Chinese woodcut, Famous medical figures: Portrait of Lei Gong

One of a series of woodcuts of illustrious physicians and legendary founders of Chinese medicine from an edition of Bencao mengquan (Introduction to the Pharmacopoeia), engraved in the Wanli reign period of the Ming dynasty (1573-1620) -- Volume preface, 'Lidai mingyi hua xingshi' (Portraits and names of famous doctors through history). The images are attributed to a Tang (618-907) creator, Gan Bozong. The account in 'Portraits and Names of Famous Doctors through History' states: Lei Gong was surnamed Lei and had the given name Xiao. He was a minister of the Xuanyuan emperor (i.e. the Yellow Emperor). Lei Gong was a skilled physician. Chapter 12 of the Suwen (Plain Questions) section of Huangdi neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) contains a dialogue on medicine between him and the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor authorised Lei Gong to pass on his medical lore. He wrote Paozhi lun (On the Preparation of Drugs), a specialist text on methods of preparing Chinese medicines.

Taiyi Lei Gong (Lei Gong the Great)