Historical Facts of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine—A Letter to the Editor Re: Magalhães-Sant’Ana, M. Animals 2019, 9, 168

Abstract

A recent viewpoint paper by Manuel Magalhães-Sant’Ana (2019) discussed the evidence regarding history, conceptions and modern research related to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Acupuncture (TCVA). Based on the observation of an illustration of nine needles, the author suggested that the needles used in acupuncture are more like lancets than needles in ancient times; to support the view that acupuncture is analogous to bloodletting. In addition; the author does not believe that TCVA has not been practiced for thousands of years. This letter documents that the prototype of the modern filiform acupuncture needle has appeared as early as the Han Dynasty and that modern needles did not evolve from lancets. In addition, there is proof based on existing ancient books that TCVA has a history of thousands of years.