Inside the Jing King's Mansion in Puzhou, Hubei Province, Zhu Houkun, the Fushun King of the Ming Dynasty, had a heart affair.
One of his grandsons contracted a strange disease: he loved to eat lantern flowers (flowers formed by the embers of the wick) and raw rice. Whenever the oil lamp or candle is lit, the grandson smells the smell of the lamp flowers and makes a big fuss about eating it. If you don't give, you'll cry endlessly. At the same time, this grandson does not like to eat rice, but he has not cooked raw rice.
The doctors in the royal palace could not figure out what the disease was, but only said that "Wang Sunzhong is evil."
Wang Sun became more and more yellow and thin, and the family was in a hurry. Later, others told the King of Fushun that there was a young village "divine doctor" in the same county, who could revive the dead and rejuvenate his magic hands. Zhu Houkun listened, so what are you waiting for, and hurriedly asked someone to invite a "divine doctor" to come to the palace for diagnosis and treatment.
The name of the person who came was Li Shizhen.
After Li Shizhen looked at and asked about the condition in detail, he diagnosed Wang Sun with "insect fetish". He prescribed a pesticide and developed it into a honey pill that children like to eat. After Wang Sun swallowed it, the strange disease of loving to eat lantern flowers and raw rice was eliminated at once.
Since then, Li Shizhen has often been in and out of the Jing King's Mansion. Up and down the palace, men, women, and children who had any diseases, most of them went to ask Li Shizhen for diagnosis and treatment. Several cases of strange illnesses of the members of the Jingwangfu family were cured by Li Shizhen's magic recipe. These medical cases were later written by Li Shizhen in the Compendium of Materia Medica.
▲The statue of Li Shizhen in the "Li Shizhen Memorial Hall" in Puchun County, Hubei Province. Image source/figureworm creative
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Li Shizhen's hometown of Puzhou, Hubei Province, was set up as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties. From the southern song dynasty until the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was a political and military town, and it is now famous as "Doctor Street". In front of the Yangtze River water, behind the Dabie Mountain, "mountains surrounded by water" of the place of Yingjie Daixing. Puchun County, which belongs to it, even has a widespread saying: "The water is full of red stones, and the streets are full of flowers." ”
Although Li Shizhen's grandfather was only a "bell doctor" who went from village to village, and his father Li Yanwen had served as an official in the Tai Hospital and was also a famous local doctor, from the very beginning, Li Yanwen hoped that his young son would study well and honor his ancestors.
From today's point of view, Li Shizhen was born in a family of traditional Chinese medicine, and it seems that practicing medicine is a natural thing. However, in traditional societies, the status of TCM is not high. There is a folk saying of "three religions and nine streams", which is used to summarize the status and status of various industries and the high and low. Chinese medicine belongs to the list of "Middle Nine Streams", ranking after Xiucai and before painters, "first-class Xiucai second-rate doctors, third-rate Danqing four-stream skin, fifth-rate singing six-stream gold, seven monks, eight ways and nine chess pianos".
When Li Shizhen was five years old, he was sent by his father to a private school to study the Four Books and Five Classics and study Confucianism. Just wait for the dynasty to pass the imperial examination to enter the career, get ahead, and realize the family's class leap.
Li Shizhen also lived up to expectations, playing a little clever, and soon learned to write poems, compositions, and couplets. Folk stories still circulate about his couplet with his teacher's advisor in a dream.
The famous theologian consultant resigned his official post and returned to his hometown because of the suppression of Yan Song, and devoted himself to lecturing at the two colleges of Yangming and Chongzheng in Puzhou. One day, the consultant looked at the distant mountains surrounded by trees and came out of the upper link: "The distant mountains are separated by forest quiet." Li Shizhen, who was only eight years old at the time, looked at the sunrise and was extremely bright, and the passing passengers had already boarded the journey, so they blurted out: "Mingxia is flying to the guest." Among the many disciples, the advisor liked this brilliant student.
At the age of 14, in the tenth year of Jiajing (1531), Li Shizhen participated in the child examination held in Huangzhou. He achieved good results in the two examinations "Four Books of Righteousness" and "Trial Poems", and successfully passed the Xiucai examination. Li Yan was overjoyed and full of confidence in Li Shizhen's future Guangzong Yaozu.
