Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine – Giovanni Maciocia

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$24   $18 – Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine – Giovanni Maciocia

This is the culmination of Giovanni Maciocia’s 30-year clinical experience in his busy clinic using both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. As Giovanni highlights in the introduction to the book, the greatest strength of Chinese medicine does not lie in its theories but in the placing of the patient at the centre of the clinical encounter. Diagnosis is at the heart of this encounter. Giovanni has dedicated his professional life to transmitting his clinical skills and to preserving the most subtle (and difficult) aspects of the diagnostic process in Chinese medicine, such as tongue and pulse diagnosis.

The book combines a detailed analysis of clinical manifestations, comprehensive quotations from the classics with the nuggets of wisdom from Giovanni’s clinical experience. Of the features of Giovanni’s diagnostic work is the capacity to adapt Chinese medicine’s diagnostic process to the realities of Western patients. For this reason, the list of symptoms and signs in Part 5 of the book contains many symptoms that are typical of Western patients and that are not found in Chinese books (e.g. “Craving for sweets”,”Hyperactivity in children”, etc.).

The book is divided into four Parts dealing with the traditional four aspects of the Chinese diagnostic process, i.e. Observation, Interrogation, Palpation and Hearing/Smelling. In addition to this, Part 5 lists the symptoms and signs independently of whether they are elicited from observation or interrogation. This allows the practitioner to quickly consult the book when confronted with a patient displaying a particular symptom: Part 5 on Symptoms and Signs will list the patterns giving rise to that particular symptom. A comprehensive index of symptoms and signs will then allow the practitioner to delve deeper into that symptoms in the Parts of Observation or Interrogation.

Contents include:

• Diagnosis by Observation
• Diagnosis by Interrogation
• Diagnosis by Palpation
• Diagnosis by Hearing and Smelling
• Symptoms and Signs
• Identification of Patterns

Special features of the book include:

• The book is richly illustrated with many colour photographs and figures.
• The book has a very long and detailed section on pulse diagnosis that does not only give the reader the classical pulse qualities but also Giovanni’s unique insights on this difficult art.
• The Chinese diagnostic process is adapted to Western patients in a way that will make it easy for readers to relate it to their clinical practice.
• Unparalleled depth of information.
• Clear outline of the decision-making process in key situations to help readers through the most challenging clinical situations.
• Logical organization so that readers can quickly find the information they need in clinical situations.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

ISBN 0 443 06448 2 First edition 2004 1127 pages.

For 16 years Giovanni Maciocia has been the one author in the field of oriental medicine whose books have become the essential study and practice texts from an entire generation in the West. With this long-awaited comprehensive book on diagnosis and differentitation of symptoms, he adds to this impressive body of work and no student or practitioner will want to be without it.

Peter Deadman

Editor, Journal of Chinese Medicine

Maciocia draws on many years of meticulous clinical observation and long and thorough study of the classics to provide a series of profound insights into human pathology and differential diagnosis that are invaluable to the modern practitioner of Chinese medicine.

Jeremy Ross Dr Ac, BSc, MNIMH

Giovanni Maciocia has consistently provided the West with precise knowledge and profound clarity concerning Eastern medicine. This new work continues his unique scholar-practitioner tradition of teaching and writing that simultaneously supplies immediately practical information with direct clinical application with theoretical insight and wisdom that makes one consider and ponder and see the Eastern tradition from new perspectives. This is an invaluable addition to what can only be described as the ongoing ‘Maciocia transmission.’

Ted Kaptchuck, OMD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

$24   $18 – Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine – Giovanni Maciocia