Figure 3: Diagnosis of disease

(1) This diagram is based on the contents of Chapter 4, “Diagnosis of Diseases”, in the Four Medical Classics: General Principles.

(2) This diagram is similar to the second diagram. It uses the roots, trunk, branches and leaves of a tree to systematically introduce the diagnostic methods of three types of diseases: inspection, palpation and questioning.

(3) According to the History of Tibetan Medicine written by Desi Sangye Gyatso: “The root of the diagnosis tree of diseases is divided into three main trunks: inspection, palpation, and questioning. The inspection trunk has two branches: tongue inspection and urine testing, each with three leaves. The palpation trunk has three branches: pulse diagnosis for long disease, tribadism, and bacon disease, each with one leaf. The questioning trunk has three branches: long disease, tribadism, and bacon disease. The questioning branch for long disease has eleven leaves, the questioning branch for tribadism has seven leaves, and the questioning branch for bacon disease has eleven leaves, for a total of twenty-nine leaves. The whole map has three main trunks, eight branches, and thirty-eight leaves.”