History and Development of TCM Case Report in a Real-World Setting
Table 1
Summary of main contributions of TCM case records in the early period.
Representative books
Author
Time
Contributions to TCM case records
Rites of Zhou
Zhou Gong-dan
—
It recorded the earliest organized medical system in the Eastern Zhou dynasty in which the imperial officials received various medical training. TCM doctors were classified into four categories: shiyi (dietitian), jiyi (physician), yangyi (surgeon), and shouyi (veterinarian). The doctors’ salary was connected with their medical cases recorded by the chief doctor. The death was needed to record too.
The Spring and Autumn of Lv Bu-wei
Lv Bu-wei
239 BC
It is an encyclopedic Chinese classic document, which had recorded the budding of TCM case record.
The Historical Records
Sima Qian
206 BC-24 AD
There were 25 TCM cases recorded in the biographical section of The Historical Records, named Biography of Bian Que and Cang Gong, which was probably the earliest extant and relatively complete TCM case records in Chinese historical literature. Cang Gong was the first to record clinical cases through personal observations with the motivation to evaluate the percentage of successes and failures and find a guide for future predictions. The 25 cases of him reflected the change of thinking from passive assessment to active case compilation in the Western Zhou dynasty.
