Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb: Hunain ibn Ishaq's historic medical text with a distinctive style of Islamic medical education.

The golden age of Islamic medicine (800 to 1300 CE) is a notable period in medical history. Medical education in this period of time was significant and systematic in Islamic territory. In the early Golden Age of Islamic Medicine, Abu Zayd Hunain ibn Ishaq al-'Ibadi, an exceptional scholar and translator, emerged. He was known as Johannitius in medieval Europe. Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb lil-Mutallimin (Questions on Medicine for Students) was written by Hunain ibn Ishaq. This book remains a definitive text on Islamic medicine and has been printed and published widely in Europe. Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb is written in the style of questions and answers which is distinct from the conventional writing style of medical books on Islamic medicine. The current article reviews Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb and its distinguishing style, the question and answer format. Today, the question-and-answer method is a popular method of medical education, and clinical teachers tend to use it in medical education because of the advantages it offers. The use of this method in Al-Masa'il fi al-tibb for education and examination of medical students by Hunain ibn Ishaq reflects a great improvisation in medical education and introduces him as the leading developer of the question-and-answer method in Islamic medical education.

The name to remember: Flexibility and contextuality of preliterate folk plant categorization from the 1830s, in Pernau, Livonia, historical region on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Research on the folk categorization of nature in preliterate societies in Europe is complicated due to the fragmentation of the information available and is rarely undertaken. Yet the data is valuable and may provide, in certain circumstances, important insights, if not into novel medicines, then into the historical logic of selection and memorisation of plants useful from a medicinal perspective. AIMS OF THE STUDY: We aim to understand the ethnobotany of a preliterate society by analysing the emic (derived from people) perspective on nature-related culture of one of Europe's smaller nations, whose written language and culture was shaped in the 18th-19th centuries by other, larger nations of Europe, and thus from the etic (academic) perspective. We attempt to identify how folk categorization is reflected in the relationships between plant names and uses and to map the structure of those relationships. DATA AND METHODS: We base our analysis on one of the oldest ethnobotanical manuscripts and herbaria of the Baltic governorates, compiled in 1831 by an amateur botanist, Baltic German Pastor Johann Heinrich Rosenplänter (1782-1846), which was derived from conversations with his parishioners from the tiny Pärnu parish. The historical dataset was critically analysed from an ethnobotanical perspective in light of recent identifications of the herbarium specimens. RESULTS: Although the Rosenplänter collection is fragmentary, the logic of plant categorization by non-literate peasants at that time is clearly seen in the data. Plants preserved in the herbarium were predominantly used for ethno-medicinal, food or ethno-veterinary purposes, such as treating chronic skin and joint diseases as well as severe acute diseases in humans and animals. Among 129 folk taxa analysed, more than one third had apparent purpose-related plant names providing clear links to their use, whereas a few multifunctional plants had several names reflecting diverse uses. For example, Hypericum spp., which was used in three different ways, had three semantically distinct names. However, among the plants that Rosenplänter collected, there were also some that were simply named and described by people but lacked any usability data (e.g., Trollius europaeus), meaning that use as such was not the primary criterion for recognising a plant. The web-like structure of preliterate thinking in plant-related knowledge reveals a deep relationship with the environment and the interpretation of new elements through familiar natural objects. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that historical ethnobotanical data, if thoughtfully analysed, can be used not only for comparative purposes, but also for understanding the logic of preliterate thinking. We encourage future in-depth studies of historical ethnobotanical data in Europe in order to understand the relationship between nature and culture of native European populations.

[Great Folk Medicine Book from Poljica (Bratulic's Folk Medicine Book)] / Velika Poljicka ljekarusa (Bratuliceva ljekarusa)

The paper presents a folk recipe collection manuscript written by an unknown author in Poljica area, in the 18th century. It is owned by the philologist, historian of literature and bibliophile, Josip Bratulic. Therefore, the author suggests that this recipe collection should bear the name Great folk medicine book from Poljica (Bratulic's folk medicine book). The manuscript is written in Latin script and Croatian language. It consists of 288 pages written in black ink and contains more than 1,100 recipes making it one of the largest known manuscripts. Although well preserved, a small part of it is unreadable. Most recommended recipes are for treating humans and domestic animals, while several recipes contain household tips. The abundance of its content, expressions, and healing instructions add this recipe collection to other similar manuscripts of this region, which create precious part of the Croatian medical, pharmaceutical, and cultural heritage.

