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Updated: May 24, 2026

Objectification of Tongue Diagnosis in Traditional Medicine, Data Analysis, and Study Application
Published on: April 14, 2023
[Selection of imperial doctors by the Qing court in 1880]
Yu-Xiang Zhou1, Zhen Cao, Yi-Jue Xu
1Menghe Medical Institute of Changzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Changzhou, 213003, China.
Abstract:
In the 6(th) year of the Guangxu Period (1880), Queen Mother Ci Xi was in poor health and the court looked for famous doctors everywhere. Eight doctors were selected by governors and sent to Beijing. After a 3-month long assessment, XUE Fuchen, WANG Shouzheng and MA Wenzhi were selected to help with the treatment of Queen Mother Ci Xi's disease. The Queen Mother was cured and doctors were rewarded twice in the 2(nd) and the 3(rd) year. Giving up medicine, XUE Fuchen and WANG Shouzheng took advantage of this opportunity to participate in politics, but did not realize their aspirations in the end. MA Wenzhi refused to be an official with the excuse of health problems and received the permission to go home, where he worked for patients, wrote medical books and finally became a famous medical scholar.
