Written in the form of a discourse betwwen Huang Di and his ministers, The Yellow Emporer's Classic of Medicine contains a wealth of knowledge, including etiology, pysiology, diagnosis, therapy and prevention of disease, as well as an in depth investigation ofsuch diverse subjects as ethics, psycology and cosmology. All of these subjects are discussed in a holistic context that says life is not fragmented, as in the model provided by modern science, but rather that ll pieces make up a connected whole. By revealing the natural laws of the holistic universe, this book offers much practical advice on how to promote a long, happy an healthy life.

This is one of the earliest written books and arguably the first medical textbook. Told as a series of discourses, the book lays down the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine and covers what would eventually become known as Acupuncture. The text also covers many diagnostic techniques, some still employed today, albeit in a modified form. Everything is explained in terms of the world view of China, some two thousand years ago, that everything must be in balance or bad consequences are the result. While we may have different causes in mind today, we are learning that a lot of diseases are caused by one type of imbalance or another, although they are primarily chemical.

Interesting from both a historical perspective and a philosophical perspective. ( )