Abstract
This study was done for understanding the desirable direction of eastern and western nursing by comparing the nursing practice for the Pyrexia patient occuring most commonly. Body temperature usually maintains around $37^{\circ}C$ owing to the thermoregulatory center but pyrexia is caused by exogenous pyrogen like infection, cancer or disturbances in body's homeostatic heat balance. Pyrexia is defined that body temperature rise above $37.2^{\circ}C$. It has chill phase, course of the fever, termination accompanied various symptoms. Oriental medicine explains that pyrexia comes from Yang's(陽) abundance and Yin's(陰) lack. Pyrexia mainly happens when body constitution is in bad condition by Six Dirty's(六陰) affection to Wi Area (偉分). It also occurs because of unbalance between Qi (氣) and Yin(陰) caused by the lack in Seven Emotions, labor, food. The Sanghanron(傷寒論), explains that pyrexia is categorized exogenous fever like Poong Han(風寒), Poong Yul(風熱), Sup Yul(濕熱) and endogenous fever due to the Qi and blood deficiency. Explained above, even though pyrexia has different meaning in oriental medicine and western medicine, but this study have compared the oriental and western medicine assuming that pyrexia is rise of body temperature. From this point of view, oriental and western nursing shows the similarity in the field of 1) use of antipyretic to control the body temperature 2) rest and comfort 3) watering 4) nutrition and case study was executed in nursing practice. From the above study, western nursing has superiority in decreasing the patient's risen body temperature using antipyretic and ice bag. But in case of empty heat, oriental nursing which recommends the patient's body keep warm and prevent the use of ice bag as the first step and helps patient's sweating by drinking of hot water was comparatively effective. In conclusion, it is desirable that oriental nursing emphasizing the supportive nursing and western nursing should be harmonized according to the status of pyrexia patient and it is needed to study the nursing method appropriate in our culture.