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 Horse fan,Tortoise (gui) fan, Donkey in the Snake's Coils fan and Water Buffalo fan.
According to the captions, the signs of these conditions are as follows: In Horse fan, the patient wheezes and takes short laboured breaths, and all the limbs feel cold. It is treated by administering the yellow deposits from a horse's bit, washed down with yellow rice wine.
In Tortoise fan, purple veins stand out at the temples, the head is thrust forward and the back bent, and the patient experiences pain in the epigastric region (xinkou). This can be treated by picking open the purple veins with a needle. When yellow spots appear on them, a cure has been effected.
In Donkey in the Snake's Coils fan, the patient has heart palpitations, and purple boils erupt under the tongue. It can be treated by lancing the boils with a needle, and applying tobacco tar.
In Water Buffalo fan, the patient makes lowing sounds like a water buffalo. It can be treated by administering powdered realgar (xionghuang), cicada shell and black soybean, washed down with cold water.
