何夢瑤Hé Mèngyáo:introduction about his biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.
✵何夢瑤(Hé Mèngyáo):he was born in Nanhai, Guangdong and a famous herbalist during the Qing Dynasty, made major breakthroughs in the medical research and debate on the treatment of various warm disease and febrile disease in the area of Lingnan, he is the aauthor of the gynecological book Fu Ke Liang Fang(the Effective Prescription of Gynecology).
何夢瑤(Hé Mèngyáo).
Brief Introduction
漢語名(Chinese Name):
何夢瑤(Hé Mèngyáo)
Alias:
报之(Bào Zhī)
Popular name:
何夢瑤(Hé Mèngyáo)
English Name:
He Meng Yao, Men Yao He(Given/Family).
Hometown:
Nan Hai
Dates:
about 1693~1764 AD.
Main works:
《醫碥》(Yi Bian),《本草韻語》(Ben Cao Yun Yu),《婦科良方》(Fu Ke Liang Fang),《幼科良方》(You Ke Liang Fang).
Representative works:
《醫碥》(Yi Bian),《本草韻語》(Ben Cao Yun Yu),《婦科良方》(Fu Ke Liang Fang),《幼科良方》(You Ke Liang Fang).
Biography and legends:
何夢瑤(Hé Mèngyáo), alias 报之(Bào Zhī), self-title 西池(Xī Chí), he was born in Nanhai, Guangdong, his years of birth and passing away is year 1693~1764 AD, a famous herbalist during the Qing Dynasty. He first studied Confucianism and passed the imperial examination, achieved Jinshi in the Yongzheng 8th year (the year 1730 AD). Later, he was assigned as the county magistrates of Ren Yining, Yangshuo, Cenxi, Si'en, etc., because of illness in his childhood, he paid attention to medicine and was good at medicine. At the time his was in Si'en, the plague prevailed, He Mengyao used prescriptions widely, and many survived. In his later years, he resigned and returned to his hometown, wrote a book to entertain himself. His book Yi Bian discusses miscellaneous diseases of internal medicine, emphasizes the abuse of warming tonic will bring mistakes and problems. The medical theory of Zhang Zhongjing, Liu Hejian, Li Dongyuan, and Zhu Danxi is described in detail and mixed with his personal opinions to inspire others. In addition, his other works are Ben Cao Yun Yu (Rhyme Notes on Herbal Classics), Fu Ke Liang Fang (the Effective Prescription of Gynecology), You Ke Liang Fang (the Effective Prescription of Pediatrics)., etc., he is one of the representative herbalist in the Qing Dynasty.
He originally studied Chinese medicine, and after returning to his hometown, he was able to devote his spare time to further studies in Chinese medicine. He Mengyao has ingenious insights into the basic theories of the generation and restriction theory of the five Zang-viscera, other basic theories of Yin and Yang, water and fire, deficiency and excess, Qi and blood, and has made major breakthroughs in the medical research and debate on the treatment of various warm disease and febrile disease in the area of Lingnan. Likewise, he proposed that based on the subtropical characteristics of Lingnan’s geographical climate, the diagnosis and medicines used for treatment of various types of warm disease and febrile disease should be different from the conventional medicines in northern areas. He believed that the application of clearing warm heat should be changed according to the physical fitness and climatic environment of the local people, and abstain from warming tonics.
Main books and academic thoughts:
The books written by He Mengyao are based on the characteristics of pathological changes in the unique geographical and climatic environment of Lingnan, using the meridian theory to make accurate medical theories' discussion, revealing the secrets of related clinical treatments.
The book Fu Ke Liang Fang(the Effective Prescription of Gynecology) was originally known as Fu Ke Ji Yao (the Compendium of Gynecology), or Shen Xiao Fu Ke Liang Fang (Miraculous Good Prescriptions of Gynecology). There is no separate edition. It was finished in the year 1751 AD, the book was collected in the series of San Ke Ji Yao (the Compendium of Three Departments) and Yi Fang Quan Shu (the Complete Book of Medical Prescriptions). The book is divided into two parts: discussions and prescriptions. The discussion part is divided into menstrual period, various syndromes of menstruation, amenorrhea, metrorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, morbid leukorrhea, hernia and hypochondnrium or abdominal mass, blood stasis, prenatal, labor, dystocia, postpartum, milk syndrome, syndromes of external genitalia, fertility theory, etc. first briefly describe the theory, and then elaborate in syndromes. The section of prescription collects related prescriptions indicated in the previous part, the brief introduction is clear, easy to grasp and easy to find.
References:
1.何夢瑤Hé Mèngyáo:introduction about his biography and legends,main books and academic thoughts.