Chen Boyi, an academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery in Fuzhou

Dr. Chen Boyi, an academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery in Fuzhou. Photo by Zhu Zhihui

Moderator: Hello, netizens, and welcome to the series of interviews with famous Fujian medical scholars. In order to implement the spirit of "Several Measures to Promote the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fujian Province", excavate and inherit the academic essence of Fujian Medical School, promote the prosperity and development of Fujian Medical School, widely spread the touching stories of inheritors of various schools, and give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine to serve the masses, the Fujian Provincial Health and Wellness Committee launched a series of interview programs on the video recording project of Fujian Medical School-"Famous People of Fujian Medical School". Today, the guest of "Famous People of Fujian Medical School" is the third affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

[Guest Profile]-

Chen Boyi, director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery of the Third People’s Hospital affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the outpatient department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hall of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the fifth representative inheritor of provincial intangible cultural heritage in Fujian Province, and the main inheritor of Chen’s academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery in Fuzhou, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases, alopecia, breast diseases, and TCM treatment of cancer after radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Moderator: Hello, Dr. Chen, welcome.

Chen Boyi:Hello, host! Hello, netizens!

Moderator: When it comes to the academic school of Chen’s Chinese medicine surgery in Fuzhou, we have to mention a magical white powder, which is also commonly known as "Dan medicine". It is said that this "Dan medicine" is a "magic weapon" for Chinese medicine surgery to treat diseases. Dr. Chen, can you tell us what this "Dan medicine" is? What’s the magic effect?

Chen Boyi:This white powder, which we call "Bai Jiangdan", is a prescription left over by ancient medical scientists. During the refining process of Baijiangdan, its raw materials will undergo a chemical reaction and become air-flow sedimentation crystals, and the crystal color is white, so we call it Baijiangdan. Baijiangdan and Hongshengdan are two kinds of Dan medicines, which are in the bag of Chinese medicine surgeons. As the saying goes, "The three treasures of surgery: plaster, medicine promotion, and Bai Jiangdan." What’s the function of Baijiangdan, mainly to promote pus and remove putrefaction? It is mainly used to treat all kinds of difficult diseases such as scrofula, fistula, sores and so on, and it has an immediate effect on the erosion of the skin.

Moderator: In 2019, the production skills of Dan medicine of Chen’s school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery in Fuzhou were listed as the intangible cultural heritage of Fujian Province. Speaking of Chen’s academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery, can you tell us about the origin of this school?

Chen Boyi:The founder of Chen’s Chinese medicine surgery is my grandfather, Mr. Chen Gengyuan. He inherited the traditional Chinese medicine surgical skills handed down from his family, and learned from others’ "alchemy". In his early years, he practiced medicine in Taijiang, Cangshan and Yongtai, mainly using plasters and Dan medicine to treat surgical miscellaneous diseases, with remarkable results and a certain reputation in the local area. In the 1950s, when the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Fujian Provincial People’s Hospital was established, he participated in the establishment and sat in the clinic. He was mainly good at diagnosing and treating surgical diseases of traditional Chinese medicine, and was also good at using some external plasters and pills. Influenced by his father-in-law, Mr. Zhao Feihan (a famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Fujian Province) after marriage, when treating surgical diseases, he no longer confined to cutting and using external Dan medicine, but combined internal treatment with external treatment, which made him more handy in clinical diagnosis and treatment, thus forming Chen’s traditional Chinese medicine surgery. Later, to my father Chen Aoshi’s generation, my father’s first teacher was his grandfather, Mr. Zhao Feihan. Because my father studied poetry with his grandfather in a private school when he was 9 years old, he began to learn medical knowledge at the age of 13, starting with the medical three-character classic, the medicinal fu and the folk songs, and then further studying the classics of Chinese medicine such as Treatise on Febrile Diseases. At that time, my father laid a solid foundation of Chinese medicine. My father’s second teacher should be my grandfather, Mr. Chen Gengyuan. My grandfather sometimes goes to other places to seek medical treatment, so he learned Chinese medicine surgery and alchemy from my grandfather. My father is more diligent in clinical practice for decades, and he is diligent in thinking, learning from others’ strengths and taking part in internal and surgical courses, thus forming a unique clinical thinking.It is more handy in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Because of the exquisite technology, more and more patients come to see my father. Around 2000, at that time, registration depended on manual queuing, and some people began to queue up at the entrance of the National Medical Hall at three or four in the morning to hang my father’s number. At that time, my father was often invited to Shanghai, Nanjing and Hong Kong to consult and treat patients. With the vigorous development of my father, our academic school has been further inherited and improved. In 2019, it was recognized as "Fuzhou Chen’s Academic School of Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery" by Fujian Provincial Health and Health Commission.

Moderator: What diseases are the Chen surgical academic schools in Fuzhou mainly good at treating?

Chen Boyi:From my grandfather to my father, they are mainly engaged in Chinese medicine surgery, so our school mainly inherits my father’s medical skills, mainly treating four kinds of diseases of Chinese medicine surgery, such as skin diseases, breast diseases, tumors and postoperative Chinese medicine conditioning, as well as some miscellaneous diseases of Chinese medicine.

