Interlude from Guangzhou - Book Deal in Beijing

During my recent visit to Guangzhou, I took a couple of days to meet with the team at People’s Medical Publishing House. The flight was only a few hours, and I took a cab to the multi-story facility in downtown Beijing.

My project, a book on pulse diagnosis, focuses upon the works of one of China’s great compilers, a man named Li Zhishen. Author of one of the great herbal compendiums, Li has also published two works on pulse diagnosis, one is the Lakeside Master and the other is the Mysteries of the Extraordinary Vessels.

In order to realize a quality work, the team involves two authors, two editor/project managers and two translators. The individuals involved are: Walter Liu (Líu Shuĭ, 刘水), Vice-Director of International Publications Department and head of Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine; Harry F. Lardner, Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine; Amber Huang (Huáng Lĕi黄蕾), Department of Acupuncture and Tui Na; Mark Mondot, Department of Patient Education. 


This "golden bridge" of international collaboration in the development of Chinese medical knowledge is significant news for the profession. Each section of the team involves an American and a Chinese person. This type of collaboration allows for a rich representation and accurately portrays the source material while maintaining sensitivity to the needs of the user.

Pulse diagnosis is my area of academic specialty. I have spent 28 years on the topic. My latest efforts are in an area that I call medical epistemology – that is – how we build knowledge in medicine. Pulse diagnosis is an area of practice that is often dismissed as subjective. It is. And that is the advantage. We, in this world of high tech and looming global chaos need a personal touch. Pulse diagnosis provides a direct and immediate non-verbal contact between the physician and the patient.

People’s Medical Publishing House is the largest and most influential book maker in China. I felt privileged to participate with the group on a project that fit exactly with my values with respect to translation and the building of knowledge across the cultural and language bounds. I had an opportunity to see the galleys for Understanding the Jin Gui Yao Lue - A Practical Textbook. This is one of the most important historical texts in Chinese medicine, one that is still used in core curriculum for Chinese medicine programs at the major universities in China. The core text of the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet (Jīn Guì Yào Lüè) has been praised by Chinese physicians as "the book that saves lives" and "the ancestor of all formula books".

I believe that PMPH is doing very important work and it is a privilege to participate with them on the development of Chinese medicine in the West.