Fu Qingzhu's missing chapter on infertility
Item
Title
Fu Qingzhu's missing chapter on infertility
Description
Lantern (2019), Weizenbaum, Sharon.
Source
Abstract
This article is the first in a two-part series on the fertility chapter of Fu Qing-Zhu Nu Ke (Fu Qingzhu’s Women’s Disorders). I only recently came across this chapter of Fu Qingzhu’s Women’s Disorders and so had not read it previously. Because of this, I’ve not had the chance to try out Fu’s formulas in the clinic. However, his ideas and way of thinking are familiar to me. In this series, the chapter on fertility is translated into English for the first time and includes my own commentary. The chapter has 10 sections, each describing the aetiology, presentation and treatment of a distinct pattern of infertility. I have broken these down into three parts, adjusting the order of the sections to facilitate comparison of the patterns. The original order is: 1. Infertility due to Emaciated Body 2. Infertility due to Chest Fullness with Lack of Desire to Eat 3. Infertility due to Ice Cold in the Lower Body 4. Infertility due to Chest Fullness and Scanty Eating 5. Infertility due to Lower Abdominal Tightness 6. Infertility due to Jealousy and Envy 7. Infertility due to Corpulence 8. Infertility due to Steaming Bone and Night Heat 9. Infertility due to Low Back Soreness and Abdominal Distention 10. Infertility due to Difficult Urination, Abdominal Distention and Superficial Oedema in the Legs. In this article, I have chosen to compare and comment on the sections appearing with symptoms of chest fullness and/or abdominal distention. Fu’s description of each pattern, though rich and full of description, seems to assume that the reader already has the ability to differentiate the pattern through symptoms. One aim of my commentary is to offer thoughts as to how we can be clear in our diagnosis since some of the patterns are quite similar. Another aim of this article is to highlight Fu’s profound understanding of women’s physiology and his sublime use of herbs.
Creator
Language
English
Chinese
Date
volume
16
issue
2
page start
18
page end
26
Alternative Title
Lantern
Date Created
10/1/2019
Type
Journal Article
issn
1449-2717