雙語科技百科(醫學) 第58期:望聞問切
Observation Auscultation and Olfaction,Inquiry,Pulse Feeling and Palpation
The four methods of diagnosis are a general term used by the doctors of the traditional Chinese medicine for the basic methods of diagnosing ill-ness, including diagnosis through observation, diagnosis through auscultation and olfaction, diagnosis through inquiry and diagnosis through pulse feeling and palpa-tion, namely "obseNation, auscultation and olfadion, inquiry, and pulse feeling and palpation". The first method of diagnosis means that the doctors observe the physical conditions of the patients, the complexion and tongue coating ultation and olfaction refers to the situation, in which the doctors listen to the words, coughing and breathing of a patient, and sniff whether his mouth or body smells. The third method of diagnosis involves the inquiry into a patients symp-toms, medical history and so on. When it comes to the last method of diagnosis, it means that the doctors diagnose whether there is something wrong with a patient by feeling his pulse or palpating his abdomen. Through the four methods of diag-nosis , the symptoms and physical signs of the illnesses manifested in various facets are diagnosed with a view to understanding the causes or nature of the illnesses as well as their connections with the internal organs, which provides a solid basis for the treatment of the illnesses. The four methods of diagnosis, each being of special significance, are interconnected and complementary; they cannot replace one an-other. In the clinical medicine, only with a combined application of the four diag-nostic methods can a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the physical condition of a patient be gained; this is called "the combined use of the four meth-ods of iagnosis"
四診是中醫診察疾病基本方法的合稱，包括望診、聞診、問診、切診，即“望聞問切”。望是觀察病人的身體狀況，包括面色、舌苔等；聞是聽病人的說話、咳嗽、呼息，並嗅其口中或身上是否有異味；問是詢問病人症狀，以及患病史等；切是用手把脈或按腹部診察是否有異常。通過四診，診察疾病顯現在各方面的症狀和體徵，以瞭解疾病的病因、性質及其與內臟的聯繫，爲治療疾病提供充分的依據。望、聞、問、切各有獨特的作用，他們之間互相聯繫，互相補充，不能相互取代。臨牀必須結合運用，互相參證，才能全面系統的瞭解病情，稱爲四診合參。
