Through systematic review of the literature on the treatment of different clinical conditions or illnesses with acupuncture and moxibustion therapies in the 20 th century

the authors of the present paper analyzed the evolution process of classification of related clinical disorders.It was found that the classification and nomenclature of clinical disorders or illnesses are defined in terms of traditional Chinese medicine or western medicine

which undergoes an evolutionary process from western medicine to Chinese medicine and back to western medicine.This evolution process is due to the intrinsic requirement'of clinical practice such as thinking ways of diagnosis and treatment or to be influenced by extrinsic factors including introduction of western medicine at the Republic period

policies of"advanced studies of traditional Chinese physcians"and"western medicine doctors"learning from traditional Chinese medicine

and the leading role of western medicine

etc.The former issue about the diagnosis and treatment of clinical problems needs being researched further.