One of a series of woodcuts of illustrious physicians and legendary founders of Chinese medicine from an edition of Bencao mengquan (Introduction to the Pharmacopoeia), engraved in the Wanli reign period of the Ming dynasty (1573-1620) -- Volume preface, 'Lidai mingyi hua xingshi' (Portraits and names of famous doctors through history). The images are attributed to a Tang (618-907) creator, Gan Bozong. The account in 'Portraits and Names of Famous Doctors through History' states: Wang Shuhe, a native of Gaoping (now Gaoping County, Shanxi Province), lived in the Western Jin period (265-316). A quiet man of vast learning, he was well-versed in the classics and in the arts of prescribing and pulse diagnosis. He was an excellent writer and composed Maijing (Pulse Canon, 10 volumes), Maijue (Secrets of the Pulses, 4 volumes), and Maifu (Ode on the Pulses, 1 volume). He recompiled and edited Zhang Zhongqing's famous classic Shanghan lun (Treatise on Cold Damage), which had become corrupt and disordered, preserving it for future generations.
Woodcut