For quite a long time I've been confused as to why ancient Chinese physicians attributed Wood to the liver, Fire to the heart, Earth to the spleen, Metal to the lung, Water to the kidney. Now I have some conjectures. The Theory of Five Elements is one of the major branch of Chinese philosophy, just as the Greeks viewed the world as composed of Earth, Water, Fire, Air--four fundamental elements which in various proportions produce all materials we can perceive. The ancient Chinese doctors, some of whom might also be philosophers, tried to discover the essential properties in human organic physical systems, and correlate with all vital functions. For example, in the process of development, a child grows gradually into an adult, analogous to the Wood's receiving nurturing from the Water, and Earth. And the Water needs to circulate in the body, for which an organ representing the Fire--primary source of energy activates. Based on observation of the fact that humans have to breathe--take in the air to survive, they had to designate another organ for the respiration, in addition to one for food digestion. The staple of the food is rice, which is solid, and comes from the ground--the Earth, so it's easy to understand the organ for extracting energy from it relates to the Earth. And one organ has to be responsible for the regulation of healthy state of the Water, the fluid which circulates in the body, nurturing the "Wood", which presents as the phenomenon of micturition. -- Summarize: An organism has to consume the Air (gas state) Water (fluid state) Food (solid state) excrete the Bad Air Urine Stool The above is all we can perceive, mostly with our naked eyes. --

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