A Worthwhile Read: Wu Hanxiang on Treating Blood Diseases — Case Reviews
The late Professor Wu Hanxiang was a chief physician at Shanghai Shuguang Hospital and a TCM specialist devoted to hematological diseases. Beginning in 1958, entrusted by the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau, he dedicated himself exclusively to the clinical practice and research of blood disorders. Not until he was over eighty, when his health declined to the point that he could no longer see patients regularly, did he step back from clinical work and undertake a comprehensive reorganization of a lifetime of clinical cases, which became the book Wu Hanxiang on Treating Blood Diseases — Case Reviews.
In 2001, at the age of 84, Professor Wu began writing this book. In 2003, when illness forced the 86-year-old to rest at home, he continued refining the manuscript while breathing oxygen. In 2005, with the help of some younger colleagues, the 88-year-old finally brought the book to publication.
This volume collects Professor Wu's personal clinical cases, totaling 235 case records of blood diseases. The disorders covered include iron-deficiency anemia, hemorrhagic anemia, secondary anemia, dimorphic anemia, aplastic anemia, pure red cell aplasia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, nutritional megaloblastic anemia in infants, thalassemia, hereditary spherocytosis, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, myelodysplastic syndrome, eosinophilia, myelofibrosis, acute leukemia, malignant reticulosis, multiple myeloma, malignant lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, allergic purpura, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, recurrence of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura after splenectomy, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, prothrombin deficiency, and twenty-nine other hematological conditions.
The range of blood diseases covered in Professor Wu's cases is unmatched by TCM scholars of any previous era. This work alone reveals how single-mindedly and deeply he devoted himself to hematology throughout his life. We often speak of "ten years to sharpen a sword"; Professor Wu sharpened his sword over an entire lifetime — a depth of sustained dedication that most people can only admire from afar.
When Professor Wu wrote this book in his eighties, his mind was already at peace and he no longer cared about posthumous disputes. In earlier times, the eminent physician Cheng Menxue had hoped to organize his own failed cases for the instruction of later generations, but he never realized this wish. Most doctors are willing only to publish their successful cases, which makes them all seem like miracle-workers. Professor Wu dared to discuss his own failed cases and draw lessons from them. This scholarly spirit is rare and commendable; he accomplished what Cheng Menxue had wanted but been unable to do. Such an attitude fills me with deep respect for the man himself.
I have often lamented that most TCM practitioners favor a "broad and comprehensive" path and fail to pursue deep, specialized research, so that Chinese medicine cannot be advanced to ever more refined levels. Professor Wu showed me that there are still TCM scholars in the world doing solid, specialized, and deep research. For Chinese medicine to innovate and achieve breakthrough therapeutic outcomes, this kind of relentless, focused dedication is essential.
For this reason, I recommend that every reader study Professor Wu's book — not only to learn his methods and ideas for treating blood diseases, but also to learn his scholarly attitude.