Correcting the Errors in the Forest of Medicine: Wang Qingren (1768–1831) was a
ID: 3507661 • Letter: C
Question
Correcting the Errors in the Forest of Medicine: Wang Qingren (1768–1831) was a physician during the Qing (1644–1912) dynasty (Fig. 5). It was during this time that Chinese scholars were beginning to question traditional teaching and belief systems. Much of traditional anatomical teaching was still based on the Nei Jing. Division occurred between those intellectuals who regarded the classic Chinese texts as infallible and indisputable and those who thought of them as ancient documents that should be examined and discussed (Andrews, 1991). This atmosphere, no doubt, had quite an influence on Wang. With his book, Yi Lin Gai Cuo (Correcting the Errors in the Forest of Medicine), he attempted, after 42 years of study, to depose the ancient teachings that had been passed down. His book was first published in 1831 as a response to the Nei Jing.
Write approximately 300-400 words arguing that Wang Qingren was the biggest contributor to A&P:
• Where is he from and when did he live? What important ideas (or mistaken ideas/misconceptions) did he have?
• Explain the processes he used to make discoveries (autopsy/cadaver dissection, animal dissection, etc.). How are cadavers and animals generally used in anatomy? What might be some benefits and drawbacks of using those techniques to study human anatomy?
• What was unique about the cadavers Wang observed? What was his unusual process for finding cadavers and why could he not obtain cadavers more easily?
• What does this tell you about the types of people that have studied anatomy?
Explanation / Answer
Ans:
Wang Qing Ren (1768-1831 CE) was a successful practitioner and military official of small status during the Qing dynasty. His work was published before his death in 1830 and it was entitled Correction of Errors in the Medical Community. This work was groundbreaking on a number of fronts. He promoted the importance of accurately understanding anatomy in order to diagnose and treat disease, as dissection and surgery had been all but ignored since the time of Hua Tuo and traditional Chinese doctors had relied on a projected idea of the internal organs. Accoring to him attempting healing without knowing the internal organs is like a blind man walking in the dark.
He was adamant that the correct practice of medicine could no longer be based on the speculative anatomy of the Nei Jing and subsequent works. Observations he conceived a great number of ideas concerning the internal workings of the body, most of which were patently wrong from a modern anatomical viewpoint, but interesting none the less. And more important ramification of his observations was that corpses were filled with clotted blood, as funerary practices in China do not include draining the blood of a body.
He focused on creating medicinal formulas that would address blood stagnation in various parts of the body, and the majority of his work is concerned with the explanation of how stagnant blood was responsible for various types of pathologies. While some of these explanations can get a little strained his formulas are virtually all represented in modern formularies and are used with great regularity in the treatment of a wide variety of disorders.
Cadaver dissection: Cutting and separating human body tissues to reveal tissue relationships.
Human cadavers allow students to observe muscles, bones and organs in a life-sized model. This provides a more accurate perspective of size and location than can be obtained using computer models or textbooks. Instead of viewing one organ in a jar, students can get the context of the surrounding organs and tissue for a thorough comprehension of the organ under observation and also understanding the normal anatomy can help students recognise abnormal anatomy.
Advantages: As there is no trauma to the donor and also can use various organs.
Disadvantages: difficult to ask bereaved relatives and organs less viable. And also the institution must have facility to properly maintain and store the cadaver which can be expense. Health problems are also cited as a disadvantage to cadaver use, as exposure to embalming chemicals have been shown to affect human health. The sight or smell of a deceased person may make any student queasy. Computers and textbooks may provide easier access to deeper levels of muscle or organs than a cadaver and finding a human with normal organs, bones and muscle may be difficult.
Wang observed a more scientific inquiry into anatomical structures. He is also the source for a number of contemporary theories about the nature of aging in Chinese medical theory. Traditional theories of aging employ the idea that we have a quantity of essence when we are born and this is used up through the course of life. Newer theories of aging and the treatment of diseases of the aged use the idea of blood stasis and qi stagnation in general as a means of explaining why diseases of aging form and are more difficult to treat. He focused on to accurately understand anatomy to diagnose & treat (surgery & dissection had been ignored since Hua Tuo) and also told that the many diseases are due to blood stasis. His blood-vitalizing formulas are still used extensively.