Chinese Science 11 (1993-94): 36-65 A Medical Line of Many Masters: A Prosopographical Study of Liu Wansu and His Disciples from the Jin to the Early Ming1 Wu Yiyi [Wu Yiyi received an M.A. in philosophy and the history of science from East China Normal University (Shanghai), and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. Among his research interests are the history of science, and the history of Chinese civilization, especially the history of Chinese science and technology. He has published in, among others, the Journal of East China Normal University, Ziran zazhi (Shanghai), New History, and Dalu (Taibei).] * * * The transmission and dissemination of knowledge is one of the most impor­ tant topics in the history of science. In the case of medicine in imperial China, this topic is extremely promising. Like scholars in other branches of learning, medical doctors, village practitioners, and even quacks claimed kinship to fore­ runners; their relations with their masters implied that their learning and skills were authentic and reliable. Their therapeutic achievements, considered exam­ ples of benevolence, were also carefully recorded by their friends, neighboring scholars, and compilers of local gazetteers. All these materials make it possible for historians to trace back the development of, and to outline, the lineages of some of the most important groups or schools of medical practitioners. However, this has never been done in detail. 1This article is based on a study suggested by Professor Nathan Sivin. For help I have received in my research, my sincere thanks are due to Fushi Lin and Fansen Wang of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Chenghan Wu of Chungyang University, Taiwan, Shuming Liu of the Gest Library at Princeton University, and Donald and Chris Lacey of Rutgers University. Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 10:35:30AM via free access Wu Yiyi: Liu Wansu and His Disciples 37 Long before modern ideas of the history of medicine took shape, there had been a tradition in China of collecting and collating biographical data about doctors. Compilations can be found as early as in the sixteenth century.2 Since then, a number of books have been dedicated to this subject. The encyclopedia of medicine Gujin yitong daquan, for instance, has a collection of biographies of 250 doctors. 3 In the Qing dynasty there was, among other books on the same topic, Mingyi huicui ~ ff R $, edited by Luo Mei ff~. published by Saoye shanfang ffif ~ !l.J m-, with a preface dated 1823. In 1921 Xie Guan published a better collection in the above mentioned Zhongguo yixue da cidian, which was regarded as the standard reference book until Zhongguo renwu cidian, with biographies of some sixty-two hundred doctors, came out in 1988.4 The large amount of materials embodied in these works made possible, and called for, deeper studies of how medical doctrines were transmitted. Establishing the Starting Point This article is a prosopographical study of a group (pai) of medical practi­ tioners who claimed descent from Liu Wansu. The Imperial Library collection Wenyuange siku quanshu5 was the first to affirm the existence of such lineages among medical practitioners. In the study of the lineages, however, a working procedure is often necessary in order to decide who should be included and who excluded. The procedure I have used in this article can be described briefly as 2Li Lian, Yishi 9 .se_, 1515, a Ming version of which was microfilmed by the National Central Library of Taipei, 1978. The original date of publication is based upon the study of Cui Xiuhan ~ ~ ~. Zhongguo yishi yiji shuyao i:p 1ii!iJ ff .51: ff ffi ;izlt ~ (Yanbian: Yanbian renmin chubanshe, 1983). An asterisk* will be used to indicate this source when an original date is ascribed to a medical writing in this article. According to Xie Guan W Kl!., Zhongguo yixue da cidian i:p lii!iJ ff ¥1, 7( 1$ A (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshu guan, 1921), Li Lian took the imperial examination in 1523. This book was presumably finished around the 1520s. 3Xu Chunfu ~ tf. lfl, Gujin yitong daquan if~ ff ?.i1f 7( ~ (1556,* rpr. Taibei: Xinwen feng, 1978), 520 juan. 4Li Jingwei * ~ ~. Zhongyi renwu cidian i:p 9 A !Im 1$ A (Shanghai: Shanghai cishu chubanshe, 1988). 5Siku quanshu zangmu tiyao Im ,fiJ ~. ~ § m ~ (rpr. Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, 1931), juan 103, p. 85. The word pai, in its full sense, is not exactly equivalent to "school" or "lineage." Members of a pai do not necessarily have a common theory directing their research and practice as the word "school" may suggest; nor are they joined together solely by an exclusive relationship such as the word ·•lineage" may suggest. Pai is rather a group of people sharing some ideas or principles, or at least claiming to do so. The members of such a group may not have a visible relationship, and may not confine themselves to a specific theory. Pai is rather a group of people sharing some ideas or principles, or at least claiming to do so. Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 10:35:30AM via free access 38 Chinese Science follows: A tentative list from a widely used medical school textbook6 was the starting point. A systematic search of the three most important biographical collections 7 resulted in a more comprehensive picture of the lineage (see Figure 1). As many of these doctors as possible were carefully studied. A range of early sources, especially local gazetteers, were searched for information about each person's career and possible relations with other doctors. Textual analysis was also taken into account to complete the picture. The beginning of the lineage is set conventionally at the time of Liu Wansu. Figure 1 is divided into four "areas," each of which represents one transmission pattern to be discussed later in this article. Area I covers the very early stage of the development of the lineage; Area II represents the master-disciple relation8 between generations of doctors which will be a main topic of this study. Another kind of relation, quite as important a topic as that in Area II, is shown in Area III, where the lineage becomes an actual family tree. Area IV involves doctors who were mainly influenced by the books of their "masters." By this time, the lineage had segmented and the relation to Liu Wansu could be seen only in the appeal to his principles. In this sense, the principles of Liu Wansu had faded away. But his name was still cited repeatedly by his students, show­ ing symbolically the authenticity of their learning and skill in medicine. 6Beijing zhongyi xueyuan .:ll:: J¥- 9'l 9 ,t!: ~. Zhongyi gejia xueshuo 9'l ff~* ,t!: ~ (Shanghai: Shanghai keji chubanshe, 1981), which is essentially based on Ren Yingqiu's 1:f: J!YH:k work. 7Namely, Xu Chunfu, Gujin yitong daquan, Li Jingwei's Cidian, both mentioned above, and Chen Menglong's ~ ~~ Yibu quanshu ff$~ i!f (1727,* rpr. Taibei: Yiwen yinshuguan, 1958), juan 524-537. 8The term "master-disciple relation" is used in this paper as an equivalent of shisheng Jrli ~. rather than shicheng Jrli ~. which implies a less strict relation between those who may not have had personal contact. Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 10:35:30AM via free access via free access °'<'f') FIGURE 1: A Prosopographical Study of the School after Liu Wansu Chen X1· 011.-,u~110,n ohonn Direct transmission ~;\';1c(A) AREA III Indirect influence I Liu Wansu _______ Li Panguan _____ Ge Si gong AREAI M3'c.(B) *IIJ'B lU!$(RI) ~ I I I I .e,. Ma Zongsu ZhangZihe Jingshanfutu MuZizhao Dong Xi GeCongyu -~*«(CJ) ~-j=-;fll (Cl) l!ftJt.(R2) ' 1Htl.J7'Jl<C?) 3rllH Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 10:35:30AM -~ Q I I Ge Ying lei GeYingze I I ChangYonghu1 MaJ iuchou Luo Zh it i I -~ 1$ JUt - :t; JlltJ :E _ # ffl Jiff Jtl JL - (C2) !UDi)l (DI) L1 u Hong Changue I ] I GeKej iu (::! #it\ Zhu Zhenheng •m 1$iiJ !I,.. (RS) AREA II *Jf'1 (El) ~ ~ :::s Lou Ying WaqLu ZhaoDaozhen Dai Sigong ZhaoLiangren LuoTianyi LiuJ iequan XiangXin ~ -~ J:8 Fl t!ilJlF2 .Ji$F3 t!~t:F4 11:R~ II.Ha;J;lF5 JJ'{J!lr F6 Waq~~ ,L-, I I Liu1Chun t 3:{S*Gl Yu Tuan Zhu Han- Wang Bin ZhaoYanru Mili AREAIV I •• I iang J:1{G2 t!~WGJ Ni Weide ~ HuaShou LuFu Shen Zhongahi $(iJll ~ I {fUltit\LI tffWL2 8«L3 t,tft,.Hl ShengYin W G J i ang Yongwen Zhou Tuan Zhu Zhongn i ng I I ~'iii H _ ::f.ng uan _ 2 JliJij:$(L4 Ji:li$ LS mft>•us ShenChengxian ZhuShike I Ill Sima Long He Qin Zhou Wenhan t,t*;t; *t!!:iiJ Sheng Hong ii]A!HiL7 fiiJ.L6 },'i):$(.Lll ~~ HuoKa i Zhou Wenquan Shi Ji ao StiLI2 Ji:IXti: ffirtLJO Cheng Shi XingZengj i e Zhang Ji eb in @J't:L13 JHlfUlL9 ~*• 40 Chi11ese Scie11ce The Early Stage: From Liu Wansu to Zhu Zhenheng Most of the primary biographical data of Liu Wansu J~ 5i;. (a native of Hejian %J flij, now in Hebei province;9 labeled "B" in Figure 1) (1120?-1200), the founder of the school, comes from the prefaces to his books. 10 The follow­ ing is translated from the preface to Suwe11 bi11gji baomi11g Ji: When I was twenty-five I directed my aspirations to the Inner Canon. Day and night I never put the book aside. When I was nearly sixty I chanced to meet a celestial man, who gave me a beautiful wine to drink.