ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we traced how Cold Damage literature slowly assimilated the doctrines of Classical Medicine to provide the much-needed theoretical foundation for its practice. This integration is not surprising, since Cold Damage was not a central theme in medical discussion prior to 1065. Once the government printed the Treatise and added it to the curriculum of the medical education system, physicians and scholar-officials gradually accommodated this knowledge into their practice. The integration of medical genres was not limited to Cold Damage and Classical Medicine; it was much broader: we find a similar process of integration of classical doctrines into drug therapy. This was a gradual change, evolving predominantly during the twelfth century. It began when the Song government printed the classical canons and included them in the medical education and examination system. Once this literature became available, it became evident that contemporary clinical practices of drug therapy were not fully compatible with the medical physiology and pathology discussed in the canons. We can presume that this initiated a reevaluation of medical practice.
