吳中醫者之盛自明初而始。本文著重考察這群醫者之生涯的一個側面：士人交遊與社會網絡。根據不同的「生涯模式」，本文將明初的吳中醫者大致分為兩類：宮廷醫官與隱逸醫者。在元末明初政治與社會環境的壓迫下，不少吳中士人選擇以醫為業，雖然他們的人生選擇分別通向入仕與隱逸兩條相反的道路，但其身分與性格並非截然不同。他們之間大多有著師承甚至親緣關係，並在士人之間廣泛交遊，同時在儒與醫之間界定自己的身分，因而獲得了突出的名聲。這種醫、士交往的社會網絡與儒醫性格逐步在吳中醫者之中延續了下來，成為他們在後世長盛不衰的原因之一。

In the early Ming period, the number of physicians in Suzhou Prefecture grew rapidly. This article examines physicians' lives in terms of their social interactions and networks. Based on different career patterns, two interconnected groups can be roughly identified: medical officials in the imperial court and recluse physicians. In the late Yuan and early Ming period, medicine gradually became a major career choice allowing men to make a living and to practice the benevolence of Confucianism. Although career patterns and lifestyles differed, they shared an ideal of the Confucian physician and kept intimate social contacts with well-known literati and high officials, which gave them a high reputation in society. This type of social network and Confucian ideal gradually prevailed in Suzhou and was inherited by later generations, which contributed greatly to the long prosperity of physicians in Suzhou.