"Bian Que, the Ancient Divine Healer also." --Teng Weiyin, a Japanese physician
The four famous doctors of ancient China, Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing and Sun Simiao, they saved the dead and the injured, treated the sick and saved people, and in folklore, the difficult and complicated diseases were simplified in their hands. Among these four famous doctors, Bian Que is the first to appear.
According to Sima Qian's "Records of History", Bian Que may have been the first famous doctor in Chinese history to appear in the main history. According to the description in the book, Bian Que is a Zheng person from Bohai County, who began to practice medicine when he was a teenager, and has been practicing medicine for many years and treating countless diseases.
However, some diseases do not exist in reality, and Bian Que's treatment method is also very strange. Moreover, the deeds span 300 years, and his footprints are all over the motherland, and it is difficult not to doubt the true existence of Bian Que. In 2017, the newly revised history textbook removed Bian Que's introduction.
So, does the mysterious Bian Que exist?
Ancient books, Bian Que's life has become a mystery
Who is Bian Que? According to Sima Qian's "History · · It is recorded that when Bian Que was young, he was a "shechang", and by chance, he met Sang Jun, the chief of the sher, and he was curious, so he intended to make friends with him.
This housekeeper is not an ordinary person, he saw that Bian Que had talent, gave bian que the secret recipe he had hidden, and after learning the secret recipe, Bian Que could see the cause of the internal organs and began to practice medicine in the country of Qi and the state of Zhao.
It is said that in the process of practicing medicine, combined with practical experience, he invented the four diagnostic methods of "looking, smelling, intervening and cutting", which laid the foundation of Chinese medicine and was revered as the "ancestor of medicine".
In 361 BC, he went to the Zhao Kingdom to work as a gynecologist, because the local respect for women and the valuation of gynecologists, so the superb medical skills of Bian Que were respected, and many people came to visit.
The most surprising thing was his experience of treating Qi Huanhou. Qi Huanhou was a minister of the State of Qi, and once he learned that Bian Que was passing through the State of Qi, he was very enthusiastic to receive Bian Que, and as a result Bian Que saw Qi Huanhou and said:
"If you have a disease in your heart, you will not be cured."
Hearing this, Qi Huanhou was a little displeased, stubbornly claiming that he had no disease and was in very good health. After Bian Que left, Qi Huanhou looked disdainful and said to the people around him:
"The good fortune of medicine is also the merit of those who are not sick."
What does that mean? This sentence is to say that doctors are utilitarian people, and they want to say that those who are not sick are sick, so that they can put gold on their faces. Qi Huanhou has this kind of thinking is very natural, even in today's society, many people do not listen to doctors, always feel that doctors are deliberately over-treating in order to make more money.
After 5 days, Bian Que said that the lesion had shifted to the blood vein, and Qi Huanhou insisted that he was not sick; after 5 days, Bian Que said that the lesion was transferred to the stomach and intestines, and Qi Huanhou continued to claim that he was not sick; after another 5 days, Bian Que turned his head and left as soon as he saw Qi Huanhou. Qi Huanhou was a little strange, so he asked why,
Bian Que said that today's lesions have been transferred to the bone marrow. If the lesion is in the skin, it can be treated with medicinal soup; if the lesion is in the blood vein, it can be treated with acupuncture; if the lesion is in the stomach and intestines, it can be treated with medicinal liquor. However, the disease has penetrated deep into the bone marrow, and there is no cure.
Unsurprisingly, Qi Huanhou soon fell ill and died soon after. Bian Que is famous all over the world. All the people who study medicine in the world must follow Bian Que's theory, according to the "Records of History":
"To this day, the world's voice is also spoken by Bian Que."
After the fame of Bian Que, he was secretly calculated by his peers. Li Dai thought that Bian Que would rob him of his job, so he sent someone to assassinate him. Bian Que was assassinated on the Lishan Trail and eventually died.
Logically, such an important medical person should have left a lot of works, and as a result, all of Bian Que's works were all written, and even the "Difficult Classics", which is said to be written by Bian Que, was also written by posterity in the name of Bian Que.
Not only have no works been found, but historians have found that in addition to the "Records of History", different "Bian Que" are recorded in ancient books such as the Warring States Policy, the Book of Han, and the Saying Garden. One will practice medicine in the Zhao Kingdom, and the other will practice medicine in the Qi State, and his footprints will be all over China.
