<b>Various Descriptions of Abdominal Examinations among Traditional Kampo Medical Books Beyond the Showa Era</b> / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

The practical use of abdominal examination is a major characteristic of Kampo medicine. Although most Kampo medical texts describe an abdominal examination for a Kampo formula, comparative studies between texts have not contributed to any standardized descriptions for such examinations. We investigated descriptions of 147 prescription Kampo extract formulations in Kampo texts written after the Showa Era, and obtained the following results. Abdominal examinations were described differently by authors, even for the same prescription. Additionally, we examined the descriptions for anchusan (安中散) and kososan (香蘇散), which are called the <i>Gosei </i>school formulae (後世方). Descriptions of abdominal examinations for these drugs were not quoted from an original Chinese medical text, but were empirically constituted in Japan. As knowledge was accumulated, these various descriptions were created through limited personal connections, and/or the opinions of particular authorities. We suggest that a consensus on abdominal examinations would further studies on the viability of traditional medicines, and better characterize Kampo medicine.