In principle, these four diagnostic methods require no scientific devices. Using only his five senses, the doctor can discover the imbalances within the patient's body and the nature of his illness. This makes the doctor of Chinese medicine much more independent than his modern "Western" counterpart who seemingly requires tools and devices for everything he does.
理論上，望聞問切四診，不須依賴任何科學儀器，只須經由醫師的五官判斷，即可瞭解人體內在的矛盾及疾病本質，比起現代凡事皆須依賴儀器的西方醫療，具有較高的自主性。