1

p i d e m ic F e b r i le
The T he o r y o f E
Diseases
rm D i s ea s e s )
(Wa
温病学

Nanjing University of
Chinese Medicne
Historical period
Warring states 475~ 221 BC

Tang Dynasty 618~907

Song Dynasty 960~1127

1271~1368
Yuan Dynasty

Ming Dynasty 1368~1644

Qing Dynasty 1636~1911

PRC 1949~

2
Definition
• A study that investigates the pathogenesis,
diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Epidemic
Febrile Diseases.

Collection clinical data

Differentiate pathogen, pathogenesis

Make diagnosis

Treatment, prevention of diseases

 Diagnosing and
treating contagious,
infectious and acute
Important and febrile diseases
essential medical
component of
Chinese Medicine.
Treating other
febrile symptoms
related to Epidemic
Febrile Disease.

4
Formation of the Theory
• The theory of
Epidemic Febrile
Disease is formed in
district of Jiangsu
Province in Ming and
Qing Dynasty,
especially in Suzhou.
• During the period, there were three medical
scholars who gave great contribution to the
formation of the theory, include Wu Youke, Ye
Tianshi and Wu Jutong.
Wu Youke
• Wu Youke from the Ming dynasty wrote Treatise
on Warm Pestilence( 《 温 疫 论 》 ), the first
monograph for Epidemic Febrile Disease.
Not from the six pathogenic factors, but the
“miscellaneous Qi” or “epidemic pathogenic factor”.
Pathogen

Treatment should be focused on opening at the

beginning and end of the disease, and the pathogen
should be removed as soon as possible.
Treatmen
t
Created Da Yuan Drink to reach the layer and fight
the pathogen, forcing the pathogen to leave the
pleurodiaphragmatic interspace.
Prescriptio
n
Emphasized on choosing specific herbs that
corresponded to the pathogens, and recommended
the use of Da Huang.
Herbs

Wu Youke's academic viewpoint

8
• Many of Wu’s academic viewpoints still have advanced value

today.

• Some doctors carried on his view and formed the “plague

school”.

• Dai Tianzhang, Yang Lishan and Yu Shiyu were the doctors

who had important influence.

Ye Tianshi
01 Founder of the theory of epidemic febrile
diseases.

02 Treatise on Warm-heat Diseases

Expatiated on the etiology,

03 pathogenesis, the route of infection,

regular pattern of disease

Created the Wei-Qi-Nutrient-Blood

04 syndrome differentiaton and treatment

system.
Wu Jutong

Inherited Ye Tianshi’s theory, and combining it

with his own clinical experience.

wrote Systematic Differentiation of Warm

Diseases.

Established Three Jiao syndrome differentiation

and treatment system.
 Three Jiao Wei-Qi-
syndrome Nutrient-Blood
differentiation differentiation
system system

• Theoretical core of the Epidemic

Febrile Disease theoretical system.
 Achievements:

