留针法是针刺治疗中的一个重要环节、古代文献中对此具有专门的论述、如“热则疾之

寒则留之”(灵枢·经脉)

“久病者、深内久而久留之”(灵枢·终始)

“婴儿者

浅刺而疾发针”(灵枢·逆顺肥瘦)等

并且认为留针是否得当可直接影This is an observation of the relationship between tile retention of acupu- ncture needles and its effect on nose temperature in seventy-four patients with facial nerve paralysis. The patients were divided into five groups according to the period of retention of needles: no retention

retention for ten

twenty

thirty and fourty minutes. Every group consisted twenty cases. The results showed that (a) the nose temperature lowered after acupuncture immediately; (b) then it rose and reached to the maximum at twenty minutes after acupuncture

then lowered again; (c) for the group of no retention and retention for ten and twenty minutes

the temperature rose again during thirty to fourty minutes afteacupuncture

for the group of retention for thirty or fourty minutes

howevere

without these phenomena; (d) the general tendency was that the change of temperature was bigger but lasting for shorter period in the groups of etentionfor longer time than that in the groups of retention for shorter time. These results verified that some theory in ancient books about the retention of acupuncture needles are scientific.