Similarities and Differences in the Understanding of Sore Ulcer between the Medical Bamboo Slip and Silk and Huangdi's Canon of Medicine

Sore ulcer is a common surgical disease, but there are differences in the understanding of it between ancient and modern times. Through comparing the similarities and differences in classification, etiology, pathomechanism, and treatment of sore ulcer, it is found that the medical bamboo slip and silk as well as Huangdi's canon of medicine both consider trauma as an important cause. However, the causes of sore ulcer in the Huangdi's canon of medicine also include factors related to diet, external pathogens, and emotion. Both the medical bamboo slip and silk as well as Huangdi's canon of medicine believe that sore ulcer is the result of the blockage of qi and blood. In addition, the treatment methods are generally similar, but the prescriptions and medicines are more abundant in the medical bamboo slip and silk. However, the Huangdi's canon of medicine, on the basis of the stone needling therapy recorded in the medical bamboo slip and silk, uses the meridians and collaterals theory combined with ying-wei theory to explain the pathogenesis of sore ulcer and applies more acupuncture therapy to treat it. Besides, the differences in the understanding of sore ulcer between the medical bamboo slip and silk and Huangdi's canon of medicine are related to their completion time, book categories, as well as the development of society and medicine.