*** Please note, the description of this lot has changed ***

China.- Medicine.- [Illustrated Compilation of Medical Texts], 6 vol., woodblock printed on bamboo paper, 9 columns per page, 20 characters per column, single black fishtail motifs, single-line border, 29 illustrations, some fore-edge folds splitting or with neat repairs, the occasional small portion of loss or insect-damage repaired, a few instances of marginal annotation, some light staining to head, bound and stitched Japanese-style into later brown wrappers, housed in a cloth wrap-around case with clasps, block-printed label to upper cover (little chipped), China, Huide Hall Bookshop, [18th-19th century]

*** A Qing-dynasty compilation of 3 important medical texts, rarely seen together: Nanjing, Maijue and Qijing bamai kao. Attributed to the legendary doctor Bian Que (also known as Qinyueren), Nanjing or 'The Classic of Difficult Questions' takes the form of a debate between the doctor and his student over elements of pathology, including acupuncture and Yin and Yang. Maijue or 'The formula of pulse measurement' is attributed to Wang Shuhe, an expert on pulse measurement between 265 and 316 AD, although its simple and unrefined style suggests a later date. Qijing bamai kao, written by Li Shizhen (1518-1593), is a short essay on the circulation of Qi (‘air’ or ‘energy’ inside the body) and the eight major arteries and veins.