Woodblock illustration from a work on 'Chinese' medicine by the 18th century Japanese physician Hara Masakatsu, published in 1807 (4th year of the Bunkwa era). The technique for locating Mr Cui's Four-Flower Points (Cui Shi sihua xue) is first recorded in Waitai miyao, (Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library) by the Tang author Wang Tao. It subsequently figures in many medical works, however there are numerous discrepancies in the method of measurement. Jingxue huijie (Collected Notes on the Points and Channels) contains a particularly clear and simple explanation, enabling one to locate the six points with accuracy. Moxibustion of the Four-Flower Points (sihua xue) is used to treat laozhai (tuberculosis and similar conditions), coughs, asthma, xuruo leishou (weakness and wasting), etc. See also Image no. L003789.
