Sivin Nathan

Sivin devotes the first half of his book to an interpretive exploration of the history of classical Chinese medicine, outlining in detail the evolution of its essential concepts from ancient times through the present. The second half consists of translations from the Revised Outline of Chinese Medicine (1972), a textbook compiled in China for use by modern physicians.

The fifth volume of Dr Needham's immense undertaking, like the fourth, is subdivided into parts for ease of assimilation and presentation, each part bound and published separately. The volume as a whole covers the subjects of alchemy, early chemistry, and chemical technology (which includes military invention, especially gunpowder and rockets; paper and printing; textiles; mining and metallurgy; the salt industry; and ceramics).