative medicine.
He said that “‘To cure disease is like waiting until one is thirsty before digging a well…’” and listed over 500 treatments to maintain good health and strengthen the body, 50 of which he invented himself.
The Bencao Gangmu still has scientific, medical, and historical significance today. A plant or substance’s inclusion in the Bencao Gangmu is a sign of posterity. Medical clinics and manufacturers use his name and image on their logos and products and there was even a movie made about his life in 1956. His image can be found at almost every traditional medical college in China, as well as many books on Chinese medicine and there is even a Li Shi Zhen award for “doctors and researchers who have made valuable contributions to traditional Chinese medicine.”
While only six copies of the original edition remain – One in the US Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, two in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and three in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(a seventh copy in Berlin was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) – several new editions and numerous translations have been made throughout the centuries, and it was not replaced as the pharmaceutical materia medica
Materia medica
Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing . The term 'materia medica' derived from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De materia medica libre...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
until 1959: over 400 years after its first publication.
See also
- Chinese herbologyChinese herbologyChinese Herbology is the theory of Traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in Traditional Chinese medicine ....
- Traditional Chinese medicineTraditional Chinese medicineTraditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
- List of Chinese physicians