“火针”及其疗法考辨

Textual research on the fire needle and the fire needle therapy

火针疗法在《内经》中即有记载,并出现了“卒针”“焠针”“淬针”“燔针”“火焠”“焠”“淬”“粹”“焠刺”“淬刺”“燔针劫刺”等名称.《内经》还记载了适用于火针的针具——“锋针”“员利针”“长针”.东汉时期,张仲景《伤寒论》扩大了火针疗法的适用范围,而且《金匮玉函经》中首次出现了“火针”一词.从魏晋南北朝到明清时期,火针疗法的应用范围不断扩大,被用于多种内科疾病和外科疾病,操作方法和针具也有了更为详细的记载.20世纪70年代,学术界提出“火针疗法”一词,并沿用至今.此外,古代文献中的“白针”是指与“火针”相对而言的毫针,并非“火针”的曾用名.

There are different names of the fire needle therapy in the Huang di neijing （Inner Canon of Huangdi）such as Zu-zhen（卒针）,Cui-zhen（焠针,淬针）,Fan.hen（燔针）,Huo-cui（火焠）,Cui（焠,淬,粹）,Cuici（焠刺,淬刺）,Fan zhen jie ci（燔针劫刺）.It is claimed that the lance needle,the round sharp needle and the long needle recorded in this Classic are puncturing tools for the fire needle therapy.In the Eastern Han Dynasty,Zhang Zhongjing expanded the indications for the fire needle therapy and Huo-zhen（火针）firstly appeared in the Jin kui yu han jing（Classic of the Jade Box and Golden Chamber）.The application of the fire needle therapy had been further expanded to a lot of internal and external disorders form the Wei-Jin-Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.There are more detailed records on the manipulation and the tools of the fire needle therapy during this period.In the 1970s,Huo zhen liao fa（火针疗法）was proposed and still in use today.However the Bai-zhen（白针plain needle） in ancient literature is equal to the filiform needle and should not be regarded as the former name of the fire needle.