An Old Person Is Infertile 年老無子 늙으면 자식을 가질 수 없는 이유
Written By Jun Heo(許浚, 1539~1615), Translated by Namil Kim, Wung Seok Cha et al., Published by Ministry of Health & Welfare (Korea)
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An Old Person Is Infertile 年老無子 늙으면 자식을 가질 수 없는 이유 ①
There is a saying in the Basic Questions (素問): “Huangdi asked, ‘Is the reason for being infertile in old age because stamina runs out, or is it the way of the universe?’ Qibo answered, ‘A female’s life can be summarized as the following: at age 7, kidney qi flourishes which leads to the growth of hair and replacement of teeth.
At age 14, the heavenly tenth [This is the heavenly stem in charge of reproduction] reaches its peak. Therefore, the conception vessel starts to flow smoothly and the thoroughfare vessel flourishes which make a girl have periodic menstruation and become fertile. At age 21, kidney qi is balanced, so wisdom teeth grow. At age 28, sinew and bone become sturdy, the hair grows to its greatest peak, and the body becomes healthy. At age 35, yang brightness meridian starts to decline, which leads to the loss of sheen on the face and loss of hair. At age 42, the three yang meridians weaken starting from the upper part of the body, which even more decreases the sheen on the face and greys the hair. At age 49, the conception vessel become deficient, the thoroughfare vessel declines, and as a result, the heavenly tenth dries out. This menopause causes the collapse of the shape and infertility.
A male’s life can be summarized as follows: at age 8, kidney qi becomes strong, which makes the hair grow and teeth replace. At age 16, kidney qi flourishes and the heavenly tenth reaches its peak, which leads essence qi to overflow and yin-yang to harmonize, and makes the person fertile. At age 24, kidney qi becomes balanced, so sinew and bone become sturdy and wisdom teeth grow. At age 32, sinew and bone flourish and skin and flesh grow and mature. At age 40, kidney qi declines, which leads to loss of hair and drying of teeth. At age 48, yang qi starts to decline from the upper part of the body, which makes the face emaciate and the hair grey. At age 56, liver qi decline, which leads to the inability to move the muscles and sinews; the heavenly tenth runs out, which leads to the decrease of essence; and the kidneys weaken, which makes the shape reach its ending point. At age 64 comes the loss of teeth and hair. The kidneys are in charge of Water and therefore are responsible for storing the essence of the viscera and bowels; however, since the viscera must be strong in order to be able to emit the essence, now that the viscera have all declined, the sinews and bones have become loose and the heavenly tenth has already dried out. Therefore, the hair greys, the body feels sluggish all the time, and one cannot walk properly and becomes infertile.”
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Differences in Lifespan 壽夭之異 수명의 차이
① In the Basic Questions (素問), “Huangdi asked, ‘The people of ancient times are said to not get old even at the age of 100. The people nowadays, however, get old in their movement even at the age of 50. Is this because time has changed or because the people have lost the way of Tao?” Qibo answered, ‘The people at that time knew the way of Tao. They practiced the way of yin-yang, adapted to changes well, had discipline to moderate diet, had rules in their daily lives, and did not use up their energy thoughtlessly. Therefore, they could preserve their shape and spirit in whole and live one’s allotted life, and eventually died at the age of 100. People these days, however, are of the opposite: they drink alcohol as if it is water, behave spontaneously, have sexual intercourse in a drunken state, which wastes the essential energy, and do not care for storing essence and use their spirit carelessly. In short, they put effort only in emotional pleasure. This extravagant attitude is the opposite to the demands of the joy of preserving life; therefore, one gets old even at the age of 50.'”
② Yutuan (虞摶) once said: “The lifespan of each man is allotted by the will of heaven . The will of heaven refers to the original qi given by parents and universe before birth. Father is heaven and mother is earth, and life expectancy depends on the longevity of the essence from father and the blood received from mother, which may vary. The man who received healthy qi from both parents is allotted to the highest level or middle level of lifespan; a man who received healthy qi from one parent is allotted to the middle or lower level of lifespan; a man who received weak qi from both parents has the lower level of lifespan only when one is raised well, and if not, the person will die young. However, if pathogenic qi such as wind, cold, heat, and dampness invade the body to cause external injury, or any kind of internal damage has occurred due to starvation, overeating or overworking, it is obvious that one cannot fully live out the original qi given by his or her parents. This is why the wise man in the ancient times tasted all kinds of herbs, made all kinds of medicines, and took care of people to let them live the allotted life fully. There is a saying in Chuan (傳), ‘One only trains oneself and waits for the universal order.’ It implies that a person must do all one must do and follow the will of the universe, and all will come to a good end and the people who should die will become healthy again. In conclusion, a person’s lifespan does not only depend on the universal order. It is the role of a doctor to understand such order of the universe and work with this knowledge as the base to lead people who should die young to die old, and who should die old to be an immortal. Who could possibly do away with the doctrine of medicine, knowing such things?”
