In the late Ming dynasty

plagues occurred frequently in various places and were often accompanied by disasters and famine. The plagues were further aggravated by chaos of wars toward the end of Ming

which not only brought about heavy loss of life and property to the common people

but also accelerated the decline of the rule of Ming. Although many measures had been taken by the government and local community to deal with the plague

the results were less satisfactory due to war and financial crisis. The prevalence of plagues in the late Ming dynasty has promoted the development of the plague theory. It was against this background that Wu Youxing presented his

Treatise on Acute Epidemic Warmth

(

Wenyi Lun

)

the first monograph on plagues in China. By disproving the traditional theory that confuses the acute epidemic warmth with the typhoid fever

it elaborates on the pathology and aetiology

the transmission route and the treatment of the acute epidemic warmth

prominently promoting the scientific understanding of the plague and contributing to its prevention and control.