[Textual research on the Han yao xin jue (New Recognition of Chinese Medicines), a representative book of amalgamation of Chinese and western medicines in the Republican period].

ABSTRACT

Guo Ruo-ding's Han yao xin jue (New Recognition of Chinese Medicines) was the representative work of amalgamating Chinese and western pharmacy of the Republican period. Its first volume was published in Medicine Tomorrow in Peiping in installments, also with offprints; while the second volume was collected by his relatives. The whole book was published by the Shanghai Press of Science and Technology, carrying 208 kinds of Chinese materia medica mainly with individual drug descriptions, some compound prescriptions, and some western medicines. The amalgamating idea was expressed in three points collection of both Chinese and western drugs; inheritance and creation with new idea of amalgamating Chinese and western medical systems; mutual consultation of Chinese and western medicine aiming at their amalgamation.