In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor

by Peter Eckman, MD

  There is one more important non-physician acupuncturist who is almost never talked about, but an individual who probably played a very significant role in the transmission of traditional teachings to Europe. His name was Jean Berladier (Fig. 227. d. 1960), and he was also from a humble background, described euphemistically as a “soldier of fortune.” Somewhere (allegedly in jail!) he had learned acupuncture from a Chinese teacher, and in turn began to teach others. They included such medical luminaries as Niboyet, Duron and Regard, who studied with him for years, from 1947-1951, although Duron was the only one of these three to publicly acknowledge his relationship with Berladier. In fact, one unconfirmed report claimed that Berladier was secretly the unattributed source of Niboyet’s unique teachings, and because of this any attempt to trace that lineage further back would have to unravel yet one more “cloudy” past, muddled by professional and class animosities. This is most unfortunate because some of Niboyet’s teachings, especially concerning pulse diagnosis, seemed to be both traditional in flavor, but unsupported by any other references, which was the case until I happened to come across nearly identical information in an obscure limited edition English translation of a Korean acupuncture text while visiting a Korean colleague in 2005.(404)

  The many styles of French acupuncture, each of which has retained some of the traditional approaches which might otherwise have been lost, are largely unfamiliar to English speaking practitioners. My description of the professional groups in France in footnote 363 should be expanded as follows: De la Fuye started the French Acupuncture Society (S.F.A.) in 1945 and the International Acupuncture Society (S.I.A.) in 1946. The former split into two groups, the French Acupuncture Association (A.F.A.) in 1966 and the Scientific Association of Physician Acupuncturists (A.S.M.A.F) in 1969, both of which are restricted to physicians. Niboyet started the Mediterranean Acupuncture Society (S.M.A.) in 1955, while a parallel group formed around Lavier, the Chinese Acupuncture Medical Society (S.M.A.C.), begun in 1978. As a segue into updating the material relating to Worsley, I cannot resist including Fig. 228, which shows Lavier’s English translator Philip Chancellor and his wife performing the same discipleship ritual of “kow towing” before Wu Wei-ping’s altar in 1964 which was subsequently performed in 1966 (perhaps in a less humbling form) by Worsley and Stemp as shown in Figs. 97 and 98. One might interpret this sequence of pictures as emblematic of the gradual erosion (or evolution) of traditions with the passage of time, and I will leave it to the reader to judge if such change is for the better or worse.

  Figure 225: JEAN BORSARELLO

  One of the few surviving leaders of the first generation of Western traditional acupuncturists, he published “Traité d’acupuncture” as recently as 2005 (Masson, Paris), and is currently retired in Deauville. Although a physician and a Colonel in the French Air Force, he still championed the right of non-physicians to practice acupuncture, as long as they were properly trained.

  Figure 226: CHARLES LAVILLE-MÉRY

  Shown here (standing) with Dr. André Duron, he was widely respected for his clinical expertise (as related to me by the late Father Claude Larre among others.) He was quite eclectic in his acupuncture training, including studies with J. R. Worsley in addition to the most prestigious Chinese and Japanese teachers.

  Figure 227: JEAN BERLADIER

  Almost nothing remains but this sketch of one of the unsung teachers who contributed to the various lineages of traditional acupuncture which flowered in France. He is a reminder to me of how much of history is like the proverbial hidden iceberg.

