The 'Chinese' Theory: For and Against

[Jorge_Stolfi]

he understood it, he could just write it in his own language in translation.

He would not be able to translate most of the words in the SBJ, because they are names of diseases or of weird drugs. (Do you know what is "metrorrhagia", or a "horse dewcap" or the "yellow lining of the gizzard", and how those terms translate into any other language you know?) 

"Chinese" doctors would know (most of) those terms, and maybe other Europeans who have been in that same country knew some.  Presumably he tried to compile a glossary after taking the dictation, trying to read it, and running his yellow highlighter over the terms he did not understand.  "Please, can you explain what kind of condition or disease is xiè lì?" [ten minutes later writes down:] "seems to be diarrhea".

All the best, --stolfi