bubble_chart Description

Ge Qian-sun (1305-1353), born in Changzhou, Pingjiang Road (now Suzhou, Jiangsu), was the son of Ge Ying-lei, the official medical superintendent of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He was born with extraordinary qi, had a majestic appearance, possessed exceptional physical strength, and was known for his grace and elegance. In his youth, he was fond of martial arts and military tactics, but later turned to scholarly pursuits, though he repeatedly failed in examinations. Consequently, he abandoned his official ambitions and instead inherited his family's profession, delving into the study of medicine. His father provided him with medical texts, which he mastered quickly, also gaining knowledge in yin-yang, calendrical science, and astrology. His treatments often yielded miraculous results, earning him fame across the north and south, and he was as renowned as the famous physician Zhu Dan-xi from Yiwu, Zhejiang.

Legend has it that Ge Qian-sun once encountered a man on the road who was exceptionally knowledgeable in medical principles and skilled in prescriptions and pulse diagnosis. This man imparted a secret formula to him for treating hematemesis due to exhaustion, which saved countless lives. In his later years, Ge Qian-sun compiled the formulas given by this extraordinary man into a book, known as Shiyao Shenshu. In the thirteenth year of the Zhizheng era (1353), Ge Qian-sun passed away in Suzhou at the age of forty-nine. To commemorate him, later generations engraved his portrait in the Hall of Five Hundred Sages, with an inscription praising him: "Profound in medical arts, inheriting the family's medical legacy. Though fate was unkind, his contributions were immense." Ge Qian-sun's son, Ge Jin, was filial, honest, and capable of continuing the family's medical tradition.

Ge Qian-sun stated in the preface of Shiyao Shenshu: "Since my childhood, I have studied the art of medicine, researching prescriptions and pulse diagnosis for over thirty years. I traveled extensively, learning from many, but their knowledge was often limited to words and descriptions. When it came to applying medicine to treat illnesses, I found no quick success. Thus, I devoted myself day and night, striving to achieve effective treatments. Later, I met an extraordinary man and spent three months with him. This man was exceptionally skilled in medical principles, proficient in prescriptions and pulse diagnosis, and his use of medicine was as precise as shooting arrows, never missing the mark. I thought, 'This must be a divine being,' and thus I became his disciple. He bestowed upon me a book of odd-ingredient formulas. Upon reading it, I found that whether the formulas consisted of multiple ingredients or just three or four, they were all ones I had witnessed the master use effectively. It was like rain after a long drought, or moonlight in the night—my mind was suddenly enlightened. From then on, upon returning to Wuzhong, every application of these formulas brought immediate success, each one proving effective without fail. Truly, these odd-ingredient formulas are worthy of being engraved and preserved. In my spare time, I compiled the formulas imparted by the master, along with the methods of daily application that yielded decisive results, into a volume titled Shiyao Shenshu."

Shiyao Shenshu is the first Chinese monograph dedicated to the treatment of hematemesis due to exhaustion, a condition broadly similar to pulmonary tuberculosis in modern medicine. The book was highly regarded by physicians of the Ming and Qing dynasties for its reliable and effective treatments, and it was widely used in clinical practice. Shiyao Shenshu is not extensive in volume, containing only ten formulas, arranged in the order of the heavenly stems: Jia (Ten-Ash Powder), Yi (Ophicalcite Powder), Bing (Single Ginseng Decoction), Ding (Baohé Decoction), Wu (Baozhen Decoction), Ji (Taiping Pill), Geng (Aquilaria Digestive Pill), Xin (Lung-Regulating Paste), Ren (White Phoenix Paste), and Gui (Marrow-Supplementing Elixir). These formulas were specifically designed to treat pulmonary tuberculosis and hematemesis, each one effective in its own right. Prior to the publication of Shiyao Shenshu, there was no systematic or complete treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis since the Tang and Song dynasties. The book established a set of treatment principles that could be followed, marking a significant advancement in the field.