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JR Worsley's Legacy to the Practice of Acupuncture Peter Mole Abstract JR Worsley's death on June 2nd, 2003 has inspired several obituaries and tributes in the pages of EJOM and elsewhere. He was an inspiring teacher and a remarkable practitioner, but what did he teach? And how does the style he taught fit into Chinese medicine theory? This article attempts to give a brief outline of his approach for those who were not taught by him. This interpretation of his teaching is solely that of the author and should in no way be construed as any form of authorised synopsis of his teachings. Any misunderstandings or omissions are purely the responsibility of the author. Introduction In the 1960's when JR Worsley was learning acupuncture, it was not possible to visit China. In the absence of teachers from China, he learnt from practitioners from Europe, as well as Japan, Korea and Taiwan. He visited the Far East several times. In Japan the Five Elements has been the dominant underlying principle in oriental medicine and the Nan Jing (first or second century AD), which is largely based on Five Element theory, has always been the main classic. Taiwan (where JR Worsley visited the teacher Wu Wei-ping) had been ruled by Japan for most of the twentieth century. Its practice of acupuncture was heavily influenced by Japanese-inspired Five Element thinking. Peter Eckman's In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor is an extraordinary piece of detective work into JR Worsley's different teachers and the history of acupuncture in the UK in the 1960's. Although there are a couple of significant innovations, Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture1 is a very 'classical' style, firmly rooted in the Han dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) classics of Chinese medicine. In fact it is the acupuncture style that in some ways most closely adheres to the values and priorities expressed in the Nei Jing and other classics. It is hard to say how many practitioners now practise acupuncture based upon what they learnt from him or his students teaching the style. A survey carried out in 1995 of members of the British Acupuncture Council showed that 38% of practitioners were using the style 'regularly' compared to 66% using TCM2 and 8% using Japanese Meridian therapy3. In many ways Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture is radically different from both these styles. The Main Characteristics of the Style The observation and experience of nature is regarded as being a major path to understanding people and illness The qualitative nature of the Five Elements can be best understood by the observation and experience of nature. The differing qualities of qi expressed in the cycle of the seasons serve as a model for understanding how the Five Elements manifest in a person. The melancholic nature of autumn, for example, resonates with the emotion associated with the metal element, grief. The dynamic thrusting qi of the spring is reflected in the creative assertive nature of the wood element. Worsley strongly urged his students to deepen their understanding of how humanity is an integral part of nature and how the Five Elements are represented within the person. This attitude was expressed in the Han dynasty Daoist classic, the Huainanzi; 'I have gazed upwards to study Heaven and examined the Earth below me and about me, and sought understanding of the principles of humanity.'4 |