In history, traumatic injuries and ophthalmologic, otorhinolaryngologic and stomatologic diseases belonged to the scope of Surgery of TCM. With the development of medicine, the departments have been divided in exquisite details and the above-mentioned diseases were successively assigned to the related departments.

Surgical diseases of TCM mostly happen on the body surface and can be diagnosed directly by palpation, i.e. a type of diseases characterized by organic changes. In addition to the relation with the factors of six exogenous pathogens, seven emotional pathogens, improper food intake, sexual exhaustion, fall and stumble, most diseases can be caused by local and external factors, such as skin rupture and infection. Morphologically, the diseases can be manifested by change in skin color, plaque, papule, node, mass and ulcer, often accompanied by abnormal sensation of itch, pain and numbness, and can also produce the pathological products of scale, pus, suppurativefluid, and blood stasis. Therapeutically, in addition to the treatment offered upon syndrome differentiation, the specific therapies, such as herbal ointment, external application of herbal drugs, infusion, cotton pad drainage, medicated thread drainage, and cutting drainage, are mostly utilized to cure the diseases by the principles to disperse accumulation, cut the mass to discharge pus, get rid of suppuration and expel putrefaction, and promote granulation and wound healing.