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Dr. Xu: A Chinese Medicine Novel

Chapter 30 Your Back’s in Trouble Too · Nov 09, 2026

↩︎ Pulse depth, width, and strength. These are separate qualities in traditional pulse assessment. “Deep” means the pulse is more readily felt with firm pressure; “thready” describes a narrow, threadlike sensation. Neither term is a blood-pressure reading. “Interior,” “deficiency,” and “dampness” belong to the traditional pattern framework. The terminology source defines these categories; it does not verify Evan’s diagnosis. Source: WHO — International standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine, entries 890 and 896, p. 89.↩︎ The pulse verses.Binhu Maixue, a Chinese work on pulse assessment attributed to Li Shizhen, uses mnemonic verses to associate pulse qualities with patterns. Cun, guan, and chi are the three adjacent wrist positions introduced earlier. The dantian here is the lower abdominal region, not a separate organ. The “seven emotions” are traditional categories of emotional experience. “Depletion of yin” and “essence” belong to that theoretical vocabulary. This English rendering follows the novel’s quotation; the associations are not a modern diagnostic test. Sources: Binhu Maixue — “Thready,” electronic transcription (in Chinese); Low et al. — Guolin Qigong study protocol, “Preparatory relaxation exercise,” dantian terminology.↩︎ Qi, yang, and the Kidney system. Capitalized organ names identify Chinese medicine’s functional systems here. Kidney deficiency is not a diagnosis of kidney failure. Qi deficiency concerns reduced functional activity; yang deficiency emphasizes a failure of warming functions, traditionally associated with coldness. The Spleen system includes digestion and fluid handling, while the Kidney system is associated with reproduction and the lower back and knees. Evan is listing symptoms associated with patterns, rather than reporting that Max has separately confirmed every symptom. Source: WHO — International standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine, entries 153–156, 1092, 1105, 1200, and 1276–1278.↩︎ Reading the tongue and complexion. Inspection includes the tongue’s body and surface coating as separate observations, as well as facial appearance. The philtrum is the groove between the nose and upper lip. Evan’s references to a Kidney region on the face are traditional correspondences, not the anatomical position of the kidneys. The sources describe inspection as a method; they do not validate the specific facial mappings, diagnosis, or inference about sexual behavior made in this scene. Sources: Hong Kong Department of Health — Diagnostic methods, “Inspection”; Hong Kong Polytechnic University — Four Diagnostic Methods.↩︎ Combining the four examinations. These are inspection, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpation. “Considering them together” means relating the information from these methods, not performing four laboratory tests. Pulse-taking is part of palpation; the tongue and face belong to inspection. Evan’s inference about Max’s habits is his own reasoning within the scene, not something established by the definition of the four methods. Source: Hong Kong Polytechnic University — Four Diagnostic Methods.↩︎ Medical insurance. Yibao here means China’s medical insurance system. Chinese medicine services can be included through designated institutions and covered services; coverage is not an automatic promise that every visit is reimbursed in full. The clinic’s twenty-yuan charge, its eligibility, and the comparison with hospital costs are Evan’s statements in the story. The policy source illustrates the framework, not this fictional clinic’s reimbursement terms or a date for the scene. Source: China National Healthcare Security Administration — Guidance on medical insurance support for Chinese medicine (in Chinese).↩︎ “Deficiency” and the joke. Deficiency and excess are contrasting traditional pattern categories, not ordinary judgments about someone’s worth. The Chinese word xu can also suggest being “weak,” with an embarrassing sexual implication for these young men. Evan’s broad assertion that the Kidneys have only deficiency patterns remains his statement. The terminology reference defines deficiency and excess; it does not establish that blanket assertion or that almost every man has such a pattern. Source: WHO — International standard terminologies on traditional Chinese medicine, entries 994–995.↩︎ Cold and cooling foods. Traditional dietary language can refer both to food temperature and to an attributed cooling property. It does not simply mean refrigerated food. Evan gives general advice here; the chapter supplies no particular foods, amounts, or prescribed medicine. Source: Hong Kong Department of Health — Managing internal heat, dietary discussion (in Chinese).↩︎ Liuwei Dihuang Wan. This named formula, commonly rendered as Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill, belongs to the traditional category of formulas that nourish yin. Wan means a pill preparation. Its association with Kidney yin deficiency explains Evan’s distinction between yin and yang deficiency; it is not a general-purpose remedy for every complaint called “Kidney deficiency.” Kidney essence is a broader traditional concept than semen alone. These references describe the formula and its classification, without establishing Max’s diagnosis, what he took, or any treatment result. Sources: Tri-Service General Hospital — Liuwei Dihuang Wan, B1920 (in Chinese); Hong Kong Baptist University — Formula database, Liuwei Dihuang Wan.

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