Traditional hand and foot massage originated from diagnostics using the hand and foot in traditional Chinese medicine. In the early developmental stage of traditional Chinese medicine, it was already known that abnormal changes on the hand and foot might indicate pathological disturbance of the internal organs. As mentioned in The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, the earliest classical medical book, written by various authors between 475 BC to 221 BC: "A hot sensation in the palm indicates the presence of heat pathogens in the internal organs; A cold sensation in the palm indicates the presence of cold pathogens in the internal organs Patients with diseases of the small intestine due to attack of severe cold pathogens may have a hot sensation on the shoulder and between the little finger and index finger." So, as a part of traditional Chinese medicine, diagnosis using the hand and foot appeared as early as other components of ancient medicine.
After traditional Chinese medicine gradually developed into a complete medical system with its own theories, therapies, recipes and herbs, diagnosis by hand and foot was still very limited compared with the more advanced four diagnostic methods-observation, olfaction and auscultation, interrogation and palpation for general diagnosis. Because of neglect by classical medicine physicians with their traditional conservative attitude of superiority, diagnosis using the hand, foot and eye remained a minor branch of medicine and was not accepted and practiced by the majority of physicians and so failed to develop. According to fragmentary statements scattered in a few medical books, hand and foot diagnosis remained in its primitive stage until the Qing Dynasty.