The Massage Approach of Avicenna in the Canon of Medicine

Massage is the manipulation of the body tissues by using techniques, such as rubbing, kneading, pressing, and rolling to sustain a state of health and wellness. Massage is one of the oldest and most natural healing applications in human history. Avicenna (980 - 1037) gained a very important position in the medical world with his most important work, the Canon of Medicine, known as the holy book of medicine in the Western world. Different types of massage were defined in the book. These were hard friction that braces the body, soft friction that relaxes the body, repeated friction that reduces the amount of fat in the body, moderately hard friction that improves the body, rough friction that leads the blood to the surface rapidly, gentle friction that increases blood flow in the application area, preparatory friction that prepares the body before exercise, and restorative friction that is applied after exercise which alleviates exhaustion. It may be seen that Avicenna, whose work shows influnce of Greek and Roman physicians, was heavily influenced by Hippocrates and Galen. It is seen that the massage techniques and effect mechanisms defined by Avicenna about a thousand years ago have contributed a lot to the developments in massage through the historical process.

A medieval physician: Amirdovlat Amasiatsi (1420-1495).

We aimed to acquaint the reader with a medieval physician, Amirdovlat Amasiatsi, who lived and practiced in the 15th century Anatolia. Amirdovlat wrote several books on medicine mainly focusing on phytotherapy and pharmacology using medicinal plants, animal-derived products and minerals. All his works were written in Middle Armenian, spoken Armenian language of the time. In his writings, Amirdovlat described unique recipes that represent a portrayal of medical knowledge and practice at the time in Anatolia where he lived and worked. He discussed the physical and therapeutic properties as well as geographic distributions of various plants and minerals, using different languages, mainly Turkish, Greek, Arabic, French and Persian. Amirdovlat's works not only enhanced our understanding of Armenian medical practices but also provided great deal of information on those of Ancient Greco-Roman as well as Islamic world, demonstrating close relationship of Armenian medicine with Greco-Roman and Islamic medicine. Amirdovlat accomplished this by amalgamating the past and contemporary practices of his time. In this regard, Amirdovlat's works, in particular "Useless for the Ignorant", are very unique playing a significant role in preserving traditions and heritage of different cultures.

A Research on the Shamanistic Medical Activities as Seen in the Recipes for Fifty-two Ailments Written in the Mawangdui Silk Manuscript.

The main thesis of this research is to discuss the shamanistic medical activities as seen in the Recipes for Fifty-two Ailments written in the Mawangdui Silk Manuscript, to corroborate them with handed-down literature and other underground written attestations in early China, and to inquire its characteristics. In the Eastern Zhou dynasty, medicine already emerged with specialized and professional properties, but did not disengage from the ideology of shamanism in Eastern Zhou society. In other words, the shamanistic treatment of diseases was one of the most important works of shamans because the specialized knowledge of medical treatment always interlaced with superstitious and mediumistic treatment methods. This article examines the details of shamanistic medical activities, for example, the 'zhuyou', the 'zhuyichuxiong', curing maggots activities, and so on, by analyzing the Recipes for Fifty-two Ailments written in the Mawangdui Silk Manuscript. The origin and development of this early Chinese medical treatment had an influence on ancient Korea, Japan, and other places. Through this research, we can learn more about the initial development stage of the early traditional medicine in ancient societies of East Asia.

Knowledge Transmission of Medical Prescription and the Role of the Literati Officials from the Song Dynasty: Focusing on Huadupainongneibusan.

