Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1298 The First Graduate Class (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

After morning rounds, Fang Yan and the others went to school. Today was the first day of teaching for the graduate class, and their lecturer was Professor Ren Yingqiu.

Today we will discuss 162 relevant medical cases from the "Huangdi Neijing".

Upon arriving at school, Fang Yan saw that the class committee members had already started looking for people to move the books. Zhu Bangxian, who had just become a class committee member, was indeed very proactive. Many people had just finished breakfast, but he had already started to gather a group of people to move all the textbooks distributed today to the classroom, as required by the homeroom teacher, Wang Yuchuan.

By the time the dialect was delivered to the class, they had already started distributing it.

To be fair, the book's printing quality seems to have been rushed, and it was probably all written by their teachers in a short period of time, making it appear somewhat careless and rough. However, the high level of expertise of the lecturers makes up for it.

Textbooks are just an extra item.

Just like some people who can deliver a complete lesson without even using a textbook, and still benefit their students greatly.

After the textbooks were distributed, everyone started reading them out of curiosity. Fang Yan was no exception. No matter how well or poorly it was written, it was a textbook compiled by school teachers, so he just put it on the system!
Fang Yan quickly flipped through the book, and by the time the class bell rang and Professor Ren walked into their classroom, Fang Yan had already finished reading the textbook.

After Mr. Ren stepped onto the podium, he did not rush to open the textbook. Instead, he first scanned the students in the class and finally focused his gaze on Fang Yan, who was sitting by the window in the third row.

"Everyone here has been selected through rigorous screening as a core member of traditional Chinese medicine." Professor Ren's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to every corner of the classroom:

"Today we are going to talk about the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, but I don't want to just read from the textbook. You can memorize those passages before class and look them up after class. What I want to talk about is the 'medical principles' hidden behind the passages."

As he spoke, he picked up the chalk and wrote the words "Suwen Zhizhen Yaoda Lun" in large characters on the blackboard.

Then he said:

"The essence of traditional Chinese medicine is not on paper, but in practice through case studies."

"Today we will discuss the pathogenesis of 'all dizziness and vertigo belong to the liver' in conjunction with medical cases."

"This first medical case was one I encountered thirty years ago when I was practicing medicine in Chongqing."

"At that time, there was a blacksmith surnamed Zhou, who was over forty years old. He swung his hammer to forge iron every day. He was so strong that he could lift a hundred pounds. However, he was plagued by dizziness for more than half a year. He dreamed every day of fighting with people for ironware and would wake up covered in sweat."

"At first, he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just from being tired and that he would be fine after a couple of days of rest. But later, the dizziness got worse and worse. Sometimes, while he was swinging a hammer, the world would suddenly spin before his eyes, and he almost smashed his hand. He went to the local clinic, and the doctor said it was 'qi and blood deficiency' and prescribed a tonic soup. After drinking it for half a month, he not only didn't get better, but he also developed palpitations and hand tremors. His wife got anxious and asked someone to find me, saying that if I couldn't cure him, the pillar of the family would collapse."

"When I took the blacksmith's pulse, I felt a string-like pulse."

“All dizziness and vertigo are related to the liver.” The liver pulse is wiry. If the liver yang is hyperactive, you should be able to feel a wiry and forceful pulse.

"Looking at his tongue, it is red with little moisture, and there are some red prickles on the tip."

Professor Ren walked back to the blackboard and underlined the phrase "All dizziness and vertigo belong to the liver." He continued, "The blacksmith's trade involves swinging a hammer every day. It seems like it takes a lot of physical strength, but it actually 'takes a lot of liver energy.' The liver is responsible for regulating the flow of qi and storing blood. Because he used too much force all year round, his liver qi was constantly tense, like a fully drawn bow. Over time, the liver yin was depleted, and the liver yang rose upwards. The previous doctor prescribed a tonic soup, which was too nourishing and greasy, making the liver qi even more blocked. That's why he developed palpitations and tremors."

He picked up the chalk and wrote the prescription on the blackboard: "At that time, I prescribed a modified Tianma Gouteng Decoction, with three qian each of Tianma and Gouteng, five qian of Shijue Ming (a type of herb) to be decocted first, three qian each of Du Zhong and Sangjisheng, five qian of Yejiaoteng, and three qian of Fushen. Tell me, why did I add Yejiaoteng and Fushen?" At this moment, Fang Yan's deskmate, Li Chunsheng, stood up and said:
"Polygonum multiflorum can nourish the heart and calm the mind, and Poria cocos can calm the mind and soothe the mind. Isn't the blacksmith having trouble sleeping and having many dreams? These two herbs should be used to treat his insomnia and excessive dreaming. Moreover, 'the heart is the child of the liver,' so nourishing the heart can also indirectly soothe the liver."

