2. Sun Simiao's medical ethics and further contributions to medicine
 
Sun Simiao expressed his belief that medicine is an art of kindness. In his book Da Yi Jing Chen (Sincerity and Devotion of Great Doctors), he wrote, "When a great doctor treats a patient, he must focus, calm down, and be free of desires and pursuits. He first needs to have a compassionate heart to devote himself to freeing the patients from the suffering of illnesses. If patients come for treatment, whether they are of high or low social status, rich or poor, elderly or young, beautiful or ugly, enemies or relatives, the Han race or other ethnic groups, intelligent or unintelligent, the doctor should treat them the same as if they were all dear..."
 
This short paragraph is a clear representation of Sun Simiao's noble character as a doctor.
 
He adopted a holistic approach to treating illnesses. He believed that by skillful nursing and recuperating successfully, one could be free of illnesses. As long as "a good doctor treats the illnesses with prescriptions and acupuncture, the patient's illness will be curable and disasters on the earth will be avoidable." He stressed medical ethics and treated all patients the same. As already stated above, he declared, "a human life is precious, and more valuable than one thousand liang of gold."
 
Sun Simiao also paid great attention to gynecology and pediatrics. He authored three volumes of Fu Ren Fang (Gynecology) and two volumes of Shao Xiao Ying Ru Fang (Pediatrics), which were placed as the starting volumes of Qian Jin Yao Fang.
 
Qian Jin Yao Fang is the earliest medical encyclopedia in China. It covers a broad range of categories – from basic medical theories to different clinical subjects, and from theories and methodologies to prescription formulas and drugs. The book covers materials from the classics in one segment, while another category includes the empirical formulas and prescriptions that were circulated among the populace. This book included the merits of different schools and was suitable for people of different educational backgrounds. It is popular even today. Much of the book's content still plays a guiding role, making it of great academic value. It is indeed a monumental asset for traditional Chinese medicine.
 
As already stated, Qian Jin Yao Fang has made great contributions to the development of prescription formulas. By summarizing the clinical experiences from the era of Zhang Zhongjing (150 – 209 AD, a famous doctor in the Han Dynasty) to that of Sun Simiao and the achievements in prescription formulas over the previous several hundred years, it demonstrated Sun Simiao's profound medical knowledge and extraordinary medical skills. Future generations called Qian Jin Fang (the two books of Qian Jin Yao Fang and Qian Jin Yi Fang) the ancestor of prescription formulas.
 
3. Sun Simiao’s academic achievements
 
Sun Simiao poured lots of effort into the research of pharmacology. From collection of medicinal ingredients to processing to understanding their capabilities, compatibility and clinical trials, Sun Simiao studied medical texts of past doctors, plus his own decades of experience, to compile the authoritative Qian Jin Yao Fang and Qian Jin Yi Fang.
 
Qian Jin Yao Fang documented over 5000 prescriptions, diagnosis methods, symptoms and other medical theories. It covered numerous divisions of medical science including general medicine, general surgery, gynecology, pediatrics and others, as well as treatments such as detoxification, emergency aid, health, diet, acupuncture, massage, guidance and breathing. It was an excellent summary of the Chinese medical science up to the Tang Dynasty. Qian Jin Yi Fang documented over 3000 prescriptions. It served as a necessary and beneficial supplement to the original book, with subjects including herbal medicine, gynecology, typhoid, pediatrics, nourishment, tonification, stroke, miscellaneous diseases, sores, pulse and acupuncture.
 
Sun Simiao valued preserving health and actively practiced it. Because he understood the art of cultivating health, he lived to over 100 and still enjoyed good vision and hearing when he was old. He combined ideas on the preservation of health from Confucianism and Taoism, as well as Buddhism from ancient India, with those of traditional Chinese medicine. He proposed many practical and effective ways to cultivate good health, which, even now, guide people's daily lives. For example: "One should keep a balanced mindset and not solely pursue recognition and self-interest; be constrained in food intake, and do not eat or drink too much; pay attention to the circulation of Qi and blood and do not be lazy and motionless; live a daily life with standard routines and do not violate the law of nature..."
 