This paper attempts to examine the spread of medical prescription knowledge during the Song dynasty and the role played by the literati officials through a reconstruction of the transmission of Painongneibusan, a prescription to treat abscesses. An examination of the origins of Painongneibusan shows that after being confirmed in the Qianjinyaofang, it was passed down through Waitaimiyao, Taipingshenghuifang, Shengjizonglu, and Taipinghuiminhejijufang. In particular, in the records from Taipinghuiminhejijufang, which was revised and enlarged during the Shaoxing period (1131-1162) unlike transmissions that were almost identical to those from previous periods, we can find a clear increase in the knowledge regarding medicinal effects, medicinal ingredients, administration methods, precautions and so on. However, if we examine the same prescription record included in Hongshijiyanfang published by Hong Jun in 1170, we can see that the contents are almost exactly the same as those in Taipinghuiminhejijufang and that Hongshijiyanfang had even more content. Through this study, we can deduce that the prescription recorded in these two books were from the same original text. In addition, we can conclude that the original text is likely to be sourced from the knowledge of folk medicine. According to the records, Hu Quan received this prescription from an "outsider," and Hu Quan gave this to Hong Kuo, who wrote an introduction and published it as a stone carving in Huizhou. After this, knowledge about this prescription became known far and wide. While Chen Yan criticized the abuse of this prescription, Hong Jun still included it in Hongshijiyanfang, and Hong Mai included it in Yijianzhi, leading to it becoming even more widespread. Due to this spread of the prescription, the transmission of the description that is connected from "Outsider - Ho Quan - Three Hong Brothers" continued to appear in many medical anthologies by literati officials. Whenever this prescription was mentioned, they referred to Three Hong Brothers, and it went as far as to cause the practice to sometimes be called "Hongshineibusan." Chen Ziming continued the criticism of Chen Yan in Waikejingyao; while the prescription made famous by Hong Kuo had the same contents as prescription in Taipinghuiminhejijufang, the fact that criticism was only directed at Hong Kuo is a proof of his influence in the spread of related knowledge. In conclusion, this happened during an active time of accumulation, exchange, and competition in the knowledge of prescription, as can be observed in various sources from the Song Period. There were various communications and exchanges between officials, locals, and literati officials, and tensions could also sometimes be found. We can say that the role of the literati officials was to collect, record, publish, and spread the knowledge of medicine taken from various sources. In addition, in relation to the spread of the knowledge of medicine, the influence of the literati officials exceeded Taipinghuiminhejijufang, which was the official text at that time.

One of the Earliest Accounts of Head Wounds in Firdaws al-Hikma by al-Tabari from the 9th Century.

OBJECTIVE: To present the first Arabic text on suturing scalp wounds. METHODS: A related section entitled "On the wounds in the head" from the book Firdaws al-Hikma (Paradise of the Wisdom) written by al-Tabari in the 9th century was identified and analyzed. This work was one of the earliest medical compendiums in the Islamic world during the medieval period. A printed copy of Firdaws al-Hikma edited by Muhammad Zubayr al-Siddiqi was examined, and findings were compared with relevant knowledge in the literature. RESULTS: A notable part of this text is based on appropriate closure of scalp wounds using sutures. Before this work, only the well-known Indian medical book Susruta-Samhita had mentioned closure of scalp wounds using sutures. In his work, al-Tabari recommended using materials made of silk or linen for suturing. He additionally proposed some recipes that have a coating feature that prevents bleeding from the wound after it was closed properly. He also dealt with persistent swelling and provided formulas for solving the problem with special compositions. CONCLUSIONS: Firdaws al-Hikma is a noteworthy work in the history of medicine, and it includes a unique chapter on head wounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first mention of suturing scalp cuts in Arabic literature and the second reference in medical literature after the Indian work Susruta-Samhita.

[The historical materials of stomatology in the All Things, Prescriptions of Fifty-two Diseases and Yinshu].

All Things, Prescriptions of Fifty-two Diseases and Yinshu were three bamboo and silk medical manuscripts which form-time was no later than the late Warring States period. From the visible bamboo and silk, the ancient Chinese knew the relationships between some drugs and the volume of saliva and used compound drugs to treat dental caries. Some oral and maxillofacial diseases, such as inflammation and pain of oromaxillo-facial region, temporomandibular dislocation and the methods of treatment were descriped in these books. Mouth-rinsing and tooth-picking were the more often used methods for maintaining oral hygiene. Kouchi(clicking the tooth)was also used for prevention and/or treatment of caries. Most of these knowledge were the first documents in ancient China.

Experiencing Madness: Mental Patients in Medieval Arabo-Islamic Medicine.

This paper focuses on the mental patients in Arabo-Islamic Middle Ages. Patients suffering from mental illnesses generated a lot of interest for Arabo-Islamic physicians. The first objective of this study is to identify who were the mentally infirm and to compare the Arab physicians' typologies of mental patients to that of their Greek predecessors. The second part of this paper shifts the focus from theoretical descriptions to case histories and biographical sources, in order to understand how the physicians treated their mental patients, and to find out what was the social impact of this medical approach. Finally, because the special provision for the insane is a distinctive feature of the Islamic hospital, the third part of my paper examines whether the main purpose of these hospitals was the patients' confinement or their treatment.

Interpretations of the Healer's Touch in the Hippocratic Corpus.

