, 1870-09-04
MEDICINE II CHINA,
Whnt Rro Chlnexr prn<s-SNpcrstl.
lions k1THCttccxs

Tia following I1ctA ceuceru.ng the pstc-
lire of medicine in Chtua ars stated from ths
ereonsl knowledge at the writer, aud cor
oLoratsd Ly the testimony Of such men ~
lAtIa,1es 1t Pel1u, the Ab'ls Hue, and Many
.,ther writer's OF wotlI-wide aoto-iet:. to- I
,sther with that Of the foreign medical mon
.oa practising among shn Chinese.
Tbs Chil,rre doctor Is usually. hut nos al
aA>s, one wAo h1s bsa1 IN unsuccessful COM !
rt,tut for the lowest dreTee iu the lter4rs
AauaiLations. Feeling tttAt intellectual ex-
r1iou Ia Lot hi. forts, le eivea up the con-
eet, and, puenhAsiDE few works on arugs, |
"mmite their contente. more OF less ln-
- a. : dL+ciplr OF Esculapius, No gov
-rpment or guild examination Of auy sort or
Kind has ~ IL submi. ted 10, it being presume
ed tl.at every man is too careful Of his oan
health to repoee confidence in the skill OF
doctor without due grounds; anu no LICENSE
is pecesaarY TO sat up As doctor III The Co.
IestiA1 empire. But little 4ouor attaches to
tho position, for tue 1nasuu that vsrr little il
to le made By it. lie only law bearing Upon
doctors is the following passage in the penal
code: -sWhen those who ehall exercise the |
professions Of medicine or surgery without !
tugs or operata with piercing or !
cutting instrument in a manner coutr7ry to |
Established rules aud practice = cheerful en-
eouIaSement to the vofafies Of Al expert |
mental sClEpce. AQu 81 COQtIlOut4 10 CAu5e |
the death OF the patient, the magistrate shall
institute Al Investigation, and. II |
il should s.pear thA, the physician has Aosed
ou!t i'll error and without Injurious intention,
he may ~ q certain payment obtain remission
Il the punishment inflicted on homicide
hut he shall he compelled to quit the occuaa-
ton forever The existence of such Law
IL sufficient to account fur the low eetima,ion
in which the profession il held, and the gross
ignorance which prevails among its mem
bera
by the laws Of China, aud consequently Il, Al
most total Ignorance e1:sta OF the po+lt;on Of
the internal orEAls. In Eative drawings t.,ey
are invariably misplaced in the most ladicrors
manner. They axe aware Of the pnlsa:ions of
the blood, but inssead ut referring it 10 tho
hesst, imagine that each part Of the body has
it, indeoendent pulse. They believe that the
| body ia controlled ty t~o opposing fosces-,he
| igueous and the cold pziueipls. They there
| fore dreucl With cold mixtures to camhat the
| one, OF With eA1ua mixtures to overcome the
other, according As either ia supposed to be
| e4erting AL undue influence.
The most they have ever attempted IN sur
4 gerry 1ns been t. draw i tooth, or chop on
| finger, HeA.ins the stump with boiling oil.
| Itineraut tooth-lsA~crs abound in Cbina, their
stalls beng gA1nisled, iikr those Of the same
fsAte1nits N England two hundred Jears ago.
| with tbs teeth yielded with many tHluge Of
agony By their Patients. whose jaws are fire.
auently broken by shc rude paiF Of tongs With
which the operation is performed Certain
| 4uacks are sepused 70 sell powder which
4 warranted to make man sneeze
4uiriug extraction being previously rub
bed around the gum with some Of the
| powder. No one has, however, ever seen
this feat performed. though countless multi
tudes Of natives are ready to certify that
4ome friend or other la. Witnessed it. Nor
1 H. ,PFn 1f N1t t1,
t,uce anybody to produce pinch Of this mir
acu]ous substance. Sti.s, the lower-class
Chinese soberly s,eiierc in irs existence, The
stomach is suppos Il to be the eeat Of iutcl-
lect. the nervous system being entirely ig-
npzed. aud its connection with the brain un-
known. No distinction IL made between ths
venous snd arte.ial circulation. and the ahape,
extent, aud functions OF the bowels, kiudoys,
tsc.. are totally misapprchcndcd:
[ These prescriptions arc at long a. their
own conseiences and the pockets Of their pa
| tients will permit them to make them. II not
unfrcqu<ntly happens that the doctors exceed
| al bounds, and curious custom hos thence
atieen of tho patients friends ch.cking the
prescriptions and striking ont such itams 1s
they deem too expentire. aeking the doetol
to lrsert cheaper items in their.,2isce. Some
| times he will say that ench change r.M rem
der the whole mixture inctdcAr1ous. and ir
| thai casc both friends and Jatient will some
t.tnca cerate whether it would not bo bet;cl
to run the rirk, az, II tho worst come.
, | to the worst the monev thus ssvel vii
b. 70 much toward the purchase of a hand
. come coffin. II the question be decided il
| the affirmative, and the patient j. IN Grea
G.rCer. the doctor IL tnrrrd ont nad All uu
dcrtaktr Is gent for instead, so that :ho ly1ri
man nay he soa,hcd by view OF his las
LONE. t3encrally, Of cou.sc. the doctor give
way to secure bis c',.toner. People frcanen.
! IL die after .walltwing ANYTHING and evcrs
thing prescril,eo. nnl oc .a.ionnly the friend
= wi}t, n1:der the Law above quoted, cndeavor t
: get damages ont Of the unfortunate nell Il
); nejchlothood With all ayailhele desrstch.
