Description
By Nigel Wiseman with Sabine Wilms
Hardcover · Two volumes, packaged together
Set ISBN: 979-8-9970787-6-8
Volume I ISBN: 978-0-9970787-4-4
Volume II ISBN: 978-0-9970787-5-1
Includes a free eBook with direct retail purchases from Redwing Books. The digital edition offers full-text search, a clickable table of contents, and cross-references for convenient study and navigation.
A Comprehensive English-Language Presentation of Chinese Medical Theory
Chinese Medicine: Theories of Modern Practice presents the foundational doctrines, physiology, pathology, diagnostics, and therapeutics of Chinese medicine at a level approaching the basic-theory textbooks used in Chinese medical universities. Designed for serious students and practitioners, it gives English-speaking readers access to the conceptual framework of Chinese medicine as it is studied and taught in China.
Now available as a two-volume hardcover set, this extensive work provides a substantial resource for systematic study and ongoing clinical reference.
Written for readers who wish to understand Chinese medicine from the Chinese perspective, the text preserves the distinctions and terminology found in Chinese-language sources. Detailed explanations help students develop a clear understanding of complex concepts and connect fundamental theory with clinical practice.
Designed for Study and Reference
The text combines depth of coverage with features that support systematic learning and long-term retention:
- Step-by-step explanations guide readers from fundamental concepts to clinical understanding. Concepts are introduced carefully and reinforced throughout the text.
- An integrated approach connects physiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment. Discussions of qi, blood, fluids, bowels, and viscera introduce related signs, patterns, and diseases, while pattern identification chapters revisit their physiological and pathomechanistic foundations.
- Focused paragraphs and bullet points highlight important information and make complex material easier to review.
- Chinese characters and pinyin accompany major concepts, helping language learners and clarifying the technical meanings underlying English terminology.
- Tables, summaries, and explanatory displays clarify relationships between concepts.
- Extensive cross-references connect related discussions throughout the work.
- Six detailed indexes link theoretical concepts with signs, patterns, diseases, acupoints, medicinals, and formulas.
Scope of the Work
Overview and Fundamental Doctrines
The opening overview introduces the conceptual structure of Chinese medicine. Chapters on qi, yin-yang, and the five phases examine these core foundations in depth, explaining both the concepts and their historical origins.
Bowels, Viscera, Substances, and Channels
Detailed discussions of the organ systems cover physiological functions, associated patterns, and the relationships between physiology and clinical presentation. Chapters on qi, blood, essence, and fluids explore their physiological roles and pathological transformations. The channel system connects channel physiology with pathology and treatment.
Constitution, Causes of Disease, and Pathomechanisms
A full chapter examines constitutional classification systems found in Chinese medical literature. Discussions of etiological factors relate specific causes to the patterns and diseases they produce. The chapter on pathomechanisms explains how illness develops and evolves, supporting an understanding of disease progression.
Diagnosis, Pattern Identification, and Treatment
The four examinations—inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation—receive detailed treatment. Extensive chapters on pattern identification explain the frameworks used to interpret signs and symptoms and connect them with treatment strategies. The final chapter addresses principles of acupuncture, medicinal therapy, and dietary therapy, together with general strategies for preventing illness.
Extensive Indexes
The six indexes provide convenient access to a wide range of clinical information:
- Signs: More than 320 symptoms, organized from head to foot.
- Patterns: Summaries of the 119 disease patterns discussed in the text.
- Diseases: Descriptions of the 130 diseases referenced in the work.
- Acupoints: More than 400 channel and non-channel points.
- Medicinals: More than 400 commonly used medicinal substances.
- Formulas: More than 400 formulas, with their ingredients and applications.
About the Authors
Nigel Wiseman and Sabine Wilms are scholars of Chinese medicine whose work encompasses its language, history, and clinical literature. Nigel Wiseman is widely known for his contributions to Chinese medical terminology and translation. His publications include Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine, Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture, and A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine.
Through careful translation and rigorous scholarship, the authors preserve the precise meanings of Chinese medical concepts in English. Their approach helps readers encounter Chinese medicine within its own intellectual and cultural tradition and develop a deeper understanding of its theory and practice.