But the father was not happy for long, and sorrow followed.
Because Li Shizhen "did not sell in the township after three attempts", he failed in the township examinations in 1534, 1537 and 1540.
Li Shizhen fell ill in the year of the second scientific expedition and almost died. In his "Compendium of Materia Medica", he wrote: "In the twentieth year of Yu, because of a cold and cough for a long time, and he violated the precepts, he was sick and the bones evaporated hot, his skin was like a fire, he spit on the bowl every day, he was thirsty in the summer month, he slept and ate a few wastes, and the six veins of floating floods." After taking chai hu, mai men dong, jing li medicine, and yue Yu Yi drama, they all thought that they would die. ”
Bone steaming disease is tuberculosis, which is a chronic infectious disease caused by tuberculosis bacteria, and tuberculosis is the most common.
Li Shizhen also said that he had suffered from "disease" since childhood, and his body was emaciated and weak. When he was young, he had problems with his eyes every year, his vision was unclear, and he was not cured by many medicines.
Later generations speculated that Li Shizhen's failure to try three times may be related to his frailty and illness, and it may be more likely to be related to the unfair talent selection system at that time.
Since the Song Dynasty, Confucians have heard a proverb: If you are not a good person, you are a good doctor.
According to legend, when Fan Zhongyan was young and unsatisfied, he once went to the spiritual shrine to ask for a sign of prayer and asked if he could become the prime minister in the future. After receiving the negative signature, he said, if it can't be achieved, go and be a good doctor. Although a good appearance can be blessed to the world, if not, then there is no one who can realize the wish to save people and goods than a good doctor. As a good doctor, the upper can heal the family of the king, the lower can save the poor, and the middle can protect the longevity.
Li Shizhen has no intention of retaking the exam and is determined to study medicine and relieve the suffering of the people. He made a vow: "Like a boat against the current, his heart is as strong as a rock, and he looks forward to the father's full will, and he will not be afraid of difficulties until death." ”
Li Yanwen remembered a dream he had on the night of Li Shizhen's birth, dreaming that the lame old man Tie abducted Li and said to him: "Shizhen Shizhen, a hundred diseases can be diagnosed, be my high disciple, pass on my medical name." So he agreed and understood his son's request, and poured decades of medical experience into it.
But Li Shizhen's years of hard reading in the cold window were not in vain. His Confucian skills laid a solid foundation for him to engage in medical pharmacy research and practice and treat diseases in the future. Confucianism standardized the behavior of medicine, and physicians also realized the meaning of Confucianism, and Li Shizhen's words and deeds reflected the Confucian ideas of "benevolence, righteousness, self-reliance, and benefit of the world" everywhere, becoming a generation of Confucian doctors.
▲Statue of Li Shizhen in Puchun County, Hubei Province. Image source/figureworm creative
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After Li Shizhen cured the strange illness of The Grandson of King Fushun, he maintained a close relationship with the royal palace. Later, King Fushun's concubine fell ill and invited Li Shizhen to come for treatment.
During the treatment, he learned that King Fushun wanted to abolish Shizi's plan to establish another crown prince because he doted on Shuzi, and this Shizi became depressed. The so-called "heart disease also requires heart medicine", Li Shizhen prescribed a prescription called "Zhizi and Qi Tang". Fuzi is a Chinese herbal medicine that harmonizes with "father and son". In the view of Li Shizhen, who is familiar with Confucian culture, many wars in history began with the abolition of the throne.
King Fushun was a wise man, and after he had read the prescription, he touched Li Shizhen's words, understood the meaning of the words, and decided to give up his original idea, and Shizi's illness soon improved.
After the death of King Fushun, his concubine successfully succeeded to the throne.
This anecdote was written into the "Biography of Li Shizhen" by Gu Jingxing, a descendant of the consultant. But in fact, this story was heard by Gu Jingxing in the tea shop when he was a child, and it was not very reliable, and Zhu Houkun, the king of Fushun, had always enjoyed the reputation of "Xianwang", and his concubine did not have a son, and after his death, he was succeeded by his son-in-law Zhu Zaiyan.
