doctor | Xue Ji |
alias | styleXin-fu akaLi-zhai |
Wu Jun (now Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province). His father, Xue Kai, styled Liangwu, was a scholar at the prefectural school and was recruited as a medical officer at the Taiyiyuan during the Hongzhi era for his medical expertise, posthumously honored as the director of the institute due to his son's achievements. He was known for his remarkable accuracy in treating diseases, excelling particularly in pediatrics and surgery. Xue Ji inherited his family's medical tradition, originally specializing as a sore and wound doctor, and later became renowned in internal medicine. In 1506, Xue Ji was appointed as an academician at the Taiyiyuan; in 1511, after passing the initial external examination, he was promoted to a clerical officer; in 1514, he became an imperial physician; in 1519, he served as the vice-director of the Nanjing Taiyiyuan; and in 1530, he retired as the director of the Nanjing Taiyiyuan with the title of Fengzheng Dafu. After retiring, Xue Ji tirelessly traveled to places like Jiaxing, Siming, Xiabao, and Hengjin to practice medicine. He was diligent in his writings.
Xue Ji's works can be roughly categorized into three types. The first includes his own writings, such as Summary of Internal Medicine in 2 volumes, Essentials of Gynecology in 2 volumes, New Records from the Courtyard (also known as Golden Mirror Records of Infant Care) in 1 volume, Explorations in Surgery in 8 volumes, New Methods in Surgery in 7 volumes, Key Points of Surgery in 4 volumes, Zhengti Leiyao in 2 volumes, Kouchi Leiyao in 1 volume, Essential Mechanisms of Scrofula in 3 volumes, and Empirical Prescriptions in Surgery in 1 volume. Summary of Internal Medicine is the first work in China to name a discipline and a book title with "Internal Medicine". Essential Mechanisms of Scrofula is a monograph on leprosy; Zhengti Leiyao is a specialized book on bonesetting; Kouchi Leiyao is a monograph on oral and throat diseases, all being the earliest extant specialized literature.
The third category is purely editorial, including the 3-volume Explanations of the Fourteen Classics by Hua Shou, the 1-volume Golden Mirror Records of Cold Damage by Ao Shi by Du Ben, the 4-volume Explanations of Materia Medica by Xu Yongcheng, and the 1-volume Mysterious Effective Prescriptions from Yongju by Tao Hua.
Xue Ji emphasized the importance of the spleen, stomach, and kidney, advocating that the foundation of human health lies in the spleen and stomach. In clinical practice, he often used methods such as sweet and warm tonics to benefit the middle, and earth-tonifying and origin-strengthening techniques.