Manual of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Fifty-Two Prescriptions for Diseases

[Medical prescription book unearthed from a Han tomb in 1973] The earliest extant medical prescription book in China: a silk book unearthed from the No. 3 Han tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan, in 1973. It originally had no title, but the compilation team named it after the inscription "Fan Fifty-two" at the end of the table of contents. The book is divided into 52 questions (actually covering more than 100 diseases). Each question is a method to treat a type of disease, ranging from one or two prescriptions to more than 20 prescriptions. The total number of existing medical prescriptions is 283. The original number should be around 300, and a small number of them are incomplete. There are 103 existing disease names mentioned in the book, which treat internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, and facial diseases. In particular, surgical diseases account for a large proportion. "Fifty-Two Prescriptions for Diseases" also made certain contributions to pharmacology and prescription science. It contains 247 kinds of medicines, half of which are not included in "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". In terms of prescription medication, the principle of syndrome differentiation and treatment has been initially applied. "Fifty-Two Prescriptions for Diseases" contains various treatment methods. In addition to oral decoctions, external treatment methods are the most prominent. There are application method, medicated bath method, smoke or steam method, ironing method, Bianstone method, moxibustion method, massage method, angle method (cupping therapy), etc. The diversification of treatment methods is also one of the signs of the improvement of medical standards.