The library OF doc.or usnally consists {
lesr thar a Ggzeu works. att!loueh over rw
= hundred and eixfy erist IN the 1ansnage-
:. writer In tho Ortr!nhd Monthly about q SC.
;, sgc stated thst be examined those 10 coul
- ,,roct,re on medicine. and found the pharm;
- copoia was compoted ~ foil 1,ws: 1t m'lst |
:. noted that the snhjoIned liAt is not one con
! 1iile1 by foreigners bo~ti3c to thu Chimes.
- hut Attual1y exists in native standard wo:l
,r On the subject. Ihs list comprises oaa tim,
\ eat,j AM. twelve different medicines, of whit
\, one hundred ard thirty-two kinds sre Of mi
- eral origin. Gt2sae1 aud vegetables (inclu
+ ing 1ootr. leaves, fow-rH, and aeeda, furnii
Il three hundred ard eighteen kinds; md the
~ ~ are the only drugs Which have any prctensio1
,s furnish one hundred and scventy-aeren me
10 icii,es, while from the human body thir J-nn
different n1+dicInes ere derived, Of which Il
following cnly csn he mentioned: hair. c
L. tine and used in plaxters; for i1ternsl us
voman's milk, danlrufr, teeth filings, sat
a'ss l,tupt to ashtn, ashea OF the frontal bpn
~ eMa 1nou.taehcs and bioo+l. the gall, and 9th
10 10 things u.tit to men ion. The rntdic.ues d
80 80 rived from animals are niuetyfour III n11l
=. - Ler, xutl co.npy1se Dragons bonee. tae
W and holns. mu:l, OF b:zoar "a coacreti
faz,J SIn NJ 1t,,% ri, Of i31At ani3ra1A In.
~ ~ gall ard ivory; glun male from, tAe hsaea
an deer or ulste.; rheep's milk the oil OF tn
.en en ard n.ares milk: the boots and thishs
~, white or bay horses; bulls manure; horna
bs tho chluois, dcef,. and rlilnoetros; tge
III III claws and eyes; dogs sail, heart, trai
~ ~ in the Gaze Of human medicines. many
~ ticles which Cannot he Ilarned publicly. Fr
AZ bugs, wor,ns, Shakes, sl,yl!6-h. Turtles, ai
&c, niuets.nlHe hilds Of MEDICINE are CO
:" pounded; from fowl a1n' birds, thi1ty-f'
-, kinds. Fruits furnish forty, the cereal thir
ia eight, aa1 the cabbage. melon, and tufn
W., wv siItx-.~o kinds Of arugs and Tue list mi
oo- bc greatly extended. One nelicina VII
.u | appears to have ita origin In suEerseiti
.r Uo ..Eef, is bretl soaked IL the blood Of dec
80 i.atcl c1irninal, which is dried aud rsducet
powder. 1t IL administered for aiseases
- ~ liz. e.oraaeh II, which all fontl and drink
~ rejected III soou "a swallowed This medit
~ l. very costlr, and its sale il one OF the
NA7N ,;uis.:-. uf tlle execnt1oners III tue vasi
,, :lri:a ri.i.~. 1t j. allvg 'ha, certain intel
uss @ a,ice iu native drug STORES; but NJ men
..s Ia made Of them r.=se.ricE speesI VIZ:
, Wy. =! IN tho :. pen I@rao Kung Iu, as the wu-
',,a ~ named <ruu, which the foregoing details
~ taken
snc E,a fers considerably 1tous tho practice pur,
..nE i.y our uUn GtcGE.st=. Instead VI mixing
- ~. powders Gy-foE ue.t1y all the hubstal
:st llovc iudIcAt cd are ra3ucad TO powdeE soz
'n,,, III, prlpo-e Of dm,pietTatiol-iti Il usual to
~: them together With water in vessel Ut b:
~ ciay. They are Kept boiling for . co1ss
st.n .El- pe1icd, and NLen tho wafer has hcc
1ni rpa, eet "a. into 1toth o. sus;eicn. s.1s.
~, it IL ssrained on. and tic patient is mad
.sn, saAllou it ~ hot ~ possia1e. Chincsa Il
Va" cine l. generally Of Al oily nature and I
Y ~ no Elaek, fx;tv substance, which il in:rod
1.e:: i1.:o noarlS all auch mixtures as are adm
,vile tered in China. Thai Ase not pa1t':'l
~ ~ aweetieh, wusazly tasseless.
j ct ~. ~ ~ 49," T3,n. 80 ne ,.ars ard
y -, - punctuze: The mo1a consists in placing Z
- iadsnushle stlhesanca on the Fa7. i, i
'"'F sired to affect, and then setting ile to
bum tEster being, OF course, the re
III, similar to ,htt pursued IY cur own dosto
,r;ter Cases Of - Eting" for chronic Theuma
Acuprnctzrr is, however, 40 operation
rn,.<, !. lined to thr medical PRACTITIONERS nf
rions and Japan It is performed br Flunssnts
Irum O, red-hot siIye- naed!1a into tho mus
euch forhon OF tue ooov. the on.s ssacncs
3ache npesa1e9 cans1ssl6 y A44o"as tnc NJ -
i tia "hefc thf5 sn2un oe .ossIsea. ,tn9 9 - ~
and Qes.a.A4SEG ~ o1sa Az
md kaa scae forty yeasa asn x,e, It the 7,
ii laend-qcn q "a s.afssi9as @ aa = 1Ga., M ~
eeu- inan5 t!s.Eu AaA otu.A - 4E3 Ia. ~
vesed y "a u S!.a uS ~ ss ~ ..s+.,,