History of Chinese Medicine

Pulse diagnosis is an important diagnostic method in traditional Chinese medicine, where the physician uses three fingers to feel the patient's radial artery. Is the method of pulse diagnosis with suspended threads real or false?

Dr Zhu Weimin (June 23, 2023)

In ancient China, imperial physicians would diagnose the emperor's empresses, and stories of pulse diagnosis using suspended threads were often told. The legends of pulse diagnosis using "suspended threads" can be traced back to ancient times in history.

The legendary example of Minister Wen diagnosing Daji with suspended threads can be found in the classic novel "Investiture of the Gods" ("Fengshen Yanyi"). Daji, the favorite empress of Emperor Zhou, who was actually a demon disguised as a beautiful woman, indulged in debauchery in the court and brought calamities to the country and its people. Minister Wen, who had three eyes, exposed Daji's true identity and advised Emperor Zhou several times to wake up, but the emperor did not believe him. Minister Wen said, "Whether she is human or demon, I will know by simply examining her pulse." Emperor Zhou replied, "How dare you, as a mere minister, auscultate my beloved wife?" Minister Wen said, "I can diagnose her condition using suspended threads." He took three fingers, tied them to a thread, and demonstrated that Daji was indeed a demon. These historical stories obviously contain elements of fiction, but there have been many cases of pulse diagnosis using "suspended threads" for the nobles of the imperial court in history.

Sun Simiao (541-682 AD) skillfully diagnoses Empress Zhangsun with suspended threads. During the Tang Dynasty, Empress Zhangsun had been pregnant for ten months but was unable to give birth. Li Shimin sent for Sun Simiao, a popular physician, but the court physicians were jealous and told the emperor that Sun Simiao was an uneducated wandering physician from the countryside. They wanted to test him. The emperor agreed, and when Sun Simiao arrived, the court physicians told him, "You cannot touch the empress's body." Sun Simiao replied, "I can diagnose her condition using suspended threads."

The imperial physician agreed, and when he examined Empress Zhangsun, he used suspended threads outside the chamber. The eunuchs intended to test him and successively attached the threads to the root of a holly tree. Sun Simiao said that it was not a human being. The eunuchs then attached them to the leg of a copper cauldron, and Sun Simiao said that it was not a living thing. The eunuchs then attached them to the leg of a parrot, and Sun Simiao said that although it was alive, it was not a human being. The three experiments were exposed, and finally, the threads were tied to the wrist of the empress. Sun Simiao diagnosed a case of delayed childbirth. He said to the empress, "Please extend your hand, I will give you an injection, and then I will leave." The empress extended her hand, and Sun Simiao pricked her finger, facilitating the birth of her child.

For most people, no matter how they imagine it, they will not understand the logic behind it. Of course, pulse diagnosis is just one of the diagnostic methods, and there are other important methods as well. However, for gynecological diseases, pulse diagnosis is the most important diagnostic method. We should not forget that Sun Simiao was a spiritual practitioner, and his system of perception was very different from that of ordinary people.

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