中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第95期:李時珍

Li Shizhen(1518~1593), styled Dongbi, literary name Binhu, a native of Qizhou (present Qichun Town, Hubei Province), was a prominent pharmacist in the Ming Dynasty and a great natural scientist in the cultural history of the world.

李時珍(1518 ~ 1593 )，字東璧，號瀕湖。湖廣蘄州(今湖北蘄春)人。明代卓越的醫藥學家，世界文化史上偉大的自然科學家。

He had consummate Medical skill and made intensive study of medical classics. After trekking over a long distance to cull medicinal herbs, he wrote the world-famous monumental masterpiece Bencaogangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) after 27 years of hard work.

李時珍精通醫術，鑽研醫典，萬里跋涉，採方問藥，歷時27年寫成了舉世聞名的中醫藥著作《本草綱目》。

Acclaimed as the "Chinese Encyclopedia" of the 16th century by Darwin, it included indications and prescriptions of 1 892 medicinal herbs, among which 374 were newly added.

被達爾文譽爲16世紀的“中國百科全書”。此書收入1 892種藥物，其中新增藥物374種。

There were more than 1 100 medicine illustrations and over 11 000 recipes.

藥物插圖1 1 00餘幅，11 000多個藥方。

In the course of compiling the work, Li Shizhen made his endeavors all the way throughout the country to pick up specimens in the wild and to search and collect folk recipes. His classifications of medicine were based on fairly scientific approaches.

他採用比較科學的方法對藥物進行分類，每種藥物後面附有用法和方劑，就藥論治，按證尋藥，創立了本草學的新體系。

Each type of medicine was followed by an explanation of usage and dosage. He established a new system for the study of Chinese herbal medicine. This book was completed during the course of struggle against Taoism. Denouncing sharply the absurd practice of taking "magic pills" for longevity, Li Shizhen disclosed the secret of the so-called magical prescription and catholicon and the claim that those who ate longevity herbs would become immortal.

《本草綱目》是在與道教鬥爭中寫成的，李時珍痛斥了道教“長生久視”的誑言，揭開了所謂“仙方”、“神藥”的祕密，從而戳穿了“羽化登仙”的騙術。

In addition Li Shizhen wrote six other medical works:Binhu Study on the Pulse, Research on the Eight Extra-Channels and Research on the Pulse Diagnosis on the diagnosis by feeling the pulse, On the Three Visceral Cavities Housing the Internal Organs, Exeaminations of the Gate of Vitality on the theory of triple burners, and Binhu Medical Cases on the experiences of medical treatment. The former three are still in existence.

另外，李時珍還有6部醫學著作，關於脈學的有《瀕湖脈學》、《奇經八脈考》、《脈決考證》，關於三焦命門理論的有《三焦客難》、《命門考》，還有關於臨證醫療經驗的《瀕湖醫案》，現存前3部。