In any case, thanks to the vigorous promotion of the Jing Dynasty, Li Shizhen's great name reached the ears of Zhu Ying, the King of Chu who had sealed the domain in Wuchang. One day, the son of the King of Chu suddenly fainted and unconscious, and 33-year-old Li Shizhen was summoned to the rescue and was cured of the disease. The princess was so grateful to him that she personally took the gold and silver brocade to thank him, but he did not take it at all. Therefore, the King of Chu hired him as the "Fengci Zheng" (正八品, in charge of sacrifices) and also in charge of the affairs of the "Good Medical Institute" of the royal palace, that is, responsible for the health care of the royal palace.
Soon, the imperial court issued an edict to select a group of experienced doctors throughout the country to fill the vacancy of the Tai Hospital. The King of Chu recommended Li Shizhen.
In the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing (1559), the 42-year-old Li Shizhen came to Beijing from Wuchang.
Tai Hospital is located on the east side of Daming Gate, south of Qin Tianjian, which is near the north of Xikou Road in Minxiang, the eastern suburbs today. Soon after Li Shizhen took office, he turned from full of joy to dejection.
When the emperor of the dynasty, Emperor Ming Shizong Zhu Houxi, superstitious immortal dao, good immortal art. What is good on the top will be met on the bottom. Around it gathered a group of "divine powers" alchemists, alchemy cultivation immortals, and the selection of the art of immortality. Even the medical officers in the Tai Hospital, in order to meet the needs of the emperor, also went through the ancient books of Materia Medica in an attempt to search for the elixir of immortality, and collected various secret "immortal recipes" from the whole country. These so-called elixirs often contain arsenic, mercury, lead tin, male yellow, cinnabar and so on.
After consulting a large number of literature, Li Shizhen resolutely refuted the fallacy that the elixir was eaten into an immortal. He shouted loudly that the idea that elixir could live a long life was by no means credible. He also cited many ancient examples of deaths after taking Dan medicine, and sincerely addressed the emperor.
Naturally, the advice of the contrarian ear did not bring any good looks.
Li Shizhen diverted his energy, and his divine consciousness swam in the vast ocean of medical books in Tai Hospital, and traveled all day long to the Imperial Medicine Warehouse, Shou Pharmacy, and famous pharmacies in The capital, such as the Crane Nian Hall at Caishikou. It is also rumored that he also went to the Xishan area to collect herbs and conduct Materia Medica research.
Less than a year after taking office, Li Shizhen submitted his resignation to his superiors, gave up his position in the Tai Hospital, which was envied by others, packed up, and returned to his hometown of Puzhou from Beijing.
▲Li Shizhen medicinal relief. Image source/figureworm creative
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In the forty years of Jiajing (1561), Li Shizhen, who returned to his hometown, moved his family to the Red Garden on the north shore of Yuhu Lake. In a field of pomegranate flowers covered with red flowers and green leaves, he built a new house, "Kē (薖) Pavilion".
There is a saying in the Book of Poetry: "The examination is in A, and the shuoren is the sage." "Far from the world and living in seclusion on the hill, the image of Wei An is very distracted.
It was here that Li Shizhen named himself "Endangered Lake Mountain Man" and began the rest of his life's writing career.
After the publication of the "Endangered Lake Pulse Science" and the "Qijing Eight Pulse Examination", the compilation of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" was also officially launched.
Due to the preparation, the beginning went smoothly, but it was written that the problem arose. What caused Li Shizhen the most headache was that there were many contradictory statements among the various doctors in the past. For example, a medicine called Yuanzhi, Tao Hongjing, a famous medical scientist of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, said that it was a small grass, like ephedra, but the color was blue and white flowers; while Ma Zhi of the Song Dynasty thought it was like Daqing, and blamed Tao Hongjing for not knowing Yuanzhi at all.
The mixture of drug names makes it difficult to understand the shape and growth of the drug. In the past, although the Materia Medica was repeatedly explained, because some authors did not conduct in-depth investigation and study, but copied and copied from the book, the more they explained, the more confused they became, resulting in contradictions and inconsistencies.
Under the inspiration of her father, Li Shizhen realized that although it is necessary to "read ten thousand books", it is even more indispensable to "walk thousands of miles". Therefore, he not only "searched for Baishi" but also "interviewed the four parties", went deep into reality, and conducted investigations.