This paper analyses gender as an aspect of the role of touch in the relationship between doctors and patients, as represented in the Hippocratic Corpus. Touch is an essential aspect of the ancient doctor's art, but one potentially fraught with concerns over gender: while seeing, hearing, and smelling are also central to the medical encounter, touching is the act that places the greatest demands on the privacy and bodily integrity of the patient. This paper shows--perhaps counterintuitively--that, despite the multiple assertions of gender differences put forward by the authors of the Hippocratic Corpus, these authors make little distinction between touching male and female patients. At the same time, the paper argues that ancient physicians were anxious to avoid the charge that they were harming their patients when they touched them. It demonstrates that male doctors, sensitive as they were to the problems posed by their interactions with female patients, were challenged in different ways when engaging in intimate contact with male patients.

"It may not cure you, it may not save your life, but it will help you".

In the modern world, we are experiencing an epidemiological shift represented by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases relative to that of acute diseases: more people are living longer, with more diseases, than ever before in human history. How are we to understand and to respond to this change? A study of provision of cancer treatment in Western Australia, especially among Indigenous populations, can illuminate ways in which healthcare providers and societies might better understand the treatment of chronic disease: healthcare providers should take care to appreciate patient perspectives and beliefs about disease aetiology and treatment. Consideration of treatment of disease in the ancient Graeco-Roman world supports the view that effective healing and maintenance of patient wellbeing occurs when healers communicate clearly with their patients about disease and treatment progression, and when healers are open-minded about patients' utilisation of multiple treatment modalities.

Approaches to the History of Patients: From the Ancient World to Early Modern Europe.

This chapter looks from an early modernist's perspective at some of the major questions and methodological issues that writing the history of patients in the ancient world shares with similar work on Patientengeschichte in medieval and early modern Europe. It addresses, in particular, the problem of finding adequate sources that give access to the patients' experience of illness and medicine and highlights the potential as well as the limitations of using physicians' case histories for that purpose. It discusses the doctor-patient relationship as it emerges from these sources, and the impact of the patient's point of view on learned medical theory and practice. In conclusion, it pleads for a cautious and nuanced approach to the controversial issue of retrospective diagnosis, recommending that historians consistently ask in which contexts and in what way the application of modern diagnostic labels to pre-modern accounts of illness can truly contribute to a better historical understanding rather than distort it.

A panoramic view of chronic liver diseases and natural remedies reported in Traditional Persian Medicine.

Regarding limited effectiveness of many hepatic medical approaches, seeking for novel treatment strategies is crucial to improve outcomes. Hence, the current study aims to compile a concise but critical review over reported liver diseases and related medicinal plants from the Persian medicine perspectives. To this end, five main pharmaceutical manuscripts of Persian medicine from 9th-18th A.D. as well as the latest and largest medical textbook of Persian medicine were studied. By searching through databases such as PubMed and ScienceDirect, mechanisms or pharmacological activities of reported medicinal plants in the field of liver diseases were cited and discussed. In all, seventeen different liver diseases, mainly chronic, were cited in Persian medicine. Ninety three medicinal plants with liver tonic, hepatoprotective and related effectiveness belonging to 49 families were derived and authenticated from these studied manuscripts. More than 75% of the herbs showed related hepatoprotectivity and antioxidant activities. However, none of them have been examined clinically. Besides historical clarification, the current investigation compiled an evidence- based study on reported liver herbal remedies from the standpoints of Persian scholars. Conducting attributable clinical trials against the backdrops of proven in vitro and in vivo studies may result in new treatment discoveries for liver diseases.

An Aspect of the History of Medicine in Ancient Korea as Examined through Silla Buddhist Monks'Annotations on the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease"in the Sutra of Golden Light (Suvarnabhasa-sutra).