Moderator: We know that the core idea of Chen’s academic school of TCM surgery boils down to nine words: attaching importance to qi and blood, being suitable for syndrome differentiation, and adding and subtracting. How do you understand this core idea?

Chen Boyi:Firstly, we attach importance to the important position of qi and blood in the occurrence, development and dialectical treatment of surgical diseases in traditional Chinese medicine, so we put forward the academic viewpoint of "emphasizing qi and blood" Pay attention to the application of qi and blood theory to guide clinical practice, mainly for guiding clinical practice, and pay more attention to regulating the ups and downs of qi and blood. Secondly, it is "appropriate dialectics". Chen’s traditional Chinese medicine surgery not only attaches importance to disease differentiation, but also emphasizes dialectical treatment. First, we should distinguish between yin and yang, whether it is yin or yang, whether it is exterior or interior, whether it belongs to cold or heat, whether it belongs to deficiency or excess. Second, it is necessary to pay equal attention to the whole and local syndrome differentiation. In addition to following the "eight-outline syndrome differentiation" and the methods of syndrome differentiation of viscera, meridians, qi and blood, it is also necessary to combine local symptoms, such as swelling, pain, pus, itching, numbness, ulceration and ulcer. We not only pay attention to the role of the whole body viscera, meridians and qi and blood disorders in the development of surgical diseases, but also pay attention to the influence of local lesions on the whole body viscera, meridians and qi and blood, so as to achieve the integrity of syndrome differentiation. Third, TCM surgical diseases are differentiated by stages. For example, the development of sores is divided into four stages: initial onset, suppuration, ulceration and granulation, and medication is also treated according to different stages. Thirdly, "adding and subtracting", besides following the classic theory, Chen’s traditional Chinese medicine surgical medication is not rigidly confined to the classics, but adopts the characteristics of adding and subtracting prescriptions by combining classic prescriptions with seasonal prescriptions, combining diseases with special drugs, and combining prescriptions with drug pairs. Second, while the general treatment principle is determined, it also takes into account the cause of addition and subtraction of drugs. Because of the sore, because of the "six lewdness and seven emotions",There are many causes of the disease, and the "six evils" are wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness and fire, so it is easy for people who are weak to feel the attack. After the attack, it is necessary to refer to the treatment of cold, heat and cold, as well as the victory and defeat of evil. The third is to pay attention to the change of dosage. When using heavy dosage, the dosage should be increased, and when using small dosage, the dosage should be reduced.

Moderator: Now when it comes to TCM schools, it is very important to inherit. What do you think of the inheritance of Chen’s academic school of TCM surgery?

Chen Boyi:I think we should use "inheriting the essence, keeping integrity and innovating" to describe the future development direction of our school. "Upholding the Righteousness" is to keep the foundation of our Chinese medicine. For me, it is to adhere to the concept of "treating both inside and outside" of Chen’s school of Chinese medicine surgery, adhere to the principle of dialectical treatment and prescription medication in internal treatment, and create some new ideas and develop some new therapies in external treatment according to some new diseases in the new period. For example, acute and chronic eczema, acute and chronic urticaria, herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia, gout, plasma cell mastitis related to surgical diseases of traditional Chinese medicine, multiple hyperplasia of mammary glands, ovarian cysts, alopecia, etc., so we should sum up the clinical experience of our predecessors and explore the optimal diagnosis and treatment plan, so that our school’s thoughts can be passed down and benefit patients.

Moderator: Finally, there is a small question I want to ask you. Can you give us some tips to improve qi and blood?

Chen Boyi:When it comes to promoting qi and blood, we should actually talk about it from two aspects, one is to increase qi and blood, and the other is to stop its consumption. So you can’t overeat in diet, because overeating will damage the spleen and stomach, and you should eat less cold, spicy and irritating food. Be diversified in diet and eat some digestible food. And according to personal physique, according to the solar terms to do some tonic, generally regardless of season, we can eat some pork liver, medlar, longan, which can be eaten, especially peanut dumplings. Some people, who are weak in qi and blood, can also eat some raw land or stew ribs with Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. In daily life, you can’t stay up too late, because staying up late will damage Jingxue.

Moderator: Ok, today, I would like to thank Dr. Chen for visiting our studio and sharing with us many stories of Chen’s academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery. With the 5,000-year history of civilization, Chinese medicine is inclusive, forming a unique concept of life, health, disease and prevention, which embodies the integration and unity of natural science and humanities and contains profound philosophical thoughts of the Chinese nation. Inheriting traditional Chinese medicine is not only a treasure to protect China’s ancient science and culture, but also a key to open the treasure house of Chinese civilization. We believe that Chen’s academic school of traditional Chinese medicine surgery will surely pass on the excellent experience and academic thoughts of TCM diagnosis and treatment from generation to generation. Ok, that’s the end of this program. Thank you again, Dr. Chen. Thank you!

Chen Boyi:Thank you, host, thank you!

Moderator: Thank you for your attention. Goodbye.