Chicago – Shanghan Lun Abdominal Diagnosis Fukushin

Japanese abdominal diagnosis or Fukushin is the diagnostic art developed in medieval Japan based on the canonical writings by Zhang Zhongjing. Careful inspection of the Shanghan Zabing Lun reveals countless references to abdominal conditions that could only have been diagnosed by actual palpation of the abdomen. The skill however never fully developed in China but flourished in Japan. Throughout history, two major trends and types of abdominal diagnosis developed, being the Nanjing and Shanghan Lun schools, which respectively diagnose the abdomen in service of either acupuncture or meridian treatment, and herbal treatment. Fukushin refers specifically to Shanghan Lun style of abdominal diagnosis developed by Japanese scholars during Edo period (1603-1867 CE) for the purpose of prescribing the Han dynasty formulas of Zhang Zhongjing.