title: [The physicians' recognition and treatment of hypochondriac pain before the Ming Dynasty].
abstract: There were two phases for the recognition and treatment of hypochondriac pain before the Ming Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty being their demarcation line. Before the Song Dynasty, hypochondriac pain was regarded generally as a concomitant symptom, generally attributed to pathogen of coldness, and the materia medica with the warm nature were always used for the treatment. This recognition was related with the traditional idea paying attention predominantly to the yang of the yin-yang theory. Since the Song Dynasty, especially the Jin-Yuan Period, the hypochondriac pain was regarded gradually as an independent symptom. Physicians got more and more recognition about its causes and pathogenesis. The treatment was changed from dispelling cold to activating qi, and the idea of treatment based on syndrome differentiation on hypochondriac pain was finally established, reflecting the influence of spirit of medical innovation during the Jin-Yuan Period on the recognition of disease.
authors.affiliation: Graduate student, China Institute for History of Medicine and Medical Literature, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhen-Rui
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Wang