Origins
Acupuncture can be traced back as far as the Stone Age in China, when
stone knives and pointed rocks were used to relieve pain and diseases.
These instruments were known by the ancients as "bian." In the Han
Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) an Analytical Dictionary of Characters "Shuo
Wen Jie Zi" describes the character "bian" as meaning a stone to treat
disease. Later these stones were replaced by needles made of bamboo
and slivers of animal bone, then finally in the Shang Dynasty bronze
casting techniques made metal needles possible, which conducted
electricity (and qi). This led to the mapping of the meridian system or
"channels" of energy within the body. (Historical Time Line).
A summary of medical knowledge, the "Huangdi Nei Jing" or "Yellow
Emperor's Classic of Medicine" compiled in 475-221 BCE, describes the use
of acupuncture and moxibustion, pathology of the meridians and viscera,
acupuncture points, indications, contraindications and the application of
nine kinds of needles. In fact, acupuncture was a large part of the entire
compilation of medical knowledge at that time. The famous Chinese
surgeon, Hua Tuo, was an expert in acupuncture, and it was during his
time period (Han Dynasty) that the "tsun", a measurement system that
uses the width of a joint of the patient's own finger was developed to help
locate the acu-points more accurately.
Acupuncture developed rapidly and was systematically researched during
the Western dynasties. A book appeared around 400 CE called "Zhen Jiu
Jia Yi Jing" or "A Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion", which described
the names and number of points for each channel, their exact locations,
indications, and methods of manipulation. Although medical advances and
modern technology has helped to refine the art, his text describes the basic
point locations that are still used in modern Acupuncture and Acupressure.
In the Sung, Kin and Yuan dynasties (960-1368 CE) the text "Tong Jen
Shu Xue Zhen Jiu Tu Jing" or "Illustrated Manual on the Points for
Acupuncture and Moxibustion as Found on the Bronze Figure) written by
Wang Wei-yi, made detailed studies and observations of 657 points on the
human body. Wang also sponsored the casting of two life-size, hollow
bronze figures with the surface marked with channels and exact point
locations. With these models, the teaching of acupuncture flourished and
spread through the country, and the established practice of herbal
medicine began to adopt the channel and meridian theories into their
practice. With this common theory between the two leading health
disciplines, the medicine of China was quickly transformed as both schools
contributed to the extensive library of data being collected and recorded.
