title: Automatic data-processing equipment of moon mark of nail for verifying some experiential theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Doctors who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnose using four methods - inspection, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, and pulse feeling/palpation. The shape and shape changes of the moon marks on the nails are an important indication when judging the patient's health. There are a series of classical and experimental theories about moon marks in TCM, which does not have support from statistical data.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To verify some experiential theories on moon mark in TCM by automatic data-processing equipment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper proposes the equipment that utilizes image processing technology to collect moon mark data of different target groups conveniently and quickly, building a database that combines this information with that gathered from the health and mental status questionnaire in each test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This equipment has a simple design, a low cost, and an optimized algorithm. The practice has been proven to quickly complete automatic acquisition and preservation of key data about moon marks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the future, some conclusions will likely be obtained from these data; some changes of moon marks related to a special pathological change will be established with statistical methods.
authors.forename: Renjie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Chenyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jianyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009262:Nails / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Moon mark; Traditional Chinese Medicine; real time tracking