Comprehensive Medical Texts of Past and Present(Gu Jin Yi Tong)
1. A Milestone in Chinese Medical History
Comprehensive Medical Texts of Past and Present (Gu Jin Yi Tong), also known as Great Compendium of Past and Present Medicine, was compiled over thirty years by the Ming dynasty physician Xu Chunfu from Huizhou and completed in 1556. Spanning 100 volumes and drawing from 282 historical medical works, its scope reaches from the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) to contemporary case records. It is recognized as the first systematically comprehensive medical encyclopedia in Chinese history to connect ancient and contemporary knowledge. Compiled during a period of "archaist" medical thought and clinical innovation, it represents both a complete summary of prior medical knowledge and an early national-level effort to systematize and standardize medical learning.
2. A Six-Part Framework
2.1 History and Lineages (Volumes 1-10)
- Pioneered the format of "Biographies of Physicians," covering 560 practitioners from antiquity to the Ming dynasty.
- Created clear lineage charts mapping the transmission of medical schools from their legendary origins through the "Four Great Masters" of the Jin-Yuan period.
- Compiled records of medical administration from the Zhou dynasty to the Ming Imperial Medical Academy.
2.2 Core Theories (Volumes 11-30)
- Extracted and illustrated key doctrines from the Neijing and Nan Jing, accompanied by over 500 explanatory diagrams.
- Created comparative tables linking organ functions to natural phenomena.
- Systematically organized the theory of the Five Movements and Six Climates (Wu Yun Liu Qi), supported by 24 divination charts.
2.3 Diagnostic Methods (Volumes 31-40)
- Synthesized differentiating features for 28 pulse qualities.
- Collected diagnostic charts for face, eye, tongue, and palm reading.
- Recorded rare diagnostic techniques like "Sixteen Keys for Discerning Disease by Sound."
2.4 Formulas and Materia Medica (Volumes 41-70)
- Collected 11,832 medicinal formulas, including over 3,000 otherwise lost ancient prescriptions.
- Documented 1,892 medicinal substances, each with seven standardized entries: nature & flavor, channel entry, region, harvest time, processing, identification, and contraindications.
- Pioneered "Formula Provenance Studies," tracing each prescription to its earliest source.
2.5 Clinical Specialties (Volumes 71-90)
- Organized medicine into 13 specialties: Internal, External, Women's, Children's, Eye, Throat, Acupuncture, Massage, etc.
- Each specialty followed a logical sequence: cause, mechanism, differentiation, treatment, formula, prognosis.
- Included records for rare disorders.
2.6 Health Preservation & Prevention (Volumes 91-100)
- Systematized life-nurturing techniques like Daoyin, breathing exercises, dietary therapy.
- Compiled a manual for seasonal epidemic prevention.
- Included three volumes of emergency formulas for drowning, poisoning, trauma, etc.
The greatness of Comprehensive Medical Texts lies in Xu Chunfu's monumental solo achievement in organizing what might otherwise have been an institutional project: the consolidation of a civilization's medical memory. In today's age of fragmented information and disciplinary silos, this 470-year-old work appears strikingly modern. It demonstrates that a genuine medical system must unify historical depth, theoretical rigor, practical breadth, and humanistic warmth. To open this eighteen-kilogram tome is to hold not just Ming dynasty paper and ink, but the crystallized collective wisdom of a people regarding life, disease, and health.
