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 Shen Yaozi 
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doctorJiang Chun-hua
dynastyRepublic of China, lived in 1908 - 1992 AD
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Jiang Chun-hua, with over 60 years of medical practice, is both learned and experienced, achieving remarkable clinical efficacy. In the early 1960s, he proposed the concept of "combining disease differentiation with pattern identification," demonstrating his diligent scholarship and courage to explore. He also introduced the original clinical treatment perspective of "intercepting and reversing," making valuable contributions to the fields of Chinese medicine and the integration of Chinese and Western medicine.

Jiang was born in 1908 in Nantong County, Jiangsu Province. His father, Jiang Qingyun, was a scholar and a physician, who, apart from diagnosing illnesses, was always seen with a book in hand, earnestly hoping his children would follow in his footsteps. From a young age, Jiang Chun-hua loved calligraphy and painting. Although he was admitted to Nantong Vocational School at the age of 15, he still devoted his spare time to copying calligraphy and painting manuals. He once studied under Wang Shenghua, a student of the calligrapher Li Mei-qing (also known as Qing Daoren), specializing in the Northern Wei style. Later, Wang Shenghua advised him that to alleviate people's suffering and secure a livelihood, it would be better to inherit the family tradition and become a doctor. Jiang Chun-hua heeded his teacher's advice, decided to give up his love for calligraphy and painting, and embarked on the path of studying medicine.

Under the strict guidance of his father, Jiang Chun-hua studied the Four Books and Five Classics, the works of various philosophers, and poetry, laying a solid foundation in classical Chinese. He later thoroughly read essential medical primers such as the "Four-Character Pulse Formula," "Properties of Medicinal Herbs," and "Tangtou Gejue," as well as medical classics like the "Inner Canon," "Difficult Classic," "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," and "Shennong's Herbal Classic." While studying medical texts, he often accompanied his father in clinical practice, gaining much experience in treating diseases through observation and immersion. In his youth, he preferred independent thinking in his studies, not merely "believing" but "questioning." He kept a notebook titled "Medical Sleep Talking," specifically for recording impractical statements from medical books. For example, one book mentioned a patient whose illness was diagnosed as caused by drinking three years prior, and upon taking medicine to induce vomiting, the vomit still smelled of alcohol. He noted this and commented, "Alcohol left in the open loses its smell the next day; how could it retain its smell after three years?" There are many such examples. He often said, "Learning without thinking is futile. One must ponder over the theories of predecessors, discerning what is right and what is wrong, to benefit. I do not like to follow others' footsteps, merely echoing ancient words."

The ancients said, "The Tao does not prevail in the land of one's parents." In order to seek independence, Jiang Chun-hua came to Shanghai with relatives at the age of 18. With the help of fellow villagers and friends, he was introduced around and treated minor ailments with some success, thus establishing his footing and beginning his career as a physician. At that time, due to his young age and not being too busy with medical practice, he devoted himself to self-study in his spare time, often visiting old book stalls and bookstores to buy old books, or going to libraries and large bookstores to read. He perused all kinds of classics, histories, philosophies, and medical texts, including the Thirteen Classics with commentaries, the various pre-Qin philosophers (including Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, etc.), the Twenty-Four Histories, works by Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Wang Anshi, Ouyang Xiu, as well as collections from the Ming and Qing dynasties. He also studied Song and Yuan Neo-Confucianism, Buddhist, Taoist, and Christian texts, as well as unofficial histories and novels. The works of Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Hu Shi were no exception. As for the art of medicine, he immersed himself tirelessly, delving into the Neijing, Nan Jing, "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," Jingui Yaolue, Zhouhou Fang, Qianjin Fang, and "Secret Essentials from the Imperial Library," among others. He extensively read the works of various medical scholars from the Song dynasty's Xu Shuwei, Pang Anshi, and Zhu Gong to the Jin and Yuan dynasties' Liu Hejian, Zhang Jiegu, Li Dongyuan, Zhu Danxi, and Luo Tianyi, and from the Ming dynasty's Xie Lizhai, Zhang Jingyue, and Zhao Yangkui to the Qing dynasty's Yu Jiayan, Xu Lingtai, and Lu Jiuzhi. He read over a hundred commentaries on the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" and thoroughly studied warm diseases from the Wenyi Lun, "Collected Discussions on Epidemic Diseases," to the works of Ye, Xue, Wu, and Wang. Faced with a vast array of medical texts, he created charts, conducted textual research, made annotations, and performed comparisons. Through practice, he realized that the ancients believed scholarship should be broad and profound. In today's terms, scholarship should be like a pyramid: the broader the base, the higher and more stable the top, allowing for free development in the future. The study of Chinese medicine should be the same. Reading magazines, he came across the writings of Mr. Lu Yuanlei and greatly admired him. When Mr. Lu began accepting distant disciples, Jiang Chun-hua formally became his student. Mr. Lu was a reformist who boldly taught Western medicine alongside Chinese medicine, greatly influencing Jiang Chun-hua's academic thinking. From that time on, he believed that there should be no sectarianism between Chinese and Western medicine, as both disciplines face the same patients. As long as one is grounded in Chinese medicine, using Western methods for Chinese purposes and ancient methods for modern purposes, learning some Western medicine can only be beneficial, not harmful. To this end, he self-studied Western medical textbooks, attended evening lectures, participated in Western medical training classes, and learned auscultation and percussion from Dr. Li Bangzhen, a medical doctor who studied in Germany. He also learned Western medical examination and diagnosis through joint Chinese-Western medical consultations and ward rounds. By diligently seeking ancient teachings and integrating new knowledge, Jiang Chun-hua's thoughts roamed freely across multiple disciplines, laying the foundation for his later academic thought and benefiting the improvement of clinical efficacy.

