Chinese Medicine History

T'ao Hung-Ching [Tao Hongjing]

 Tao Hongjing, also known as Tao Tongming. His foremost contribution was the reorganization of the "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing"(earliest Chinese herbal materia medica). From his own knowledge and experience he added to the materia medica 365 new herbs, which brought the total number of herbs to 730. He then divided the herbs to categories and qualities, creating his compilation: "Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu". This classic influence on later generation was immense. The earliest Tang dynasty herbal dictionary "Xin Xiu Ben Cao" is entirely based on it.

One day Tao Hongjing heard a rumor of birds that develop from warms. He suspected that this story is fabricated. He went into a courtyard to research the event. After numerous observation he realized that the worms were brought into the nest by the birds and were left there to have their own of springs. Later it would serve the birds as feed supply. He thus concluded that the birds were  not created from the worms, the worms were planted in the nest. Tao Hongjing set a new standard for Chinese medicine of future generations "One must research every idea carefully, and not jump to conclusion because other people say so".

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