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Lin Daoren (approximately 790–850 AD) was a native of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi). His surname was Lin, but his given name is unknown. As he became a monk, he was referred to as Daoren (Taoist). He was a bone scientist of the Tang Dynasty.

Lin Daoren was a highly knowledgeable monk, proficient in bone injury theory and medical techniques. While practicing Taoism, he also treated the poor, the sick, and those with fractures and injuries. By the mid-9th century, the Tang Dynasty was in decline, and the rulers, seeking to address economic difficulties, ordered Buddhist and Taoist monks and nuns to return to secular life and engage in agricultural production. Lin Daoren, filled with pessimistic and world-weary thoughts, left Chang'an and moved to Zhong Village in Yichun County, Jiangxi, where he lived in seclusion, concealing his identity and skills. By chance, he used his advanced bone-setting techniques to cure a neighbor's bone injury, and his reputation spread far and wide, attracting many seekers of his help. Lin then unreservedly passed on his medical techniques and bone-setting knowledge to his neighbors before moving to a more secluded place to live out his later years in peace. As a result, people renamed Lin Daoren's book *Lishang Xuduan Fang* to *Xianshou Lishang Xuduan Mifang*.

Lin's academic thoughts were rooted in the *Neijing* and *Nan Jing*, with the theory of qi and blood as the basis of his theories. He inherited the academic achievements in orthopedics from Ge Hong, *Qianjin Yaofang*, and *Waitai Miyao*, while also making innovations. He was the first to advocate and establish treatment protocols for fracture dislocation and other injuries, including cleaning the wound, examination and diagnosis, traction and reduction, reduction and application of medicine, splint fixation, re-examination and dressing change, medication, and rewashing. He introduced 14 steps, methods, and prescriptions for bonesetting techniques and discussed specific operational techniques for handling injuries, joint dislocation, and traumatology, such as hemostasis, surgical reduction, traction, debridement and packing, and suturing.

Lin also made creative achievements in the surgical treatment of complex fractures, the principles of manual reduction, and treatment techniques. He clearly proposed three principles for handling complex fractures: for non-comminuted fractures where the skin is not broken, or even if the skin is broken but manual reduction can succeed, manual reduction should be used; for comminuted fractures where manual reduction is not possible, surgical intervention with a sharp blade to remove bone tips and restore the anatomical position of the broken ends is necessary, emphasizing the use of a sharp knife to cut and press the bone into place; for severe fractures where neither reduction nor bone tip removal can achieve proper alignment, surgical incision and reduction should be performed. These principles remain relevant today.

He pioneered the diagnosis and reduction techniques for shoulder joint dislocation, which fully align with physiological and anatomical requirements, and their basic principles still guide modern clinical practice. He was the first to describe the types of hip dislocation as anterior and posterior, and he also had a high level of theoretical understanding and technical requirements for femoral dislocation and ulnar dislocation.

Lin emphasized both manual reduction and internal medication in the treatment of traumatology. His book contains over 40 prescriptions, including washing, applying, sprinkling, rubbing, and internal medications, laying the foundation for orthopedic diagnosis, treatment principles, prescription, and medication. Lin Daoren was an outstanding bonesetting expert, and his academic thoughts and medical achievements have had a profound impact on the development of orthopedics in later generations. He can be regarded as one of the early founders of Orthopedics and Traumatology in China.