  Following the publication of the first edition of Footsteps, I continued to sporadically accumulate data relevant to the lineage of the LA doctrines. On further investigation, it turns out that both versions of the Five Element transfer protocol via the Control Cycle (Yin Organ to Yang Organ and vice-versa, as well as Yin Organ to Yin Organ) were taught by Lavier at different times, the former appearing in his translation of Wu Wei-ping’s text (p. 165, with the original French edition appearing in 1959) and the latter in the syllabus of his 1963 London seminar. Of the four hypotheses I proposed for Lavier’s (and thus ultimately for Worsley’s) source for this item of LA doctrine, I can now fairly confidently identify Ed Wong (Fig. 184) as the missing link. This identification rests on the identity of Ed Wong and Wang Tchia-tchunn as the same individual. A student at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Maryland, Yaw Yaw Lee, informed me that there was an acupuncturist named Wong who had studied with Lee’s father (Lee Shu-yu, Fig. 228, a prominent herbalist who was present at Worsley’s 1966 dinner with Wu Wei-ping) in Taiwan after first studying with Wu Wei-ping, and that this individual’s first name could reasonably be transliterated as Ed. Subsequently, Justin Morais, a Council member of the Singapore Acupuncture Association, confirmed that E. C. Wong had an acupuncture training school in Singapore from the 1950’s until 1979 when he moved to Taiwan. Finally, a colleague of Morais, T. T. Ang verified that Ed C. Wong was the Western name of Wang Tchia-tchunn ().

  Perhaps empowered by the publication of Footsteps, I was granted an interview with J. R. Worsley and his wife Judy Becker Worsley in 1997. Not surprisingly, Professor Worsley managed to avoid direct answers to the questions I posed, but promised to respond to a list of 26 written questions which I submitted to him, which he did via a brief note I received in the mail six months later. Essentially he confirmed Ono Bunkei as his Japanese “Master” and Hsiu Yang-chai as his Chinese “Master,” crediting the latter as his source for the methods of diagnosing and treating H/W imbalances and Demonic Posession. Worsley claimed that both Ono and Hsiu transmitted the concept of CF to him, but as I pointed out in Chapter Five, such an assertion seems counter to common sense since Hsiu’s style of acupuncture was not organized around the Five Elements (both H/W and Possession are non-Five Element concepts to boot), nor had he attended acupuncture meetings in Europe (at least according to Hsiu’s close disciple Frank Sun) where Worsley claimed to have studied with him.(405) Thus I am forced to stick with my original hypothesis that Worsley conflated Hsiu Yang-chai with Hsu Mi-foo, who had the appropriate orientation and travel history to have been a source for Worsley’s concept of CF. The similarity of names (Hsiu and Hsu) and the sporadic and limited nature of their putative contacts would certainly favor this hypothesis. Although Worsley is now deceased, it is not entirely impossible that further light may be shed on this matter some day. His estate does contain a number of documents from Worsley’s career, and some of these might be enlightening, especially those bearing Chinese characters which could be easily translated or transliterated into English. My own requests for access to copies of these documents have so far been unsuccessful.

  Figure 228: PHILIP CHANCELLOR

  This Mexican acupuncturist can be seen as a link between many of the individuals whose work I have described. Seen here with Wu Wei-p’ing, he preceded Worsley in performing the ritual of discipleship, and was also directly connected to both Lavier and Hashimoto whose books he translated into English.

  Figure 229: LEE SHU-YU

  A famous Taiwanese herbalist joins Worsley and Stemp in their 1966 dinner commemorating the latter’s studies with Wu Wei-p’ing. Decades later Lee’s son attended the acupuncture school in Maryland established by Worsley and his followers, and helped the author identify the missing link between Lavier and the Five Element tradition in acupuncture, which Worsley later elaborated into LA.

  As far as other information in Worsley’s note, he acknowledged knowing both Schmidt and Munster, but did not consider them influential in his training, leaving open the question of the German doctor in his background. Worsley did mention the name Kramer in this regard, but provided no further details which might make this a traceable lead. He claimed never to have met nor communicated with Bach, Ohsawa, nor Wong, and denied reading the works of Morse or Hume. To the end however, he maintained that what he taught was simply that which he had learned from his teachers, with the only exceptions being his focus on Spirit and the ide
a of “Spirit of the Point” which he claimed as personal realizations.

