Huitu zhenjiu yixue (Illustrated Acupuncture Made Easy), by Li Shouxian, was composed in 1798 (3rd year of the Jiaqing reign period of the Qing dynasty). It comprises two volumes (juan), plus a supplementary volume containing illustrations of the 'Seventy-two fan'.
The 'Seventy-two fan' are not mentioned in any other early Chinese medical sources. Judging from the accounts given in this text, fan must be a generic term for a category of acute illness of unexplained origin. The word fan is qualified by names of animals and insects to characterise the external manifestations of these illnesses.
This illustration shows the manifestations of Soft-Shelled Turtle (jiaoyu) fan, Ominous Legs(?) (jitui) fan and Heart-Piercing (chuanxin) fan. According to the captions, the signs of these conditions are as follows:
In Soft-Shelled Turtle fan, the patient talks to him/herself, the body twitches, and walnut-like swellings appear underneath the tongue. This is treated by the bloodletting method (fangxue liaofa), or by striking the soles of the feet until the patient is able to speak [normally].
In Ominous Legs fan, the upper and lower limbs are swollen and itchy, and the patient suffers from heart palpitations and restlessness. This can be treated by bathing the area with xiaohai shui(?).
The symptoms of Heart-Piercing fan are mental agitation, unawareness of the world around one, dizziness, and urinary incontinence. This can be treated by tapping the centre of the eyebrows and the panquchi (Pool at the Crook) area with a bamboo chopstick.
