Qian Yi

Qian Yi

Photo of Qian Yi. [Photo/taian.gov.cn]

Qian Yi (1032 – 1113) was a famous paediatrician from the Song Dynasty (960–1279). He was born in Qiantang (known today as Hangzhou), Zhejiang province and later moved north to Yunzhou (known today as Yuncheng county, Heze, Shandong province today) with his grandfather. He wrote many books on medicine, including Treatise on Babies and Children (《婴孺论》). His student Yan Jizhong collected Qian’s treatise, medical cases, prescriptions, and other materials and compiled them into Key to Therapeutics for Children's Diseases (《小儿药证直诀》) in 1119. This book predates the earliest paediatric work published in Europe by 300 years and is the world's first surviving paediatric work in its original form. Qian's remarkable contribution to paediatrics has earned him the name “Sage of Paediatrics”.