Joseph Needham explained the meridian system in the section, "Acupuncture: History and Theory," in his Science and Civilization in China. According to Needham, it is a kind of emanation from the capillaries, a great insight of the ancient Chinese, apparently derived from the observation of the arteries, veins and nerves.
英國學者李約瑟的著作《中國之科技與文明﹘ ﹘針灸：歷史與理論》，曾對經絡系統作解說，他認為這是種放射狀「毛細血管」的觀念，是古代中國生理學的一大真實洞見，其根據顯然是對小動脈、小靜脈及神經分枝的觀察。