Beginning in 1565, Li Shizhen, accompanied by his son Li Jianyuan and disciple Pang Xian, went to the vast nature, collected drug specimens and prescriptions in various places, and consulted various people such as snake catchers, fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, and coachmen. Even in order to regain the real medicinal properties of herbs and more accurately describe their efficacy, he also personally experienced many herbs in the process of practicing medicine and collecting medicines, reproducing the classic of "Shennong Tasting Hundred Herbs".
▲Li Shizhen medicinal illustration. Image Source/Photo Network
The mandala flower, an important anesthetic, was the first time that Li Shizhen included this flower in a medical book. Explaining the name, he said: "The Lotus Sutra says, when the Buddha says, the rain mandala flowers. "I heard that after this kind of flower person eats it, he will dance with his hands and feet, and if he is serious, he will be anesthetized." In order to verify its efficacy, he specially went to Wudang Mountain to pick mandala flowers that grew in Yusi, and brewed mandala flower wine, inviting his apprentices to drink together.
In the "Compendium of Materia Medica", he described his feelings and effects after tasting it in this way, "Try it, drink half drunk, and make a person laugh or dance to attract it, but also test it", "Cut sores and moxibustion, it is advisable to take this first, then do not feel bitter".
Confucianism advocates that saints are impermanent teachers, and there is no shame in asking, and a considerable part of the Compendium of Materia Medica was collected by Li Shizhen from the working people. One day, on his way back to the inn to collect medicine, he saw several coachmen cooking a weed around a large cauldron that he had never seen before. Curious, he patiently asked the coachman for advice. The coachman told him that the grass in the pot was called the drum flower, also known as the swirling flower, which had the effect of soothing the menstruation and invigorating the blood, and it was most suitable for them who had been doing hard work for many years.
Li Shizhen recorded the words of the coachman in 1510 years, and after personal experimentation, affirmed the efficacy of the drum flower.
▲ Li Shizhen humbly asked the working people for advice. Image Source/Photo Network
Li Shizhen also went up to Longfeng Mountain with the snake catcher to watch the process of catching snakes. This snake is called "snake", which is an authentic medicinal material produced in Puzhou - white flower snake, commonly known as the five-step snake. The snake is mainly used to treat rheumatism, insensitivity, muscles and veins, strong wind scabies and other diseases, from the Tang Dynasty onwards is a tribute, to the Ming Dynasty, the official gentry often apportioned this snake to the people. The situation is just as Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty said in "The Snake Catcher".
In the "Compendium of Materia Medica", Li Shizhen made a meticulous and truthful introduction to the shape and capture method of the snake, which is the result of practicing true knowledge.
Before Li Shizhen objected to taking Dan medicine, the alchemists who jumped the wall of the dog stood up and retorted: "It is recorded in ancient books that mercury is non-toxic, and it can become immortal when taken, which is a kind of elixir." Li Shizhen told them that the experience and knowledge left behind by the predecessors can be referred to, but it must be analyzed and cannot be fully believed in what is said in the book.
Although he was firmly opposed to taking the elixir, he advocated the application of the method of alchemy in a scientific manner. He believes that mercury is toxic when taken internally, but it can be developed externally to treat diseases such as scabies. In addition, he used alchemy to burn topical drugs and recorded the data of his research in the Compendium of Materia Medica.
According to the efficacy of the clinical use of the drug, Li Shizhen improved the firing process of many drugs. For example, in the production of Bayan Tian, according to the ancient law, it should first be soaked in goji berries for a night, fished out and soaked in wine for half a day, and then fished out and boiled with chrysanthemums, and finally the chrysanthemums are removed, and the dried party can be used for treatment.
However, once, he encountered an emergency, for a time could not find the medicine of BayanTian, the emergency could not wait for the slow and rational to go to the cannon burning, so he only used warm water to hurriedly soak it soft, removed the inner core and gave it to the patient, and finally the efficacy was no different. It can be seen that the ancient law is not meant to be kept unchanged.
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The "Compendium of Materia Medica" was completed under such an attitude, and it was written three times, and it was written for 27 years. That year, Li Shizhen was 61 years old.
