LOCALIZATION OF ACUPOINTS BY FINGER MEASUREMENT OR BY CONVERTING EQUAL DIVIDENDS INTO CUN (INCH) METHOD

Yan Qingrui, }'m Liyun, Luo Xinmin, Liu Dongyun

(Xi'an Railway Centre Hospital, Shanxi)

Finger measurement method usually employed the length of a finger phalanx or the transverse width of it as a convertible Cun in the localization of Shu-acupoints. Clinically, the homocorporal Cun of the middle finger, Yi-fu-method (2-5 fingers standing side by side, take the transverse distance if middle phalanges of these 4 fingers as 3 Cun), thumb-method, two-finger-method etc., are now commonly in use; yet in practice the finger-measurement methods produce more errors in localizing the points. However it is considered that the method of converting equal dividends into Cun would give us more accurate measurements, therefore we adopt four representative lines of equal dividends conversion method to get measurements and compared them with those of 4 finger-measurements. The 4 representative lines were: middle line of lower abdomen, interscapular line, flexor median line of right front arm, left popliteal-heel median line. Control measurements were performed on 100 human beings and 400 person-times data are obtained for these 4 methods. The overall coincidence rate was only 11.56%, among them the coincidence rate of lower abdominal median line was 4.25%, interscapular line 29.57%, fore arm flexor median line 4.25%; popliteal-heel median line 7.1%.

It is reasonable to perceive that in various localization methods of Shu-acupoints the-actual length of the conversion-Cun on the same line of the same body should be consistent, but the measurement results of finger-methods proved the contrary. Therefore, regarding the application of finger-methods in measurement, we proposed the following suggestions:

(1) Finger measurement methods can not be used as the chief standard to the localization of acupoints, particularly it should not e used in scientific research and teaching.

(2) Even in acupuncture and moxibustition texbooks, the finger-methods o measurement should be reserved as a reference only.

(3) Workers of acupuncture profession should start to work out a useful unifomed method for Shu-acupoints localization, rendering it more scientific, standardized and completed.