HISTORY: Acupuncture is one of the world's oldest Systems of healing. Its origin, according to Chinese legends, might be dated approximately five thousand years ago; by the 11th century B.C., it appeared on documents as one of the three curative traditions, the other two being herbs and prayers. From the 6th century B.C. forward, the acupuncturists systematized their thoughts and clinical experience into books. Since then, acupuncture as an art of healing has progressed through the centuries into the 20th century with a wealth of clinical documents and texts for training and reference. In the past 40 years, acupuncture has enjoyed a higher rate of success through absorbing into its domain the research findings from anatomy, neurology, and other branches of modern medical science; it has also initiated experiments in new areas such as anesthesiology, speech-hearing restoration, and heart diseases with various degrees of success. Moreover, a number of specialized areas have evolved. As a result. we now have 'foot,' 'hand,' 'nose,' and 'head' acupuncture added to the traditional practice we distinguish as 'trunk' or 'body' acupuncture. Parallel to human acupuncture, animal acupuncture had its own development first recorded between 947 and 928 B.C. with the treatment of a horse.

Around the 8th century A.D., acupuncture began to spread to Japan, Korea, and other parts of Asia. Since the 1950s it has gained visible popularity ever among the European countries. With a growing recognition of its effectiveness, acupuncture is gradually earning a wider acceptance in the United States.

TOOL AND METHOD: Acupuncture, by definition, employs pointed objects (needles) to create one or a specific set of signals in the patient to achieve its therapeutic goal. In the past, acupuncture needles were manufactured from the following materials: stone, iron, steel, gold, and silver; at present, the needles are made from stainless steel. There might have existed a situation where the acupuncturist had to apply his fingers as a substitute for the needles. He applied pressure to create the required signal for healing. This method is called 'acupressure.' The acupuncturist can apply varying degrees or heat or warmth to the patient's body independent of, or in conjunction with, needle application. The application of heat in the context of acupuncture is called 'moxibustion.'  He can also create an artificial absence of atmospheric pressure on the specific acupuncture point of the patient. This method is called 'ba-gwan' (suction by means of a cup). In the past few decades, there have been experiments performed in China with emphasis on combining western medical skills and acupunctural skills to promote better healing results. This marks a new development of the healing art in China and perhaps expresses the common basic urge of man, namely, to seek a more effective way to conquer disease and sickness.

AREA OF APPLICATION: In the compendium of acupuncture compiled in 1977, 803 prescriptions are listed under two categories: (1) symptoms and (2) commonly known sicknesses and diseases. Under the first category, 51 topics are mentioned, from fever to coma. Under the second category, a full range of medical topics are presented. They cover almost every area of internal medicine in the broad sense and, in varying degrees, some domain of specialized ailments such as gynecology, rheumatology, and pediatrics. For the sake of illustration, the following cases are mentioned: pain, vaginal hemorrhage, fever due to influenza, emphysema, stroke, and nephritis. The prescriptions against the cases have proven to be highly successful.