Chao Yuanfang

Life & Legacy

Chao Yuanfang (Chinese: 巢元方; pinyin: Cháo Yuánfāng) was a Chinese physician and medical author who was court physician at the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE) between the years 605 and 616. Traditionally, he had been attributed the co-authorship or authorship of the Chinese medical classic Zhubing yuanhou lun. This work sets out a classification of diseases and describes their causes and symptoms. It also discusses therapeutic methods. The Zhubing yuanhou lun had an important influence on the development of Chinese medicine. Its influence also extended to Japan where it formed the inspiration for the Ishinpō, the oldest surviving Japanese medical text completed in 984.