doctor | Zhong Xue-lu |
alias | styleMao-ting |
dynasty | Qing |
Zhong Xue-lu(?~1900), styled Maoting, was a native of Zhongjia Village, Changming Township, Qiantang (now Hangzhou), during the Qing Dynasty (now part of Yuhang District). He was a successful candidate in the provincial examination in the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862) and was appointed as a professor in Ningbo. Throughout his life, he was well-read and particularly fond of the teachings of the two Cheng brothers (Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao) from the Song Dynasty. He was especially skilled in medicine, adept at using ancient prescriptions and rarely resorting to strong medications, often curing diseases with common remedies. While some contemporaries criticized him, Zhang Binglin specifically wrote an article titled "A Brief History of the Zhong Family's Medical Practice" praising him, stating, "Mr. Maoting alone followed the teachings of Zhang Zhongjing, also incorporating the strengths of Sun Simiao and Wang Tao, and taught the recent theories of the four families Yu, Zhang, Ke, and Chen. His prescriptions were immediately effective, and people considered him miraculous." At that time, Yu Quyuan was bedridden with illness, lamenting that common doctors often worsened patients' conditions with their treatments, and in frustration, he wrote "The Abolition of Medicine," resigning himself to fate. Later, he sought treatment from Zhong, and his illness was cured. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The way is not lost." Once, when Empress Dowager Cixi fell ill and the imperial physicians were helpless, Zhong was summoned to the capital for treatment, and she recovered shortly after. The Qing court wished to retain Zhong as a court physician, but he politely declined and was instead appointed to oversee the Zhejiang Medical Bureau. During his tenure, he cured tens of thousands of patients. He authored "Materia Medica: Collected Theories from the Source" in 3 volumes, with an additional appendix, published in the second year of the Xuantong reign (1910). His son,
Youchang (Yijing), inherited his father's medical skills, memorizing the accumulated medical texts, and was particularly skilled in treating cold-damage diseases, able to recall and apply treatments without hesitation. In 1920, when Taiyan was chronically ill and unable to cure himself, he sought treatment from Youchang, who slightly modified Taiyan's self-prescribed remedies, leading to a swift recovery.Zhong Xue-lu was not only skilled in medicine but also deeply concerned about the water conservancy projects in his hometown, authoring works such as "Miscellaneous Records of the Dangerous Embankments of the Tiaoxi River in Zhongyi" and "Records of the Dredging of the North and South Lakes." After his death, he was buried in his hometown of Zhongjia Village, later moved to Yaoshan in Pingyao Town.
(Source: "Zhejiang Provincial Biographies," Zhejiang People's Publishing House, May 2005)