Mázhěn chǎnzhù 麻疹闡註
Elucidatory Commentary on Measles by 張霞谿 Zhāng Xiáxī (撰); preface by 徐漸逵 Xú Jiànkuí (1848)
About the work
A four-juǎn mid-Qīng commentary on the measles (mázhěn 麻疹) chapter of the Yīzōng jīnjiàn 醫宗金鑑 by 張霞谿 Zhāng Xiáxī (míng Lián 廉, zì Tōngyuán 通源) of Zhūjì 諸暨 (Zhèjiāng). The work was published with a preface by 徐漸逵 Xú Jiànkuí (hào Xùzhāi 煦齋) at the Lǐchéng shìyù 蠡城試寓 (Lǐchéng examination lodge) in Dàoguāng 28 wùshēn 戊申 mèngxià 1848 fourth lunar month — posthumous publication arranged by Zhāng’s family (clan-nephew Jíyuán 輯園, nephew Huìpō 蕙坡, brother Zǐtíng 紫庭, clan-cousin Chónggāo 重皋) under the editorial supervision of 酈非葊 Lìzǐ Fēi’ān. The work’s title chǎnzhù 闡註 (elucidatory annotation) signals its commentarial-pedagogical genre: it provides paragraph-by-paragraph annotation of the Yīzōng jīnjiàn measles chapter to render its compressed verse-mnemonic format accessible to clinical practitioners.
Prefaces
Preface by 徐漸逵 Xú Jiànkuí (hào Xùzhāi 煦齋) at the Lǐchéng shìyù, Dàoguāng 28 wùshēn mèngxià (fourth lunar month of 1848). Xú frames Zhāng’s editorial motivation: standard measles references — the Yīzōng jīnjiàn 醫宗金鑑, Zhàoshì’s Huìbǔ 匯補 commentary, and the Xièshì qīshíèr zhèng 七十二症 (Seventy-two Symptoms) work — should suffice, but Zhāng felt that the Jīnjiàn’s compressed jiǎnyuē 簡約 (concise) format, the fánsuǒ 煩瑣 (excessive) qualifications, and the variable biànyì 變易 (changes) of measles symptomatology rendered annotation necessary. The work also embeds a xiān shì yǐ dúshū zhī fǎ 先示以讀書之法 (a preliminary discussion of how to read [medical books]). Xú characterises village physicians as treating zhèng zhī píngxiǎn 症之平險 (mild and severe diseases) without distinction, bùkěn yǐ bùzhī cí 不肯以不知辭 (refusing to admit ignorance), and rǔmǎng mièliè 鹵莽滅裂 (treating recklessly); the chǎnzhù aims to remedy this through systematic explanation. Earlier Lì Fēi’ān had collated the work for publication but had not completed the print run; the publication was effectively completed by the Zhāng family during the Dàoguāng 28 spring-summer measles epidemic. Author’s preface (敘張子, partial) characterises Zhāng as a Zhūjì lǎosù 諸暨老宿 (an old worthy of Zhūjì), bótōng jīngshǐ, gōng jǔyè, shàn gǔwéncí 博通經史，工舉業，善古文詞 (broadly conversant in canonical and historical literature, skilled in eight-legged-essay composition, accomplished in classical prose).
Abstract
The Mázhěn chǎnzhù is a focused mid-Qīng paediatric specialty work — an annotation-commentary on the measles chapter of the standard imperial paediatric reference. The work treats: measles pathological doctrine (má bǐng yú yáng ér chéng yú yīn 麻稟於陽而成於陰 — measles inherits from yang but completes in yin), symptomatology, treatment by clinical phase (chūrè 初熱 initial-fever, jiànmiáo 見苗 eruption emerging, qímiáo 齊苗 eruption fully out, huítā 回塌 receding, huíhòu 回後 post-recovery), and the supplementary disorders (hóutòng 喉痛, késòu 咳嗽, xièlì, yánhóu 咽喉). The work’s commentary supplements the Jīnjiàn verses with extensive prescription-modification and clinical-pulse discussion. The 1848 publication date and the 1848 measles epidemic that occasioned the publication are documentary evidence for the social context of mid-Qīng paediatric clinical practice.
Translations and research
- 張嘉鳳 Zhāng Jiāfèng (Chia-Feng Chang), Aspects of Smallpox and Its Significance in Chinese History, PhD dissertation, SOAS, 1996, and subsequent articles — context for measles and smallpox in Qīng paediatric practice.
- Mázhěn chǎnzhù jiàozhù 麻疹闡註校注 — modern punctuated edition.
- No substantial English translation located.