  Since Worsley’s passing, various groups of his former students have taken material they learned from him, and developed it further in their own separate ways, forming their own organizations and teaching institutions, while Professor Worsley designated his wife, Judy Becker Worsley, to be the orthodox inheritor of his tradition. In regard to what I have been calling LA, there are those who believe that there is only one pure tradition, of which Worsley was a Master exemplar, while others believe that Worsley’s approach was an evolving one, open to the inclusion of new methods, as long as they were consistent and harmonious with the rest of LA doctrine. I was told that in his final years, Worsley had developed a close relationship with a Hawaiian Huna Master, a natural direction for someone who emphasized the cardinal role of Spirit and Soul in healing.(406) Such an endeavor is further testimony in my opinion as to the essentially syncretic nature of Worsley’s methodology, while at the same time leaving this writer sad that such a masterful teacher, practitioner, and yes, innovator, will no longer be opening new doors for us. He will be sorely missed.

  In closing, I would like to thank the many readers of the out of print first edition who wrote to me in appreciation for having shared the material I had gathered, initially simply to satisfy my own curiosity. The diversity of traditional styles of acupuncture is truly awe inspiring. There are however still bitter struggles between practitioners of diverse backgrounds, be it physician versus non-physician, or one ethnic style versus another. This is most unfortunate, as what we share in common is so much greater than what divides us. I would be remiss not to reiterate that the present work is far from exhaustive (I can’t believe that I didn’t mention India even once in this whole book!), and that any omissions are not meant to denigrate the work of those teachers and practitioners I’ve left out. It is said that a teacher’s greatest accomplishment is to be surpassed by his students, and I earnestly hope that a more complete history of acupuncture covering the whole world will someday be written.

  ENDNOTES

  1 All books and articles referred to in this text can be found in the bibliography, listed alphabetically by the author’s (or editor’s) name.

  2 There were numerous earlier references to, and uses of acupuncture, in the West, but they were not based on a comprehension of TOM to provide an underlying coherent philosophy. They would not therefore qualify as “traditional” acupuncture, a term which I will explain in Chapter One.

  3 Flaws, et. al., p. 4; Flaws-2; Firebrace; Hicks.

  4 Moxa is an herbal substance made from the dried leaves of the wormwood plant, Artemesia vulgaris. It is often burned in small amounts at the location of acupuncture Points to stimulate them in a slightly different way than by using needles. This therapeutic burning of moxa is called moxibustion and the common Chinese term for acupuncture, “zhen jiu,” actually means “acupuncture - moxibustion,” reflecting how intimately these two modes of therapy are interconnected.

  5 The most reader-friendly introduction to acupuncture, which happens to have an LA slant, is the book by Peter Mole (see bibliography). The more ambitious reader should next tackle Ted Kaptchuk’s “Web,” which is the most readable introduction to TCM. Finally, an old “classic” that predates the schism between LA and TCM, and which is still an excellent primer on acupuncture is the first book by Felix Mann, which may necessitate a trip to the library.

  6 The model based on the Circle is an elaboration of ideas first proposed by Liu Yanchi in the Essential Book of Traditional Chinese Medicine which I helped to edit.

  7 Depending on the context and orientation of the author, different sources refer to one (Qi), two (Qi and Blood), three (Qi, Blood and Fluid), four (Qi, Blood, Fluid and Essence) or five (Qi, Blood, Fluid, Essence and Spirit) fundamental substances. Examples of each of these usages can be found sequentially in Bischko, p. 13; Lee and Bae, p. 28; Essentials, pps. 36-38; Chu and Chu, p. 14; O’Connor and Bensky, pps. 8-10.

  8 For an early review, see Eckman-1. A more up to date account can be found in the first chapter of Stux and Pomeranz’s book Acupuncture Textbook and Atlas written by the second of the two authors.

  9 See, for example, the proceedings of the National Symposium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Acupuncture Anesthesia in Beijing in 1979, which alone cited well over 100,000 cases of various ailments treated by acupuncture with highly favorable results.

