Chinese woodcut: Pathology of 'obstructive throat wind'

Woodcut from Yanhou miji (Collected Secrets of Laryngology), published in 1862 (1st year of the Tongzhi reign period of the Qing dynasty). It illustrates the condition known as neizhong suohou feng (obstructive throat wind with internal swelling). This is described as being caused by external attack by hot wind, fire flourishing in the lungs and stomach, mutual contention of wind and fire, and proliferation of Yin and Yang which cannot be integrated together. There are no external signs; but the internal symptoms are difficulty in eating and drinking, phlegm, wheezing and shortness of breath, lockjaw (yaguan jinbi), difficulty in speaking, etc. The method of treatment is similar to that for chanhou feng (entwining throat wind): it may be treated, as preferred, with pass-opening powder (kaiguan san) introduced into the nose by insufflation so as to produce sneezing; with moxibustion on the jaws; with an emetic of egg white and alum; by mechanically provoking vomiting with a goose feather dipped in tung oil; or through the external application by insufflation of a phlegm-reducing drug composed of gall and alum, to 'free the passes and open up the orifices'. If vomiting fails to occur, needling and opening (tiaoci) may be carried out at the shaoshang (Lesser Shang), shangyang (Shang Yang), guanchong (Rushing Pass), quchi (Pool at the Crook) and hegu (Joining the Valley points, etc., until blood is drawn. As an internal treatment, six-flavour decoction (liuwei tang) can be given, concocted with ephedra, Manchurian wild ginger (xixin), perilla juice, osmanthus twig or rhizome of notopterygium (qianghuo) etc. as preferred.

PICTURE TITLE: Neizhong suohou feng (Obstructive throat wind with internal swelling)