Here is a text for scholars, for students of Chinese language and culture, and for those clinicians (particularly herbalists) who recognize a relationship between their clinical skill and their understanding of Chinese thought. The author, Hsu Ta-Chun, wrote in the 18th century immediately prior to the introduction of Western science and medicine to China. He achieved recognition and influenced the history of medicine because the medicine he championed was pristine in logic and method.

In any period, or any culture, Hsu would have been a remarkable thinker. A literate, broadly skilled scholar, he practiced medicine as an expression of personal and social responsibility. Even with his articulate and profound attachment to classical ideas, he was able to recognize progress in medicine, while retaining an ability to critically examine popular ideas and modern physicians. He could both recognize others for their accomplishments, and scathe with uncompromising prose those whom he felt corrupted the art of medicine. He was a conservative who understood the practical necessities of patient care.