[Principle and application of Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and disease classification]

Taxonomy of diseases is usable in Western medicine and also in Chinese medicine, but with different measures of sorting, i.e. disease classification in Western medicine and the syndrome differentiation in Chinese medicine. Actually, an integrative mode of the above two measures is already the chief mode of sorting applied in clinical practice of Chinese medicine and integrative medicine. The two measures are introduced in this paper, and the integrative mode is deeply analyzed as well. Its biomedical interpretation and protocol are operational explained, and its important values, involving clinical practice for assessments of therapeutic efficacy, drug action and safety; new drug research and development; medical innovation; and research on internal relation among diseases, are discussed with illustration. The authors indicated that the integrative taxonomic mode of disease classification and syndrome differentiation is an important theoretical representation for mutual-supplementing of Chinese medicine and Western medicine in integrative medicine, also the important measure and approach for developing Chinese medicine and innovating biomedicine, and it is meaningful in both theoretical guidance and actual clinical practice.