Ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Technology with Material

Objective: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) not only focuses on the advancement of physical diagnosis technology-observing, listening, smelling, inquiring, taking the pulse and palpating lesions-but has also continually created uses of materials for diagnosis contrary to popular understanding. METHODS: Based on literature research, giving evidence which can be found in ancient TCM books is as the method. RESULTS: Whether in the past or present time, human activities are embedded in technology with materials. Ancient Chinese doctors diagnosed disease with materials also. The materials which the ancient Chinese utilized for diagnosis mainly came from the daily life. This is very similar to TCM theory of putting daily life experiences and objects into practice. CONCLUSION: It is not as most people think that ancient TCM doctors did not pay attention to the utilization of materials for diagnosis. They knew that the physical technology is based on accumulation of abundant practical experience, which is difficult to be taught by only oral transmission. Some of the diseases are complicated and easily can mislead the doctors, therefore, the uses of materials complement and help the unskilled doctors from making misdiagnosis.