Nearly nothing is known of medicine in ancient Korea due to insufficient materials. With several extant prescriptions and esoteric methods of treating diseases alone, it is impossible to gauge in depth the management of medicine during this period. If one exception were to be cited, that would be the fact that the annotations for understanding the contents on Indian medicine in the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease" in the Sutra of Golden Light, a Buddhist sutra originating from India, reflected the medical knowledge of Buddhist monks from Silla (57 BC-935 AD) who were active immediately after the nation's unification of the two other kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula (668 AD) such as Wonhyo (617-686 AD), Gyeongheung (620?-700? AD), and Seungjang (684-? AD). Along with those by other monks, these annotations are collected in the Mysterious Pivot of the Sutra of Golden Light, which was compiled by Gangyo(835-871 AD), a Japanese monk from the Heian era (794-1185 AD). Representative versions of the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease" in the Sutra of Golden Light include: a classical Chinese translation by the Indian monk Dharmaksema (385-433 AD); the eight-volume edition by Chinese monk Baogui, which differs little from the preceding work in terms of the contents of the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease"; and the ten-volume edition by Yijing (635-713 AD), who had full-fledged knowledge of Indian medicine. When the contents of the annotations thus collected are examined, it seems that Wonhyo had not been aware of the existence of the ten-volume edition, and Gyeongheung and Seungjang most certainly used the ten-volume edition in their annotations as well. Especially noteworthy are Wonhyo's annotations on the Indian medical knowledge found in the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease" in the Sutra of Golden Light. Here, he made a bold attempt to link and understand consistently even discussions on Indian and Buddhist medicine on the basis of the traditional East Asian medical theory centering on the yin-yang and five phases (wuxing). In accordance with East Asia's theory of the seasonal five phases, Wonhyo sought to explain aspects of Indian medicine, e.g., changes in the four great elements (catvari maha-bhutani) of earth, water, fire, and wind according to seasonal factors and their effect on the internal organs; patterns of diseases such as wind (vata)-induced disease, bile (pitta)-induced disease, phlegm (slesman)-induced disease, and a combination (samnipata) of these three types of diseases; pathogenesis due to the indigestion of food, as pathological mechanisms centering on the theory of the mutual overcoming (xiangke) of the five phases including the five viscera (wuzang), five flavors (wuwei), and five colors (wuse). They existed in the text contents on Indian medicine, which could not be explicated well with the existing medical knowledge based on the theory of the five phases. Consequently, he boldly modified the theory of the five phases in his own way for such passages, thus attempting a reconciliation, or harmonization of disputes (hwajaeng), of the two medical systems. Such an attempt was even bolder than those by earlier annotators, and Wonhyo's annotations came to be accepted by later annotators as one persuasive explanation as well. In the case of Gyeongheung and Seungjang, who obtained and examined the ten-volume edition, a new classical Chinese translation produced following Wonhyo's death, annotated the "Chapter on Eliminating Disease" based on their outstanding proficiency in Sanskrit and knowledge of new Indian and Buddhist medicine. This fact signifies that knowledge of the eight arts of Ayurvedic medicine in India was introduced into Silla around the early 8th century. The medical knowledge of Wonhyo, Gyeongheung, and Seungjang demonstrates that intellectual circles in contemporary Silla were arenas in which not only traditional East Asian medicine as represented by works such as the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi Neijing) but also Indian medicine of Buddhism coexisted in almost real time.

[Evolution of the origin of strain of Shancigu (Rhizoma Pleionis)].

Shancigu (Rhizome Pleionis) was first recorded in the Ben cao shiyi (Supplements to Chinese Materia Medica). The source of the strain of this medicinal was unclear because of its too simple description in the medical books in the Tang and Song dynasties. Its original plant could be Cremastra appendiculata (D.Don) Makino, Tulipa edulis (Miq.) Baker and so on. The original plant of Shanciguwas Tulipaedulis since the Ming dynasty to the Republican period. The name of "Guangcigu" began to appear in the Republican period because of the changes of its processing method. The original plants evolved into Cremastra appendiculata, Pleione bulbocodioides (Franch.) Rolfe and Pleione yunnanensis Rolfe, with Tulipa edulisas the original plant of Guangcigu (Bulbus of Tulipasedulis). It is found that only the Tulipaedulis is the unequivocal origin with the longest medicinal history through sorting out of the original plants of Shancigu. Hence, it is suggested that Tulipa edulis should be recovered as the original strain of Shancigu.

[Philological structure of Dan xi shou jing (Danxi's Hand Mirror)].

Zhu Danxi, one of the four Major Schools of the Jin-Yuan Dynasties, had a lot of works circulated with its authorship in disarray. Part of the works were compiled by his disciples, while others were by his self-taught followers based on prior circulated Danxi's originals, plus some apocryphal so-called Danxi's works circulated posthumously. When sorting out Danxi's Hand Mirror, we found that some of its contents are closely related to Bei ji qian jin yao fang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies), Qian jin yi fang (Supplements to Qian jin yao fang), Tai ping sheng hui fang (Peaceful Holy Benevolent Prescriptions), Zhu jie shang han lun (Annotated Treatises of Cold Pathogenic Disease), Shang han ming li lun (Elucidation of Cold Pathogenic Disease), Ge zhi yu lun (Treatise of Inquiring the Properties of Things), either by transcription or with an identical origin. By clearing their relationships, it can provide assistance to the research of the philological structure of Danxi's hand Mirror.

