Fang Zhixuan (1909 - 1983), whose given name was Shirui and courtesy name was Zhixuan, a native of Wuqing County, Hebei Province. Mr. Fang was born in a family of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). His grandfather, Fang Xingqiao, was the imperial doctor of the Imperial Hospital in the Qing Dynasty, and his father, Fang Shaoqiao, was a famous doctor in Beijing. Through the assiduous study of ancestral medical skills and classics, he became a doctor after passing examination and practiced medicine in Liubukou at the age of 24. With his innovation and development, Fang's family developed as one of the three famous TCM surgeons in Beijing.
After the establishment of Beijing Hospital of TCM in 1956, Mr. Fang was appointed as Vice-director of Department of Surgery and Chief Physician. He successfully held the post of Director Member of Beijing Branch of National Association of TCM, Professor of the Second Medical College, Vice-president of the Municipal School of TCM, and Representative of the Dongcheng District People's Congress. Moreover, He was awarded as the municipal model worker and was selected as the priority academic experience inheritance object among the famous old doctors of TCM in Beijing.
Mr. Fang had profound academic knowledge, respecting traditional experiences rather than rigidly adhering to them. For example, he believed that "although the name is ulcer, it actually refers to carbuncle", and elaborated the reasons of his view. Then, he practiced it based on his method, getting good effect. Furthermore, he developed many innovative treatment methods, for example, the unique therapy in treating scrofula by eliminating, inhibiting, supplementing and preventing. His book, Treatment of Takayasu Arteritis with TCM, summarized the therapies of this disease for the first time. He wrote The Experience of Fang Zhixuan's Surgery and published more than ten papers, which left valuable wealth for later generations. Mr. Fang's inheritors, Lv Peiwen and Liao Suming are now still practicing medicine in hospital.