As a result, scholars believe that "Bian Que" is more of a term for a medical master with superb medical skills. The so-called "Bian Que" is actually not a person, but a group of people with superb medical skills.
The question shifts from whether Bian Que exists or not to whether Bian Que is a person or a group of people. Due to the discussion in the academic circles, out of rigorous considerations, the introduction of Bian Que was deleted from the newly revised middle school history textbook in 2017, and Bian Que "disappeared" from the students' textbooks.
But with the advancement of the archaeology of the Old Guanshan Han Tomb, new evidence began to emerge.
Key artifacts were unearthed
In July 2012, Chengdu built a subway. During the construction of Metro Line 3, a cemetery from the Western Han Dynasty was discovered, so the local archaeological department immediately carried out archaeological work and carried out archaeological excavations in the local area.
After rescue excavations of the Tomb of Laoguanshan Han in Chengdu, archaeologists excavated 4 Han Dynasty coffins. These coffins contain many artifacts inside.
This archaeology is a big surprise in the field of historiography, which not only has the only complete loom of the Western Han Dynasty in China, but also a variety of pottery, iron tools, etc., and more importantly, archaeologists have found many medical janes and several human body cave lacquer wood people. Among these medical janes, some historians exclaimed that this may be Bian Que medical jane.
Are the unearthed medical books of the Bian Que School?
As we mentioned earlier, all the texts left by Bian Que have been lost, and the only "Difficult Classic" is said to have been forged by later generations. If these medical janes are really Bian Que medical janes, then they can greatly make up for the gap in Chinese medicine.
After the treatment of the staff, there are always 920 medical books unearthed, about 20,000 words, and 9 medical books have been sorted out after patchwork. These medical books are not recorded in the historical records, and some scholars believe that there may be works by Bian Que among them. Because the owner of the tomb is likely to be a medical scientist, as an ancient medical scientist, Bian Que is a peak that cannot be bypassed, it is impossible to live without his book, and the Western Han Dynasty and the pre-Qin time distance is not far, Bian Que medical Jane may be hidden in it.
There are several reasons, the first is that the ancient books frequently appear "敝旧", and this word is the common kanji of "Bian Que". Although Bian Que had never been to Sichuan, it did not prevent his book from spreading to Sichuan.
Then there's the content of the books. Through the study of medical books, it was found that the contents of the books corresponded to the contents recorded in the ancient historical books. Bian Que is famous for diagnosing pulses, and there are many diagnoses in the book.
Moreover, further research on medical books, scholars also found a peculiar point. Among the 9 medical books unearthed, the "Sixty Prescriptions" covers many medical disciplines such as surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, etc., which coincides with the scope of Bian Que's expertise recorded in the "History".
In the "Sixty Prescriptions", "wine" appears frequently. Use wine as a solvent, or drink it simply, or place medicine in wine for drinking. This is similar to the way Bian Que treated Qi Huanhou's disease.
More scholars believe that the "Sixty Prescriptions" is a summary of the experience of the ancients on medical treatment, and it cannot be concluded that it was written by Bian Que because of some coincidence. However, these medical books are of great significance, not only can provide valuable literature for the study of the history of Chinese medicine, but also can inspire contemporary medical methods, and some of the secret recipes are worth studying.
There are still some cultural relics that have not yet been cracked, and scholars believe that this Han tomb will give them a greater surprise.
epilogue
In any case, scholars eventually concluded that Bian Que really existed, perhaps initially a person with superb medical skills, and over time, "Bian Que" gradually rose from a personal name to a person with superb medical skills. These people formed the "Bian Que School", combined with their respective medical practice experiences, put forward the theory of Chinese medicine under collective wisdom, and laid the foundation for the development of Chinese medicine.
From this point of view, Bian Que is more of an honorary title, and they gather the wisdom of the group to lay the foundation of Chinese medicine. It has to be said that their achievements are far stronger than those of simple historical figures.
However, the academic circles are still talking about whether it is "Bian Que" or "Bian Que School", and no unified opinion has been reached. Therefore, it is understandable to remove controversial figures in order to rigorously study history textbooks. Leave it as an open-ended assignment for students to understand the historical story behind Bian Que, which may be more conducive to learning.