• After the People's Republic of China

was established, along with the
development of Chinese Medicine,
The study of Epidemic Febrile
Disease also appeared full of vitality,
and had considerable progress on
clinical practices and theory
development especially.
• Firstly, Medical scholars in Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine(NJUCM)
established the morden theoretical system of epidemic febrile diseases, the most
famous one of them was professor Meng Shujiang. Known as founder of modern
theory of epidemic febrile diseases, Pro. Meng wrote the earliest textbooks of
the theory of epidemic febrile diseases from the first to fifth edition.
• Secondly, Clinical scholars treated pestilence by
the theory of epidemic febrile diseases widely
and obtained satisfied effects.
• For example, during 1954 to 1956, Japanese
encephalitis broke out in places such as
Shijiazhuang, and the hygienic prevention team,
which was organized by the Nation, was led by
Chinese medicine experts and carried out the
treatment using to the diagnosis and treatment
of “Summer heat”, and obtained satisfied effects.
• This surprised many experts in the medical field
of Chinese medicine and western medicine, and
also reversed the wrong belief that the Chinese
medicine cannot treat acute diseases, and also
attracted large quantities of doctors practicing
western medicine to study the Chinese medicine
positively, and studied the Epidemic Febrile
Disease theory.
• In the 1980s, epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF)
outbroke in some districts in north of Jiangsu Province.
Professionals use the method of purging and removing
blood stasis to treat 1127 patients with hemorrhagic fever
of wild rat type, and reduced the mortality rate from
7.66% at that time to 7.66%. The mortality rate of acute
renal failure in oliguria stage was only 4%, which was
significantly better than 22% in western medicine
control group.
• In recent years, there have been many epidemics of
infectious diseases, such as SARS, HPA, and COVID-19.
Theory of epidemic febrile diseases have been widely
used to treat the diseases and got satisfied effects.
• For example, during the outbreak of COVID-19 in spring
2020, Doctors of Nanjing Public Health Medical Center
treated COVID-19 patients by combination of Chinese
Medicine and Western Medicine and obtained good
effects. Totally, there were 93 COVID-19 patients were
cured in Nanjing Public Health Medical Center with no
death cases and no infection in medical staff. For severe
cases, professionals from NJUCM participated in
consultation many times.
Clinical Case
• Liu, male, 62 years old. February 10th, 2020.
• Chief complaints: fever with cough for three days
and wheezing for one day.
• Present history: fever, dry cough, wheezing,
aggravated after activity. The positive results
were obtained by throat swab and chest CT
examination.
• Diagnosis: novel coronavirus.
Clinical Case
• After treatment by western medicine, the patient
still had fever, accompanied with cough and
asthma. So doctor seek remote consultation with
CM from NJUCM.
• Four diagnostic examinations of Chinese
medicine: Patients had dyspnea, shortness of
breath, fever, cough, and yellow phlegm, poor
appetite and loose stools, 3-4 times a day. The
tongue was dark, thick and greasy.
Clinical Case
• Syndrome differentiation: Dampness heat and
turbid interior.
• Therapeutic methods: Clearing away heat and
removing dampness and turbidity.
• Prescription ： Modified Da Yuan drink.
Caoguo 9g, Houpu 6g, Binglang 9g, Zhimu 9g,
Qinghao 9g, Cangzhu 9g, Huangqin 9g, Baishao 12g,
Huoxiang 9g, Zhuru 10g, Cansha 10g, Liuyisan 15g.
Two doses, one dose a day.
At the same time, western medicine support
treatment, noninvasive ventilator and nasal high
flow oxygen therapy were used alternately.
Clinical Case
• After the treatment of integrated traditional
Chinese and Western medicine, the patient's
symptoms gradually relieved, and recovered
after the negative nucleic acid of throat swab.

• The case shows COVID-19 could be cured by the

therapeutic methods of the theory of epidemic
and febrile diseases.
• Secondly, by conducting a deep research on
traditional Epidemic Febrile Disease theory,
making its concepts more explicit and more
scientific, allowing it to better guide clinical
practice.
• For example, the understanding of the
pathogens of Epidemic Febrile Disease is no
longer purely climate factors, but also includes
causative organisms.
• Moreover, discussions on “pathogen toxin” and
new concepts of latent pathogen were carried out
in recent years, and the view regarding “the
unification of cold and Epidemic Febrile
Disease” also received a more consistent view.
Other great achievements
• Modern experimental study of Epidemic Febrile
Disease 。
• Literature reorganization and research
• New generation Chinese medicine professional
doctors.
• During the middle to late periods of 1950s, our
nation started to build high quality Chinese
medicine colleges and universities, and trained
many high-level Chinese medicine doctors, who
are skilled in teaching, scientific research and
clinical practice of the Study of Epidemic Febrile
Disease.
Summary:

Classic syndrome differentiation and treatment system derived in Jiangsu

province in Ming and Qing dynasty. GO

Represented by professor Meng Shujiang, the earliest generation of epidemic

febrile disease experts in Nanjing University of Chinese medicine, established GO
a modern discipline system of epidemic febrile diseases, edited earliest
textbooks of epidemic febrile diseases.

Many experts of epidemic febrile diseases have been trained in NJUCM. GO

Summary:

Guided the clinical treatment of a variety of pestilence and infectious

diseases with the theory of epidemic febrile diseases. GO

Compiled lots of monographs of epidemic febrile diseases. GO

Carried out many scientific researches, include basic system and clinical
application of the theory of epidemic febrile diseases . GO