胡家草场汉简《医方》药物容器“鲁”试解

胡家草场汉简《医方》所记“治心腹病方”与里耶秦简“治心腹痛方”实为一方,经研究者对读之后,文意基本畅通,只有盛放麦粥、汤剂的容器名“鲁”未得善解。我们根据文献中“鲁”“旅”“吕”三字相通推测,《医方》中的“鲁”当读作“筥”或“■”,是秦汉时人们常用的一种圆形饭器,有竹、木、陶多种材制,其中木制、陶制者可以用来盛装流质粥食或汤剂。根据古书旧训并结合相关出土实物及秦汉简文推测,当时“筥”的容量很可能是五升,约合今制1000毫升,该方所用药物总量可以据此得到复原。

The“treatment of the Xin Fu Bing(Heart and Abdomen diseases)”recorded in the Medical Prescriptions of the bamboo slips of the Han Dynasty at Hujiacaochang and the“treatment for Xin Fu Tong(Heat and Abdominal pain)”of Liye Qin Script are actually the same prescription.After studying the two scripts,researchers have found that the meaning of the text is basically clear,but the name of the container used for serving wheat porridge and soup,“Lǔ(鲁)”,has not been well understood.According to the connection of“Lǔ(鲁)”,“Lǚ(旅)”and“Lǚ(吕)”in the literature,I speculate that“Lǔ(鲁)”in the Medical Prescriptions should be read as“Jǚ(筥)”or“Jǚ(■)”,which,made of bamboo,wood and pottery,is a round utensils commonly used by people during the Qin and Han Dynasties,and the wooden and ceramic ones can be used to serve liquid porridge or decoctions.Combined with the old exegesis in ancient books,relevant excavated objects and Qin and Han script,it is speculated that the capacity of the“Jǚ(筥)”is most likely 5 liters,about 1000 milliliter by current standard.Thus,the total amount of drugs used in the prescription can be restored.