[Experience of treatment and understanding of impediment disease in Shen nong ben cao jing (Shen-ntonz's Classic of Materia Medica)].

As a book with significant historical materials for the research of impediment disease not to be ignored, Shen nong ben cao jing (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica) contains, among its 365 kinds of materia medica, 75 kinds of medicines related to impediment disease. Among the latter ones, 51 are related to "damp impediment", "cold-damp impediment", "wind-cold-damp impediment", "wind impediment", "wind-damp impediment", and "cold impediment"; 16 are related to "laryngeal impediment", "general impediment", and "blood impediment"; 8 are related to "muscular impediment", "stomach impediment", "hernia-conglomeration impediment", "internal consumptive-thirst impediment", "wilting impediment", and "hemiplegic impediment". To systematically analyze the properties, tastes, and effects of these medicines and its related knowledge, and then further explore the overall recognition and their treating experience of the physicians at that period would not only enrich the historical research on impediment disease, but also offer much help and reference to the understanding and treatment of impediment for contemporary clinicians.

[Identification and re-collection of Bianque's medical works].

Whenever "Biarique's medical works" is mentioned, it means the work collection of an individual school. Through the identification and rearrangement of the fragments of Bianque's medical works from the extant literature, the three clues of the extant works have been sorted out, including Huangdi Bianque Mai Shu (Yellow Emperor and Bianque's Pulse Books) inherited by Canggong. It recreates the outline of the lost Bianque' medical works, and even displays the details of such outline to a certain extent. The main content of Bian que mai shu (Bianque's Pulse Book) collected by Canggong had been recorded in Wang Shuhe's Mai jing (The Pulse Classic), which were inherited in different forms in the extant Nei jing (Internal Classic) and a part of the content in the late editions were collected in Nan jing (Classic of Difficult Issues). Wu se mai (five-color pulse) was inherited from Mai jing (The Pulse Classic), the "Xianggong Wen Bianque" (Xianggong Catechism on Bianque) recorded in Shan fan fang (The Refined and Extracted Prescriptions) written by Xie Shitai in the Six Dynasties, the "Huangdi Wen Bianque" (Questions and Answers between Yellow Emperor and Bianque) in Qian jin yi fang (A supplement to the Essential Prescriptions worth a Thousand Gold), as well as from Ling shu: Wu se (Miraculous Pivot: Five Colors). In this paper, the notable and hot cases in the present academic field are analyzed, aiming to arouse people's attention to the methods and insights of literature research, as well as the reconsideration on the importance of the deep and solid research on the extant literatures.

[The compilation, contents and spread of Qing li Shan jiu Fang (Formulary for Effective Rescuing in the Qingli Reign].

Qing li shan jiu fang (Formulary for Effective Rescuing in the Qingli Reign), compiled by Hanlin Academy of Medical Official in 1048 under the decree of the Emperor, is a medical formulary exclusively used to prevent and control poisonous parasite disease. It is composed of formulae provided by a medical scholar of Fuzhou, Lin Shiyuan, together with other formulae collected by the imperial physicians and so on. Unfortunately, it was lost about after the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, in the Southern Song Dynasty, two books, Liang Kejia's Chun xi san shan zhi and Hong Mai's Yi jian zhi bu, do record the progress of its compilation, parts of its contents and the condition of its spread and application. Moreover, they also describe the kinds, the feature, the epidemic, prevention and cure of parasite poison. It is especially good that this book preserves three famous formulae, including Zhi gu du zheng fang (Orthodox Formula for Treating Parasitic Poisons) (called A Cathartic Formula with 8 Ingredients in the Yuan Dynasty), Jie du wan (Antidote Pills) and He qi tang san (Powder of Decoction for Harmonious Qi), which are of medical significance for the understanding of the property of Qing li shan jiu fang. The Song emperors, the central government and local officials all paid high attention to the spread and application of this book. They not only enacted it to the counties, and provinces, but also carved it on stone steles for popularizing the knowledge of preventing parasitic poisons to medical workers and common people.