This is a collection of Chinese Materia Medica before the 16th century, and the information collected in the book is extensive, "from the tomb to the legend, everything that is related is not collected."
In fact, this book is the result of the hard work of three generations of Li Shizhen's family. His son Li Jianyuan carefully drew more than a thousand exquisite illustrations for the book, four sons were responsible for correcting the manuscript, and four grandsons helped copy it. It also includes the credit of his disciple Pang Xian.
However, this 52-volume work of 1.92 million words was snubbed by the government and booksellers.
Generally speaking, only the imperial court and the government have this ability to engrave such large books. Even in Nanjing, the largest printing center in the country at that time, the average bookseller could not look at it. At that time, booksellers were most interested in novels, operas, and book series. In their eyes, the printing of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" was neither printed according to the will, nor was it a donation of funds for the good deeds of the giants, which was really not worth it, and it did not make money.
▲ Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica". Image source/figureworm creative
At that time, Li Shizhen was far less famous than today, but the so-called Jingchu famous doctor. He stayed in Nanjing for a year and could not find a publisher willing to publish.
In desperation, he thought that the consultant had written a lot of publicity for his book for his "Eight Pulse Examinations of the Qijing". If his "Compendium of Materia Medica" could have been praised and inscribed by Wang Shizhen, the literary league leader at that time, he should have been able to use his reputation to bring a little vitality to the publication of the book.
Therefore, Li Shizhen took a boat to Taicang, which was not too far from Nanjing, paid homage to Wang Shizhen, who had a relationship with him, and said to him, "I would like to beg for a word to be immortal."
However, this visit was not so smooth. It is said that at that time, Li Shizhen and Wang Shizhen had different opinions on the Taoist search for immortals and alchemy, and Wang Shizhen's mood was not very good, so he did not write a preface to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", but instead wrote two poems to give to Li Shizhen, one of which said: "Huayang Zhenyi is eager for immortals, and mistakenly notes Materia Medica ten years late." How like Dan attached to the virtuous Lang Gang, the horns of the sheep were thrown horizontally for nine days. ”
In any case, Wang Shizhen finally gave a verbal promise, but this belated order did not appear until ten years later, in the spring of the eighteenth year of the Wanli Calendar (1590).
This year, the 73-year-old Li Shizhen visited Wang Shizhen again. Wang Shizhen, who "lived a life just and upright, never praised people", wrote a praiseworthy preface with his profound cultural heritage. In the preface, he profoundly explained the rich connotation of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" with full enthusiasm and unique literary style, and did not forget to strongly recommend this huge work to booksellers. He said: "The deep mountain stone chamber hidden is not proper, and the one who cherishes it, so as to share the taste of the "Tai Xuan" in the future of the world is like Ziyun? ”
With the blessing of Wang Shizhen Jinkou, Jinling bookseller Hu Chenglong decided to publish the book.
In the twenty-first year of the Wanli Calendar (1593), the carving of the Compendium of Materia Medica was finally completed! In the same year, Li Shizhen died. In the third year after his death, the Compendium of Materia Medica was officially published in Nanjing, known as the "Jinling Edition".
In November of that year, Li Shizhen's son Li Jianyuan took this monumental work and Li Shizhen's testament to the Wanli Emperor, and Wanli personally approved the holy will of "leaving the book in the book, the ministry of rites knows, and admiring this". At this point, the circulation of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" has become a natural trend.
Later generations honored Li Shizhen as "Medicine Saint".
In the Hubei region, Li Shizhen and fellow villagers Wan Mi Zhai share a good reputation, and there is still a saying in the local area that "the fang of Wan Mi Zhai, the medicine of Li Shizhen".
One thing in a lifetime, not for good looks, for good doctors. Li Shizhen did.
bibliography:
1. [Ming] Li Shizhen et al.: Compendium of Materia Medica
2. [Qing] Gu Jingxing: "Bai Maotang Collection, Biography of Li Shizhen"
3. Zhou Peng, "Li Shizhen and < Materia Medica> Twenty-Four Lectures", Hubei Science and Technology Press, 2016
4. Chinese Pharmaceutical Association Pharmaceutical History Society, ed., Li Shizhen Research Papers, Hubei Science and Technology Press, 1985