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.The earth [indicator] serves to examine the qi of mouth and teeth.The man [indicator] serves to examine the qi of ears and eyes.633The rather atheoretical nature of these data on where to diagnose the lo-cation of specific diseases and where to examine the status of qi at specificlocations may not have been an isolated phenomenon.In Su wen 26, a quoteis commented on, and the commentary hints at the diagnostic proceduresassociated with the nine indicators in the three sections as if everyone knewthat they did not aim at recognizing the nature of a disease and were in- Unschuld,Huang Di nei jing 12/2/02 1:34 PM Page 255survey of the contents of the su wen 255stead directed at simply taking into account its tangible manifestation as astarting point of a therapy: To know where [the disease] is isto know how to diagnose at the nine indicators in the three sections the loca-tions of the vessels having a disease and to treat them.One does not know the nature [of this process]but sees the physical appearance of the evil.634Not everyone liked such abstention from theorizing about the nature ofa disease.In Su wen 27, a statement emphasizes thatif one pierces without knowing the nine indicators in the three sectionsand the locations of the vessels affected by a disease,.the practitioner is unable to stop it.He does not know the three sections and the nine indicators.Hence, he cannot continue for long.635This is followed immediately by a sarcastic commentary outlining the con-sequences that are unavoidable if the physician fails to link the informationgained from the nine indicators in the three sections with those data anddoctrines that permit an assessment of the nature of a disease:Because he does not know how to bring the [three sections and nine indica-tors] together with the four seasons and the five agents, he will, as a conse-quence, add to their mutual domination.He releases the evil [qi] to attack theproper [qi] [thereby] interrupting the long life of [that] person.6369.5.Empirical and Conceptualized PrognosisA major part of the text of Su wen 20 is devoted to prognosis.Again, no the-oretical basis is explicitly mentioned.Vessel examination in this context isbased on standards that appear based in experience rather than in any con-ceptualization.A few examples taken from many such separate statementsin Su wen 20 demonstrate the character of these passages:When the physical appearance is lean while the vessels are big andwhen there is much qi in the chest,[this indicates] death.When all the [movements in the vessels at the] nine indicators in the threesections do not conform with each other,[this indicates] death.When the [movements in the] vessels above and below, on the left and on therightcorrespond to each other like the pounding in a mortar, [this indicates that]the disease is severe. Unschuld,Huang Di nei jing 12/2/02 1:34 PM Page 256256 survey of the contents of the su wenWhen [those movements in the vessels] above and below, on the left and onthe right that do not conform are innumerable,[this indicates] death.637Prognosis is the assessment of the future course of a disease.As Su wen 21put it in a statement on the location at the wrists where the status of qi wassupposed to show:At the qi opening [a section of one] inch is established to [feel the movementin the vessels and]decide about [a patient s] death or survival.638In ancient societies, a knowledgeable physician was not supposed to de-vote his attention to a moribund patient.If a practitioner treated such per-sons only two conclusions were possible.Either the practitioner was too in-competent to be able to foresee the development of the disease in question,or he was aware of the status of the patient but continued to treat him sim-ply out of greed.Both these alternatives deserved to be despised.To escapeany situation that might give rise to suspicions, prognostic signs were quiteimportant before the time when treating hopeless cases no longer posed adanger to the physician, because it was now considered either as humani-tarian or as contributing to the advancement of knowledge.In the Su wen, prognostic signs are listed in several discourses.Su wen20, in addition, offers a list of signs indicating whether a patient has a dis-ease in the first place.Usually, one might assume, a patient sought expertadvice only if he or she considered his or her state one of ill health.Todefine such a state as free of disease is not a response one would expectfrom a physician of ancient Chinese medicine, who was expected, as wehave seen elsewhere, to intervene as early as possible.639 And yet, in the ab-sence of a concept of routine checkups, Su wen 20 lists conditions that in-dicate either presence or absence of disease; it would certainly be inter-esting to know more about the setup in which such a decision was required;the text offers no clues, however.A few selected examples from Su wen 20read as follows:If [the vessels at] any single one [of the nine indicators] are small, [this indi-cates] disease.If [the vessels at] any single one [of them] are big, [this indicates] disease
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