wheezing".
In subsequent dynasties the symptoms of wheezing (Xiao) and breathlessness (Chuan) were not
differentiated. Dr Zhu Dan Xi (1281-1358) was the first to use the term "Xiao-Chuan" and
considered it due to Phlegm. He therefore indicated that the main principle of treatment was to
tonify the body's Qi and, in acute cases, expel pathogenic factors.
The book "Orthodox Medical Record" (1515) by Dr Yu Tuan distinguishes between Wheezing
(Xiao) and Breathlessness (Chuan) for the first time:
Wheezing is named after its sound, Breathlessness after the breath. If breathing is
rapid and there is a sound in the throat like a moor-hen, it is Wheezing [Xiao]; if
breathing is rapid continuously and there is breathlessness, it is called
Breathlessness [Chuan].2(102)The "Case Reports for Clinical Practice" (1766) by Dr Ye Gui differentiates the two conditions
by saying:
If the pathogenic factor is expelled, breathlessness [Chuan] stops and will never
return ... In wheezing [Xiao], the pathogenic factor is hidden in the Interior and
in the Lungs, it is sometimes active and sometimes quiescent, and there are
frequent episodes over many years.3(103)Doctors of subsequent dynasties reverted to considering Wheezing and Breathlessness as one
condition.
In modern China they are also considered together and modern books usually say that they may
correspond to the two separate conditions of "bronchial asthma" or "asthmatic bronchitis"
(chronic bronchitis leading to breathlessness).
There are different types of asthma and they may be summarized in three groups:
- Allergic (or atopic) asthma which starts in early childhood and is often associated
with eczema: this will be discussed in a separate chapter (Chapter 5). - Asthma which starts early during childhood after repeated invasions of external
Wind leading to chest infections. - Asthma which starts later in life as a consequence of repeated invasions of
exterior Wind, irregular diet, emotional strain, overwork and excessive sexual
activity.