Heart Disease

The precise diagnosis of various forms of heart dis­ease was achieved only after the development of pathological anatomy, auscultation, and the stetho­scope. Under Chinese medical philosophy, abstract arguments concerning the pulse, combined with heart pain and shortness of breath, were used for diagnosis of heart diseases. Under the heading “heart pain,” the Hyangyak chipsong pang lists nine different kinds. These entries and similar discus­sions in other texts composed during the later years of the Yi Dynasty suggest knowledge of angina pectoris as well as other symptoms of heart disease.