Sun Simiao was also the first to invent a urethral catheter. According to historical records, one of his patients could not pass urine. Seeing that the patient was in extreme pain, Sun thought, "It is already too late to treat him with medicine. If there was a way to insert a tube into his urethra, the urine could perhaps flow out naturally." He saw a neighbor's child at play blowing on a scallion stem. The scallion stem was very thin, long, and soft. Sun decided to try such a tube. Having chosen a suitable scallion stem, he charred it gently, cut the sharp end off, and then carefully inserted it into the patient's urethra. He then blew into the tube once. As expected, the urine flowed out of the tube. The patient's bloated abdomen gradually became smaller, and the patient's illness was cured.
 
By cultivating mind and body with virtue, and by having both virtue and talent, Sun Simiao became a great figure whom common people and medical professionals in future generations highly respected.
 
孙思邈与他的养生学说 (下)
 
二、 行医理念与医学贡献
 
孙思邈把医为仁术的精神具体化。他在其所著的《大医精诚》一书中写道：“凡大医治病，必当安神定志，无欲无求，先发大慈恻隐之心，誓愿普救含灵之苦，若有疾厄来求救者，不得问其贵贱贫富，长幼研茧，怨亲善友，华夷愚智，普同一等，皆如至亲之想……”寥寥片语，已将孙思邈的高尚医德情操，展示在人们面前。
 
他坚持辨证施治的方法，认为人若善摄生，当可免于病。只要“良医导之以药石，救之以针剂”，“体形有可愈之疾，天地有可消之灾”。他重视医德，不分“贵贱贫富，长幼妍蚩，怨亲善友，华夷愚智”，皆一视同仁。声言“人命至重，有贵千金”。他极为重视妇幼保健，著《妇人方》三卷，《少小婴孺方》二卷，置于《千金要方》之首。
 
《千金要方》是我国最早的医学百科全书，从基础理论到临床各科，理、法、方、药齐备。一类是典籍资料，一类是民间单方验方。广泛吸收各方面之长，雅俗共赏，缓急相宜，时至今日。很多内容仍起著指导作用，有极高的学术价值，确实是价值千金的中医瑰宝。《千金要方》是对方剂学发展的巨大贡献。书中收集了从张仲景时代直至孙思邈的临床经验，历数百年的方剂成就，显示出孙思邈的博极医源和精湛医技。后人称《千金方》为方书之祖。
 
三、 孙思邈的学术成就
 
在药物学研究方面，孙思邈倾注了大量的心血。从药物的采集、炮制到性能认识，从方药的组合配伍到临床治疗，孙思邈参考前人的医药文献，并结合自己数十年的临证心得，写成了我国医学发展史上具有重要学术价值的两部医学巨著──《千金要方》和《千金翼方》。
 
其中《千金要方》载方5000多首，书中内容既有诊法、征候等医学理论，又有内、外、妇、儿等临床各科；既涉及解毒、急救、养生、食疗，又涉及针灸、按摩、导引、吐纳，可谓是对唐代以前中医学发展的一次很好的总结。而《千金翼方》载方近3000首，书中内容涉及本草、妇人、伤寒、小儿、养性、补益、中风、杂病、疮痈、色脉以及针灸等各个方面，对《千金要方》作了必要而有益的补充。
 
孙思邈崇尚养生，并身体力行，正由于他通晓养生之术，才能年过百岁而视听不衰。他将儒家、道家以及外来古印度佛家的养生思想与中医学的养生理论相结合，提出的许多切实可行的养生方法，时至今日，还在指导著人们的日常生活，如心态要保持平衡，不要一味追求名利；饮食应有所节制，不要过于暴饮暴食；气血应注意流通，不要懒惰呆滞不动；生活要起居有常，不要违反自然规律…
 
孙思邈又是世界上导尿术的发明者。据记载：有一个病人得了尿潴留病，撒不出尿来。孙思邈看到病人憋得难受的样子，他想：“吃药来不及了。如果想办法用根管子插进尿道，尿或许会流出来。”他看见邻居的孩子拿一根葱管在吹著玩儿，葱管尖尖的，又细又软，孙思邈决定用葱管来试一试，于是他挑选出一根适宜的葱管，在火上轻轻烧了烧，切去尖的一头，然后小心翼翼地插进病人的尿道里，再用力一吹，不一会儿尿果然顺著葱管流了出来。病人的小肚子慢慢瘪了下去，病也就好了。
 
孙思邈以德养性、以德养身、德艺双馨的品性成为历代医家和百姓尊崇备至的伟大人物。