“That’s right!” Professor Ren nodded, then said:
“When liver yang rises, it not only disturbs the sensory orifices but also disturbs the mind. If the mind is not at peace, the liver will be even more restless. I told him to decoct one dose every day and drink it twice a day, morning and evening. I also told him not to work as a blacksmith for the next two weeks, but to go for a walk and chat with people.”

"And the result? After drinking the third dose, he was able to sleep at night, and his hand tremors lessened; after drinking the seventh dose, his dizziness basically disappeared; after drinking the fifteenth dose, he came back for a follow-up visit, and his pulse was no longer wiry and tense, but had become a gentle wiry pulse, and his tongue coating was also moist. Later, his wife came to thank me, saying that he could not only work as a blacksmith normally, but also no longer dreamed of arguing at night, and even helped with housework. You see, this is 'using cases to prove principles,' putting the provisions of the 'Inner Canon' into practice."

After recounting his own medical cases, Master Ren then presented a related medical case by Ye Tianshi.

The story goes like this: A thirty-year-old businessman, who was constantly on the go, started experiencing dizziness and lightheadedness six months ago. He felt like he was walking on cotton. He saw many doctors, some of whom diagnosed him with "insufficient qi and blood," while others said it was "internal obstruction of phlegm and dampness." He took dozens of doses of medicine without any effect. Ye Tianshi took his pulse and said, "This is internal stirring of liver wind, which cannot be treated by tonifying or drying." He prescribed a modified Tianma Gouteng Decoction, and the medicine took effect after three doses.

Professor Ren then began to analyze how to grasp the core of 'dizziness'.

As he spoke, he drew a diagram of the pathogenesis on the blackboard: "The liver belongs to wood, and the kidney belongs to water. Water nourishes wood, so the liver is harmonious; the heart belongs to fire, and wood generates fire, so the heart is at peace. This patient has been overworked for many years, and 'overwork depletes kidney yin.' The kidney water cannot nourish the liver wood, and the liver yang is like a horse without reins, rushing upwards and disturbing the sensory orifices, which is why he is dizzy. Therefore, Ye Tianshi used gastrodia and uncaria to calm the liver and extinguish wind, and used eucommia and mulberry mistletoe to nourish kidney yin. The seemingly simple prescription actually conforms to the principle of 'nourishing water to nourish wood' in the Inner Canon of Medicine..."

The students in the audience listened intently, some quickly taking notes in the margins of their textbooks, while others frowned and pondered the pathogenesis.

Professor Ren's teaching design emphasizes thorough reading, precision, and critical digestion. Although most students have rich clinical experience, Professor Ren's analysis focuses on advanced content such as misdiagnosis identification, subtle pharmacological compatibility, and dynamic deduction of pathogenesis, which far exceeds conventional teaching.

"Now I'd like to ask everyone, if this patient also has a bitter taste in their mouth and red eyes, how should the prescription be adjusted?" Professor Ren suddenly asked, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

A few seconds later, Li Chunsheng, who was next to Fang Yan, stood up and said, "A bitter taste in the mouth is a sign of liver fire rising; we should add gentian and gardenia to clear the liver fire!" Professor Ren nodded and asked again:

"What if the patient feels dizzy and also nauseous and vomits?" This time, Zhu Bangxian immediately responded: "Vomiting is caused by wind-phlegm disturbing the upper body, so we should add Pinellia and Tangerine Peel to resolve phlegm and relieve nausea!"

Professor Ren smiled and gestured for the two to sit down:
“What you said is all correct, but you must remember that ‘treating the liver should start with the spleen.’ The liver wood controls the spleen earth. Medicines that calm the liver and extinguish wind are mostly cold in nature and can easily damage the spleen and stomach. No matter how you add or subtract them, you must add one or two herbs such as Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos to strengthen the spleen. This is the ‘holistic treatment’ and the practical application of the ‘Yin-Yang and Five Elements’ thought in the Inner Canon of Medicine.”

Before we knew it, a class period had passed.

When the bell rang, Professor Ren closed his manuscript and said, "That's all for today. The homework is not to memorize the text, but to go back and find a medical case of 'internal liver wind' and analyze the pathogenesis and treatment yourself. We will discuss it together in class tomorrow."

As Professor Ren left the classroom, a murmur of discussion arose in the room.

Some students have already said this:

"Professor Ren explained it so clearly! I just looked at the medical case of 'liver wind dizziness' in the textbook and suddenly I understood the medication approach that I didn't understand before."

"Now I understand not only what it is, but also why it is."

PS: I've gained another 100 monthly tickets. After finishing this chapter, I still owe everyone 20000 words.

(End of this chapter)