Following a doctor's prescriptions could be a risky proposition two and a half millennia ago. But on certain occasions, it was more dangerous to be the doctor than the patient. Wen Chih, an accomplished physician during the Period of Warring States (475-221 B.C.), is a case in point.
He was summoned to treat the king of the state of Chi because other physicians had failed to cure a debilitating disease. With the king's son anxiously looking on, Wen Chih carefully performed his initial examination. Later he told the prince, "Your father's disease is curable, but if I succeed, it will cost me my life." Surprised, because success brought substantial rewards to physicians, the prince asked for an explanation.
Wen Chih answered, "In order to cure the king he must be angered to the point of bursting, but if I do so he will surely have me put to death." The prince pleaded with the doctor to save the father, and promised on his won life that Wen Chih would not be harmed. The physician had no choice but to agree.
Wen Chih began his unique treatment by breaking his next three appointments with the king, sowing the initial seeds of anger in his patient. When he finally arrived, Wen Chih strode boldly into the royal chambers and onto the king's sleeping platform without removing his shoes. He then proceeded to step arrogantly on the king's silk robes and, using the most vulgar language he could muster, described the royal person and his ancestry in distinctly unflattering terms.
The king's face turned red, then deep crimson. Suddenly, he leaped from his bed and was able to speak normally--and forcefully. His anger, unfortunately, did not cease with the same abruptness as the disease, but instead continued to grow. Just as Wen Chih feared, the king ordered him trussed and boiled alive, and the prince was powerless to intervene.
In this case the concept of using the "appropriate medicine for the disease" cut short an illustrious medical career. Happily, Chinese physicians of subsequent times could rely upon more subtle cures.
Emergence Of Chinese Healing Arts
The roots of Chinese medicine are to be found in ancient, prehistorically times. Superstition and general fear of the unknown-exaggerated by natural phenomena beyond human control such as earthquakes, floods, and disease--gave rise to belief in spirits that influenced all aspects of life.
From the beginning of recorded Chinese history in the Shang Dynasty (sixteenth-eleventh century B.C.) until the third century B.C., the power of spirits remained pervasive in Chinese life. The Shang kings, for example, consulted the spirit oracle before nearly every significant decision, and they practiced human sacrifice as a method of appeasing and pleasing the spirits.
Chinese medical practice evolved through three phases during this period. In earliest times, medical practitioners actually were shaman healers, respected because of their power of dealing with--and often controlling--the spirit world. Gradually, individuals emerged who combined the function of shaman healer with practical medical techniques
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