International Research in Chinese Medicine

This article explores why the Ming dynasty physician Wu Youke used the term pleuroperitoneal membrane as the disease location for epidemic illnesses in his book Wenyi Lun. The term originally comes from the Huangdi Neijing, where it refers to malaria, not epidemic diseases. Although Wu Youke was familiar with these classical texts, he still borrowed the concept of pleuroperitoneal membrane, showing how the scholarly culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties—focused on respecting ancient classics—shaped medical theory. At that time, ancient Chinese Medicine physician needed to base new ideas on classical sources to gain acceptance. Wu Youke used this classical term to support his new theory of epidemic disease. While this helped his theory gain influence, it also led later doctors to widely adopt and expand the meaning of pleuroperitoneal membrane. The article concludes that while respecting tradition is important, being too attached to the past can limit innovation in medical thinking.

Wu Youke; Wenyi Lun; Pleuroperitoneal membrane; Visceralpleura; Classical scholarship (jingxue)