The Conceptions of Contagion in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the Han and Song China
Date Issued
2000-07-31
Date
2000-07-31
Author(s)
DOI
892411H002029
Abstract
2
This research project discusses the
development of medicine by way of
examining the doctrines and concepts of
contagious disease during the Han and
Song dynasties. This project also delves
into various medical concepts
concerning the aeotiology of contagious
disease and related debates between
medical practitioners. Those debates that
entangled with political, intellectual and
social concerns provide us a closer look
into the changing knowledge of
contagious disease over centuries in premodern
China.
During Han and Song dynasties,
medical practitioners created many
terms of "contagion" and classified
contagious disease into various
categories. Although medical
practitioners tended to believe that
"contagion" was one of possible factors
causing a certain disease, and they
assumed that other factors could also
resulted in such particular disease.
Medical practitioners attributed
contagious disease to the demon and
ghost, heteropathic qi (xie qi) and
heteropathy (xie). They also asserted
that nursing, contacting or coming close
to patients or their corpses, or even
attending funerals or wandering around
a certain places would have contracted
contagious disease and led to devastate
consequence.
During the Han and Song periods,
when an epidemic struck, healthy
laymen were likely to abandon their sick
relatives and escape. This caused social
problems and, most importantly,
contradicted the Confucian norm.
Therefore, some physicians, ru-yi
(Confucian/literati physician) in
particular, and political elites
conscientiously not only denounced the
ideas of "contagion" but also set
examples to care for patients in an
attempt to reverse the prevailing
customs. Yet their efforts achieved little.
Subjects
contagion
epidemics
medicine
aeotiology
medical history
Publisher
臺北市：國立臺灣大學歷史學系暨研究所
Type
report
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