Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-29
WHOLE NO. 1888
CHINESa MEDICAL LOBE.
Some Strangely Absurd Idees about
Human Anatomy.

Some Strangely Absurd Idees about
Humsn Anatomy.
Surgeon George w. Wood, OF the United
States Navy, has been investigating the
! study and science of medicine III China.
lie finds that the profession has no seien-
| tiic knowledge. Medical literature con-
sists largely of elaborate records of the ef-
fects of various doses.
| The study OF anatomy in China is SONG
| thing funny. This branch is taught by
| diagrams. The Chinese doctors never dis
| sect According to the charts which repre-
sent the Chinese ideas of the internal or
eans which have been handed down from
ages back, the trachea or wind pipe goes to
the heart and from there three tubes radi-
ate to the liver. spleen and kidneys. The
esophagus or food passage goes to be stoTn-
| ach. Even Chlnaman could hardly miss
! that connection.
| The lungs are represented Is hanging to
the spinal column, and rs being white in
color, perforated with holes for letting
| air. The kidneys are likewise hitched
the backbone. The small intestiaes pl
the part of a connection between the hes
| and the bladder, while the large intestines
| are attached to the lungs. The spleen CON
meets with the stomach as a kind of ell
and the liver, according to Chinese anat-
| omy, is an immense organ with sever
| loOes. Such n thing as the nervous system
| is not known.
Chinese medical books teach that the
chest is the vital center, the seat of iov.
| pleasure and health. In the brain is 10
Gated the principles ofperfection. The liver
| is the abode Of the soul, and con trolls the
| formation of schemes and enterprises. The
| gall bladder is the region whence comes the
supply of courage.
There are nine divisions of diseases rec
| ognized by the Chinese profession They
are considered distinct. Separate instruc-
| ton is given on each class, and specialists
devote themselves to one of these divisions
These classes are rs follows:
Those affecting the pulse feebIy those
| affecting the pulse violently; those arising
from cold; female diseases; cutaneous dis
cases diseases requiring acupuncture
ophthamiC affections; diseases of the
| mouth and adjacent parts diseases of the
| bones. The materia medica of the Chinese
profession is something stupendous
The PanTso, their standard work, is in
thirty-eight volumes. 1t present, II, ,S95
| formula, into the makeup Of which over
| 800 substances enter. While there is al
most no end to Chinese drugs, there are
! some substances which are favo:ites in the
| practice. Among these are claws and
| bones of the tiger and other wild animals,
the cuttle-fsh, dragons teeth. fossils, the
hide, horn and bones OF the elephant and
| rhinOceros, the SCORPION, snake skins,
| SCOT, and SO on.
A fayorite remedy is known as the
tincture of five poisons" made by sleeping
scorpions, snakes and other venomous
| creatures i'll samshu. This is given for
| fever, rhumatism and catarrh. In some
| parts OF China it is considered the very
highest degree OF philanthropy for the rich
| to place this tincture at their door to be
| used without cost by the poor. Gunpow-
| der, termed +" fine drug, +" is used as a vermi-
| fuge. A sensible remedy which is of COM
paratively recent introduction aIuong more
enlightened people, is the gizzaId of the
common owl, prescribed for dyspepsia
! But the great cure-all with the Chinese is
ginseng root. The resemblance which the
roots often bear 10 the human FORM either
| as the result of natural growth or s5illful
| trimming, is given as the reason for Chinese
faith in the universal efficacy OF the drug
Large and choice specimens OF the root
are carefully preserved in embroidered cov-
erings and inclosed in cases of varying
sizes, the whole being locked in brass
/ bound chests. An extraordinary iine spec
linen is worth $500 The hunting Of these
| roots is pursued with all the ard0r of gold
I seeking.
The Chinese have little use for surgery.
They resort to cuppiBg and leeching and
| lancing on q small scale, and thst is about
| do la tLty ~ LIOADlu grow Aiis are re-
| moved with what is known as the ' five
| tigers specific" composition Of suipha1e
| of iron, alun nitrate of potash metallic
| mercury and verditer. In only one re-
| spect is their surgery heroic. They will
shove needle into the body anywhere
| about as far as it will go.
The pulse is almost entirely relied upon
| in making diagnosis and is the subject
| of elaborate teaching and study The
physician, in the presence Of his patient,
| does little more than examine the pulse of
| both wrists, and in the case of q female.
| is permitted to make this examination
| only, the arms being protruded from be-
hind a screen. They are PLAYED upon at
three points, from each of which the
learned man gets twenty-four Indications.
These give positive information of the or
gan involved, and its exact condition en-
able, him to give prognOsis. This exam
ination IS made with great solemnity
The three pulses" commencing at the
hand, are designated as inch, bar and eubit.
and the sympathy existing between the
pulse and the internal organs enables the
doctor to reach his conclusions.
The Chinese are great consumers of
medicine, ana drug stores abound. The
city walls are thickly placarded with ad-
vertisements of remedies. A doctor is
generally selected by lot, and this settled,
contract is entered into for medicine and
advice until cure is effected The larger
the fee the greater the doses expected.
Medicine is furnished in great bouses of
herbs and roots, and is administered by the
quart Washington correspondence GloLe-
Democrat.