Since the 1930s, he began writing papers. "An Introduction to the Treatment of Syndromes in Chinese Medicine" was serialized in "National Medicine Guide," and the article "Critique of Yu Yunxiu's Medical Revolution Theory" was successively published in magazines such as "Guangdong Medical Ten-Day Journal." During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as an editor or special contributor for West China Medical Journal, Beijing Chinese Medicine Journal, Guangdong Medical Ten-Day Journal, and National Medicine Pillar Society, gaining fame across the north and south, and was known as the "Youth Leader of New Chinese Medicine in Shanghai." At that time, he was in his prime and also taught at Shanghai Chinese Medicine Specialized School, Shanghai Fuxing Chinese Medicine Specialized School, and Shanghai New China Medical College. Through continuous writing and teaching practice, he became more proficient in Chinese medicine, but he often said, "Learning makes one realize one's inadequacies, teaching makes one realize one's difficulties," and "Diligence can compensate for clumsiness." He also engraved a leisure seal with the phrase "Learning to Know Shame," reflecting his rigorous academic attitude. During this period, he also wrote textbooks such as "Physiology of Chinese Medicine," "Diagnostics of Chinese Medicine," and "Pathology of Chinese Medicine," all published by Beijing National Medicine Pillar Society.

Jiang Chun-hua not only combined the strengths of Chinese and Western medicine but also excelled in absorbing the essence of various schools of thought in Chinese medicine throughout history, linking prescriptions with practical applications, and integrating clinical practice with reading. After the age of 30, his medical practice became increasingly busy. If the treatment of cases during the day showed little effect, he would consult previous medical records at night, consider the merits of ancient prescriptions, and make appropriate adjustments. At that time, during the Anti-Japanese War, people from the suburbs of Shanghai fled to the concessions for refuge, often going hungry or overeating, sleeping outdoors, and eating cold food, leading to the spread of pestilence. Due to the need for treatment, he applied Western medical knowledge of acute pestilence diseases, reviewed ancient texts on celestial epidemics, seasonal epidemics, pestilence, and warm diseases, and sought treatment methods related to "pestilence," developing a set of treatment methods that cured many acute pestilence patients. Sometimes, to save lives, he even provided free consultations and medications. Through practice, he realized that Chinese medicine is not only good at regulation but also has many effective prescriptions for acute pestilence, with excellent therapeutic effects.

Jiang Chun-hua loved the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party. In 1954, he was among the first to respond to the call, giving up the lucrative income from private practice to join the Internal Medicine Hospital affiliated with Shanghai First Medical College (now Huashan Hospital) as the head of the Chinese Medicine Department and concurrently the director of the Chinese Medicine Teaching and Research Office at the medical college, allowing his superb skills to be better utilized.

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