Chinese C18 woodcut: Tongmu splint

Early 18th-century Chinese woodcut illustrating the tongmu splint, used for fractures, from Yizong jinjian: Zhenggu xinfa (The Golden Mirror Of Medicine: Essential Knowledge and Secrets of Bonesetting Manipulations). A medical anthology in 90 juan (volumes/fascicles), Yizong jinjian was executed as an imperial commission by Wu Qian (Qing period, 1644-1911) et al., and printed in Beijing at Wuyingdian (the Hall of Martial Prowess - the imperial printing house) in 1742 (7th year of the Qianlong reign period of the Qing dynasty). Zhenggu xinfa is one of 15 monographs included in the anthology. It is a systematic treatise on damage and fracture to the bones and skeleton in Chinese medicine in four volumes. It records Qing and pre-Qing external treatments for bone trauma, various internal treatment techniques, and treatments for trauma to 46 bones of the body. The section on 'External treatment' contains 10 illustrations.

IMAGE TITLE: Illustration of tongmu splint