As a result of social progress, the disease spectrum changes continuously. In recent years, encephalopathy has become a current leading project to study in the world. In the first session of the 101st U.S. Congress in 1989, a resolution was adopted that determined the ten years from January 1, 1990 on to be "the decade of brain." In Japan, a Scientific Program of Human Frontal Research Field was also declared that strengthened researches on the brain. It has been reported that in the United States there are about 50 million people who have become affected or maimed with encephalopathy and that their expenses for treatment and convalescence are as high as $3 050 hundred million. According to statistics, there are about 50 million people suffering from various diseases that affect the functioning of the brain in China. Data from China Federation for the Handicapped and the Ministry of Public Health show that the morbidity rate of cerebral palsy alone accounts for 18.4‰ of the total population, that of mentally retarded children accounts for 22.2‰ of the total population and that of senile encephalopathy makes up 10% of the old people. Moreover, the figures are continuously increasing. Such patients not only have sufferings of themselves but also bring about a heavy burden to the family and the society, making an impact on the population quality of our country and on the life quality of the patients themselves.

Author's unit: 1. Guangdong Gaoming Medical and Medicinal Institute of Encephalopathy, Gaoming, Guangdong 528500. 2. Guang An Men Hospital of Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100000
The brain is one of the most important structures of human body, the understanding and study of the structures and functions of the brain have a long history. In the domain of modern science, the development of neurological science has turned from the study of neurophysiology and neuroanatomy to the understanding of higher functions of the brain and the neurological mechanism of cognitive function with great achievements. In recent years, the rapid development in studies on encephalopathy at home and abroad has led to new progress in the diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of the disease. The brain can be recognized anatomically, physiologically, biochemically and from other aspects. This results in the improvement of accuracy of diagnosis of encephalopathy and the direct understanding of the location, size, morphology and nature of pathological change. However, treatment of encephalopathy by far falls behind the development of diagnosis. There have been no satisfactory therapies in Western medicine for encephalic diseases caused by developmental retardation or damaged nerve cells of central nervous system, such as encephalatrophy, senile dementia, Parkinson's disease and sequelae of cerebrovascualr disease.
It is generally believed that encephalopathy refers to various diseases that affect the functioning of the brain. Cerebral palsy, dementia, hypophrenia, aphasis, visual and auditory disturbance, epilepsy and hydrocephalus caused by developmental retardation of central nervous system due to hereditary, congenital or acquired factors, and senile dementia, Parkinson's disease, encephalatrophy, hypertensive encephalopathy and sequelae of cerebrovascualr disease caused by nerve retrgrade affection of central nervous system all belong to the category of encephalopathy. Cerebral dysfunction caused by chromosomal disease is also classified by some into the category of encephalopathy.
At the beginning of the present century, a German neurologist declared after all his life for the regeneration of human brain cells that brain cells had no power of regeneration.
Studies of modern molecular neurology, immunology, molecular genetics, cellular biochemistry and receptor biochemistry lay a good foundation for further development of neurological science. Some have proposed that the course of treating encephalopathy is the course of promoting neuronal development and repairing damaged nerve cells, that is, the course of mobilizing latent energy of the brain. In order to seek a way of treating encephalopathy, Chinese specialists cast their eyes on traditional Chinese medicine and clinical practice of several decades has demonstrated that this is a way of hope.
The development of a country lies on improvement of population quality and the development of latent energy of everyone's brain can be regarded as an important link of realizing the goal. With the deepgoing development of researches on encephalopathy all over the world and the change of biomedical mode, traditional Chinese medicine will give an impetus to the solution of many problems in encephalopathy and will show its superiority and distinctive features in controlling encephalic diseases.