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submissions to | Home > Reviews > Warm Diseases: A Clinical Guide |
Warm Diseases: A Clinical Guide |
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By Guohui Liu (astland Press: $65.00; 580 pp. ISBN: 0-939616-34-3 Reviewed by Todd Luger, L.Ac. I recently received a copy of Warm Diseases: A Clinical Guide by Guohui Liu. Dr. Liu was a colleague of mine at OCOM and I have the greatest respect for his knowledge. This book was published by Eastland Press, the same company that publishes Dan Benskyπs work. I was immediately struck by the readability of this text. It is written in a very accessible style that distinguishes it from similar texts that are scholarly translations from the Chinese. It was written in English for a western audience. However, the text is filled with liberal use of quotations from classical texts on warm diseases. This is a literary device also put to good use by one of my favorite writers in the field, Stephen Clavey, in his Fluid Physiology and Pathology in TCM. I like to have access to both direct translations and more accessible commentary and clinical guides like this new one. To me, that is the best of both worlds. Books like this one from Dr. Liu are immediately clinically useful and provide an entry point into a complex subject. Then one can seek out directly translated source material such as Paradigmπs Wen Bing Xue to deepen one's knowledge. Conversely, if one is using the Paradigm text, one may turn to the Eastland book to illuminate difficult concepts in straightforward language. Many of my readers are aware of my bias towards the use of Wiseman terminology in texts. However, this is really only important to me when dealing with directly translated material. That way I may trace the terms directly back to the source characters. But in commentaries like Dr. Liu's book, there is something appealing about the use of more familiar English. Everything is explained so thoroughly that while I may not be sure what character was the source of a concept, I feel very confident that I understand how to use the information in my clinic. In addition to having ample classical quotes to wrestle with, Dr. Liu provides considerable insights from his own long experience as well as gems from many of the senior physicians he has mentored with over the years. He is always very clear when he is giving his own opinion or that of a colleague to distinguish these offerings from opinions that are general consensus in China. That is very important and a point upon which others have erred in the past. Dr. Liu takes a broad approach to the warm disease concept, applying it beyond just the treatment of acute infectious diseases. But to his merit, he asserts in the introduction that the primary use of this material is just that. Others with less access to the source have taken these concepts and applied them to a wide range of illnesses, often without justification or precedent, a point recently made aggressively by Chip Chace at the 2001 Pacific Symposium. When Dr.Liu expands beyond the idea of treating infectious disease with this methodology, he does it in a careful and methodical way that does not rend the fabric of the concept. It grows but remains rooted in its sources and prior commentary. Thus, his discussion of chronic allergies being related to a lurking (or hidden) pathogen is particularly illuminating. I think readers will especially enjoy the material on hidden pathogens as it is certainly the clearest and most scholarly presentation yet in the English language. Also intriguing is his discussion of the use of purgatives in exterior invasions, which he supports with both classical quotes, modern commentary and his own clinical experience.
I have little to criticize in this text and what I do is unrelated to the work of the author. The book provides many tables summarizing the patterns and formula selection in each section. However, the formulas do not include pinyin Romanization, but use the translations provided in Formulas and Strategies. The idea of whether it is better to translate formula names into familiar English or just use the pinyin is still a point of controversy in the profession. Many of us know the pinyin, but have neglected the translations. This area of translation is the least standardized in our field and this is little or no common ground between Bensky,Wiseman and Hsu. In my own case, since I am unfamiliar with some of the formulas in this text, I found myself constantly referring to cross reference lists to be sure what I was reading. Finally, since the text uses a style of translation that is not standardized like Wiseman, I would have liked a glossary of unfamiliar terms with pinyin and characters. While everything is clearly explained and defined, I believe it would have added another layer of depth and ease of use to have included such a list of terms. However, these are relatively minor stylistic points in a text fro which I can give my wholehearted endorsement. Todd Luger, L.Ac. is currently director of the Chinese Herb Academy, www.chineseherbacademy.org, where he offers online continuing education in Chinese Herbal Medicine to professionals and moderates a professional discussion forum. He has recently been appointed to the clinical and academic faculty of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, California. |
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