Basic Concept of Visceral Manifestation
The Chinese medical term ";rang xiang" appeared for the first time in the book the Internal Classic. The term "zang" refers to viscera which are seated in the interior of the body, and "xiang" refers to the physiological and pathological activities of the viscera which appear exteriorly. Hence, the term in truth means the visceral manifestation.
The visceral manifestation theory is an important component of traditional Chinese medicine. It consists of the study of the physiology and pathology of all the viscera, and the relationship between viscera. Viscera is the general term for the internal organs of the body, and the basis for the visceral manifestation theory. These are classified into three groups : the "five zang-viscera", "six fu-viscera" and "extraordinary organs". The heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney are known as the five zang-viscera; the gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, urinary bladder,and triple-jiao are called the six fu-viscera. In addition, there are the extraordinary organs which include the brain, marrow, bone, blood vessels, gallbladder and uterus.
The viscera are vitally important to the human body, and life activities depend primarily on the physiological functions of the viscera. Therefore, the major contents of this theory involve the observation and understanding of the external manifestations of biological phenomena, as well as the relationships between man and nature. Also incremental is the study of the physiology to the viscera.
