Chinese history is full of famous rulers, generals, monks, and advisers. There are several well-known doctors as well. Li Shizhen is one of these doctors. Some people call him "the father of Chinese herbal medicine." Li Shizhen was born in Hubei in 1518 during the Ming Dynasty. In his early life, he was always sick and never studied enough to pass the state examinations that would have given him a secure position in the local government. Instead, he spent his time studying medical textbooks and observing his father at work. His father taught him a lot about how to treat patients. When it came to medicine, Li was a quick learner. It wasn't long before he was granted a medical position in the capital. While he was there, he read rare medical books and exchanged views with many other influential scholars. Li didn't stay in one place for long. He began a massive project called the Bencao Gangmu and traveled throughout the region looking for strange plants and new ways to cure diseases. Bencao Gangmu is an encyclopedia of medical herbs. It combines information from more than 800 other books and contains detailed descriptions of 1,892 substances. He spent almost 30 years writing this enormous book, but unfortunately he didn't get to see the book published before his death in 1593. During his writing process, he relied on his sons and grandsons, who helped with the transcripts, illustrations, and editing. If it weren't for their hard work, one of the most important books in Chinese medicine may never have been published. While Bencao Gangmu might have been Li Shizhen's biggest accomplishment, it certainly wasn't the only one. He is also credited as being one of the first doctors to discover gallstones and use ice as a treatment for fever and steam as a treatment for infection.
中國歷史上有許多知名統治者、將帥、僧侶和軍師，也有若干名醫，李時珍即是其中之一。有些人稱他為「中國藥學之父」。 李時珍生於1518年明朝的湖北。早年的李時珍總是身體微恙，因此始終無法通過科舉考試，在當地政府謀得一官半職。但他反而將時間花在鑽研醫書上，觀察父親的行醫方式，李時珍的父親亦教導他許多治病良方。 李時珍在藥學方面的學習能力堪稱神速。不久後，他就在首都獲得大夫的職位。當時的他飽讀罕見醫書，並與許多其他具有影響力的學者交流看法。 由於李時珍力求精益求精，他開始編寫工程浩大的《本草綱目》，並周遊國內尋覓能夠治病的奇特草本植物，與新穎醫療方法。《本草綱目》是一本草藥學百科全書，集結超過八百本書籍的資訊，並且詳細記載1,892種草藥。他花了將近30年撰寫此鉅作，不幸的是，他沒能在1593年辭世前親眼見證此書的出版。在編撰過程中，他的兒孫協助記錄、繪圖與編寫。如果少了他們的努力，這部中藥學上最重要的書籍之一，可能永遠無法問世。 《本草綱目》或許是李時珍最具代表性的著作，但他的成就並不僅止於此。他也是第一位發現膽結石病、利用冰敷退燒，以及運用蒸氣治療感染症狀的醫師。 | 
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