中医基础理论的发展方向——由现象描述向本质阐明的变革

The Developmental Direction for the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine——Change from Phenomena Description to Essence Elucidation

中医临床与基础近10年研究进展显示,中医临床诊疗疾病的能力与现代医学相比差距逐年增大,中医药科技为临床诊疗提供的支撑不足;在基础研究领域,相对于现代医学的迅猛发展,中医各研究领域未取得应有的拓展甚或日趋萎缩,概念内涵清晰表述严密的理论远未建立,中医基础学科群尚未分化形成,基础研究对临床诊疗的带动和推进作用远未显现。分析科学技术的发展轨迹表明,中医学是尚未摆脱古代科学技术特征的整体医学,中医基础理论则是尚未摆脱自然哲学形态的直观描述性理论假说。中医基础理论的研究不能主要放在理论层面的探讨上,应借鉴遵循自然科学尤其是生命科学理论发展的途径,才有可能取得真正突破。因此,认为中医基础理论的发展方向应当是"由现象描述向本质阐明的变革"。要实现这个目标,需要着力做好两大研究:研究脏象的活体结构与功能机制,追踪最新科技发展及时用于脏象研究,并重视病、证、尤其病证结合动物模型研究;在此基础上,分化、建立起中医基础理论的三级学科群。

The research concerning clinical disciplines and basic sciences for over 10 years shows that the gap of the clinic ability between TCM and modern medicine in China is becoming wider, and the current TCM science and technology cannot provide a strong support for the clinics. As for the fundamental research, compared with the rapid development of modern medicine, several TCM fields are even shrinking. No theory with clear and strict conceptions is available, no fundamental disciplines of the TCM have differentiated and formed, and the current fundament research cannot facilitate the clinical therapy. Tracking the evolution of science and technology shows that TCM is still a whole medicine based on ancient science and technology, and the basic TCM theory is actually the theoretical hypothesis intuitively described. The development of the fundamental TCM theory needs not only theoretical discussions, but also the methods for natural sciences, especially life science, to make breakthroughs. Thus the developmental direction for TCM is suggested to change from phenomena description to essence clarification, and this will take two steps. First, to reveal the in vivo structure and functional mechanism of viscera, track the latest progress in science and technology, and pay attention to the establishment of disease and manifestation of syndrome combined models. Second, to build up third-level disciplines based on the above step.