( 2 ) 
mu, a native of fpjj" j'j'j Ki-chou in Hupeh 
has made extracts from upwards of 800 
preceding authors. After having spent 30 
years on the work, Li-shi-chen published it 
at the close of the 16th century. It can be 
said, that Li is the first and last critical writer 
on Chinese natural science and that he has 
never been rivaled by other authors. As has 
been already stated above, the greatest part 
of the work is purely medical, a specification 
of numerous prescriptions, of the pharmaco- 
logical effect of the medicines and the com- 
plaints for which they are used. This part 
of the work is, I believe, without interest, 
not only for our naturalists, but also for 
medical students. The whole of the Chinese 
medical science is nonsense ; their practice is 
for the most part not the result of ex- 
perience. The Chinese have neither studied 
anatomy and the physiological functions of 
the human body, nor have they investigated, 
free from prejudices and superstition, the 
effect of their medicines. The art of heal- 
ing in China is nearly in the same state now, 
as it was 46 centuries ago. The terms used 
in Chinese medicine to designate the action 
of medicines are quite as intelligible to the 
Europeans as to the Chinese physician. I 
need only cite some phrases, which occur in 
every Chinese book on medicine: 
“All medicines, that are sweet belong to 
“ the element earth and effect the stomach ; 
“ all medicines, that are bitter belong to the 
“ element fire, which enters the heart.” etc. 
“ All medicines, on account of their prop- 
“ erties, that are cold, hot, warm, and cool, 
“ belong to the yang , or male energy in na- 
“ ture, while their tastes, as sour, bitter, 
“ sweet, acid, and salt, belong to the yin, or 
“ female energy.” 
“ The upper and lower, the internal and 
“ the external parts of medicinal plants have 
“ each their correspondent effects on the 
“ human system. The peel or bark has in- 
“ fluence over the flesh and skin ; the heart 
“ (pith) operates on the viscera etc. The 
“ upper half of the roots of medicinal plants 
“ has the properties of ascending the system, 
“ while the lower half has that of descend- 
“ ing.” 
It may be said, that there is in China no 
substance, not absolutely poisonous, no mat- 
ter of what origin, which is not used by the 
Chinese as medicine. Often the most dis- 
gusting things are prescribed by Chinese 
physicians. A famous medicine is, for in- 
stance, the A M Jen-chung-huang 
(man’s middle yellow) prepared from Liq- 
uorice, which has been placed for some 
weeks in human excrement. I once saw this 
abominable medicine prescribed in typhus 
fever, together with fifteen other drugs. 
Luckily for the Chinese people, the native 
physicians do not like to prescribe efficacious 
medicaments ; their medicines are for the 
most part indifferent, and the method of 
preservation in the shops is such an unsuit- 
able one, that many drugs lose their efficacy. 
In the neighbourhood of Peking, there is to 
be found an abundance of excellent Pepper- 
mint, Po-hd, containing much more 
volatile oil, than our European plants. But 
the exsiccated plant, obtained from the Chi- 
nese druggists differs scarcely from hay. It 
is likewise difficult to find in the Chinese 
apothecary-shops lihubarb of good quality. 
Although the best lihubarb in European 
commerce is that brought from China*, that 
* 
As is known, the best Rhubarb is that called Mos- 
covite linubarb. In reality it came from China 
through Russia by way of Kinkhta, since the year 
1 7 07. Formerly the Russian government establish- 
ed a commission of experts in Kiakhta in order to 
examine carefully the drug carried by Chinese 
merchants. The completely faultless roots only 
were selected, whilst the inferior pieces were 
burned. The import of other Rhubarb was pro- 
hibited and only the crown Rhubarb was admitted 
for use in the Hussian apothecary-shops. But 
some years ago the Russian government abolished, 
this commission, and the apothecaries themselves 
now must look after their supply of Rhubarb. A 
great part of the Rhubarb used in Europe comes 
from the Chinese province Ssfr-chuan or from the 
Himalaya. Thctfe are inferior sorts. The plants 
which furnish the Indian or Himalayan Rhubarb 
are described by our botanists as Rheum Emodi 
Kh. Webbianum etc. But regarding the Chinese- 
Rhubarb and especially the Rhubarb, which is 
brought to Kiakhta, up to the present time neither 
the plants, which yield these drugs, have been 
seen by Europeans, or are their native countries 
known with certainty. The Kiakhta Rhubarb 
differs from other sorts in the drug having the 
form of a horse’s hoof. The Chinese merchants, 
who bring the Rhubarb to Kiakhta, know no- 
thing about the plant; they are acquainted with 
the roots only. I was informed by a Chinese 
Mandarin from Kan-su, that this Rhubarb thrives 
only on certain mountains in Kookouor and Kan-su 
and that this region is inhabited by wild tribes, 
completely independent of the Chinese govern- 
ment. They collect and prepare the Rhubarb roots 
and sell them to the Chinese at a fixed neutral 
place, whither purchasers and sellers repair armed. 
At first Rhubarb was brought directly from Kan- 
su to Kiakhta by Turkistan merchants, who in 
European writings are erroneously called Bukhara. 
But in later times, the Chinese of Slian-si, who up 
to the year 1861 managed also the tea commerce 
seized this commerce. The Russian name for 
Rhubarb is rewen; the Persians, who obtain 
their Rhubarb through Bukhara call it in a 
similar manner, riwend. The Chinese name of 
Rhubarb is 
Ta-huang (great yellow). 
It was known by the Chinese from remote 
times and is treated of in the herbal of the Em- 
peror Shen -nung under the names ta-huang and 
m n. Huang -Hang (yellow excellent). The 
Chinese distinguish a great number of kinds of 
the drug. Lately a collection of the best kinds, 
according to the Chinese, was made in Peking and 
sent for examination to St. Petersburg. The result 
was, that none of these specimens could rival the 
selected Kiakhta Rhubarb. 