  10 These ancient characters ( and ) are the ones given by Faubert, p. 22. A different set of ancient characters for Yin and Yang ( and ) are given in Lavier-6, p.30, and Lavier’s versions are clearly the precursors of the characters ( and ) which are used in all the medical classics. Faubert’s versions interestingly, are closer to the simplified modern characters ( and ) which are used in TCM.

  11 The Solid Organs are called Zang in Chinese, while the Hollow Organs are called Fu. The Solid Organs are the Heart, Pericardium, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys and Liver, and are Yin in nature by comparison to the more Yang Hollow Organs, which are the Small Intestine, Triple Heater, Stomach, Large Intestine, Bladder and Gall bladder.

  12 ‘ba gang bien zheng’ in Chinese. Various authors have translated this phrase alternatively as the Eight Principal Syndromes (Xie and Huang), Eight Leading Principles (Hoizey and Hoizey), Eight Parameters (O’Connor and Bensky), Eight Principal Patterns (Kaptchuk-1) and Eight Diagnostic Categories (Kutchins).

  13 Needle techniques to foster tonification or its opposite, dispersion or sedation, have been meticulously described in both classical and modern texts. For the moment this subject is beyond the scope of the present work, but will be mentioned again when it bears on the historical issues to be discussed.

  14 Ling Shu, Chap. 8. Lu, p. 725.

  15 Su Wen, Chap. 26. Veith, p. 222.

  16 The Five Elements is a translation of the Chinese term ‘wu xing’. Many authors have objected to this translation as being inaccurate, and insist on a more process-oriented translation, such as Five Movements or Five Phases. Both connotations are actually present in the Chinese use of the term wu xing. I will stick with the Five Elements translation out of respect for its long history of prior usage, especially with the focus of this study on LA in which the term Five Elements serves practically as a trademark. The reader is encouraged however, to constantly envision the other connotations whenever the term Five Elements is used.

  17 The Akabane test is a measurement of the comparative heat sensitivity of the Points on the tips of the fingers and toes on which are located the beginnings or endings of the various Meridians. It was developed by the late Japanese acupuncturist Akabane Kobe who will be mentioned again in Chapter Five.

  18 The methodology of transferring Qi via the Five Elements will also be the subject of a more detailed discussion in Chapter Five.

  19 Hucker, p. 22.

  20 Zhuang Zi, Chapter 7. See note 21.

  21 The names Shu and Hu have been variously translated as Suddenness and Quickness (Giradot), Heedless and Sudden (Legge), Change and Uncertainty (Needham and Feng) and Act on Your Hunch and Act in a Flash (Merton). The Chaos embodied in Emperor Hun-tun has survived into modern times as the Chinese won-ton, a culinary delicacy made from multiple ingredients all mashed together “chaotically,” and wrapped in a sheet of dough before being cooked. This cultural tidbit was noted by Needham, p. 120.

  22 Steiner, p. ix.

  23 The number of holes in this poem includes the traditional seven in the head (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and one mouth) plus the two in the lower body (anus and urethra), making Han Shan’s version delightfully earthy.

  24 Translation by Burton Watson as cited in Giradot, p. 21. Now available in a Shambhala edition.

  25 The dividing line between legend and history is drawn at different times by various scholars. My presentation follows that of K.C. Wu, who provided most convincing evidence and a rationale for his choice in his book cited in the bibliography.

  26 Hoe, J. p. 32.

&n
bsp; 27 Also known as the Dao De Jing; there are numerous English translations, my own favorite being the 76 page simple and poetic one by Bynner.

  28 Waley, p. 83.

  29 Wu, K.C., p. 87.

  30 Echoing Yu’s sentiment, Sun Si-miao, probably the most celebrated physician of the seventh century, remarked, “I consider the pain and misery of the patient to be my own.” Cited in Chuang, p. 36 and Hsia et. al., p. 44 as an excerpt from Thousand Ducat Prescriptions.

  31 The Yi Jing is one of the Confucian Classics. The most widely acclaimed translation is that of Wilhelm and Baynes.

  32 Based on Wu, K.C. pps. 61 and 64.