Dao of Chinese Medicine: Understanding an Ancient Healing Art

This book claims to present in Western terms the basic premise of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and its important anatomical and physiological findings. It attempts to correct persisting confusions that were introduced in previous descriptions of complementary medicine. The author enthusiastically longs for the time when Chinese medicine is considered an alternative or integral therapy with a basis of explanation as presented in modern science. For this purpose, the author lays the book out as an introductory text with the following four main categories: (1) history and mechanism of acupuncture; (2) general physiology of Chinese medicine; (3) anatomy and physiology related to acupuncture practice with respect to the cause of disease; and (4) general consideration of health needs, medicine in a wide context and the approach towards treatments.

I find this book well structured with many useful teaching aids including tables and figures. I recommend it as an essential text to every student and teacher of TCM, and any academically oriented person with interest in this field. In particular, the comments on long-lasting confusions such as meridian and energy are very constructive. However, since this book deals only with the basic theory of acupuncture and its peripheries, readers expecting to discover instruction in clinical practice, including diagnosis and medicinal prescription, will have to seek other texts. In addition, some challenging analogies, such as that between the muscles of anterior lateral hand and the large intestine, and the muscles of anterior medial foot and the spleen, are very interesting but need further study.

All in all, the contribution of this book to the study of medicine is great. The author should be applauded for his long painstaking efforts to understand the theory of TCM and to incorporate it into the common basis of medical knowledge.