Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-23
CHINESE MEDICINES.
An Americanized Celestial Describes
the Methods Used by
PHYSICIANS In FAR-OFF CATHAY.
Their Curious Ideas as to the Use and
Properties of Drugs.
sUPERSTITIoSs OF THE PEOPLE
WRITTEN FOR THE prspArcH.,

OF the United States. Some years ago de-
termined to study the profession of medi-
cine, aud when graduate from the Long
Island College Hospital, as I expect to do
next March, I will have the honor to be the
first Chinaman to practice medicine in this
country according to the English methods.
Previous to attending college had studied
with DR.. N. B. Sizer, of Greene avenue,
Brooklyn. At first I did not enjoy my
studies, and the operations in the dissecting
room at the college were particularly dis
tasteful tonne; but got used to them after
awhile.
am specially fond Of the theoretical study
of anatomy, and last winter spent almost
two-thirds of my time studying this branch.
At first I found it difficult to understand
the English language, and the long medical
terms in Latin were hard to remember; but
by diligent study and much practice have
succeeded in mastering the language, and
can now speak and write it better than most
foreigners. have not decided where I
shall settle for practice after get nv
'fsheepskin;" but the probability is I shall
return to China, where my chances for pro-
fessional success would be much better than
they would be in this part of the world. Of
course the system of medicine pursued in
the Western hemisphere is far superior to
that which prevails in China, and the more
intelligent part of my countrymen freely
confess this fact, and are now willing to
employ the practitioners of the modern
school IN preference to the followers of the
ancient Chinese methods. In some respects,
however, the old method contains the ele-
ments of common sense; in case of fever, for
instance, they give the patient decoction
made out of certain kinds of herbs. This
causes him to perspire freely and the fever
will be quickly diminished.
CHINESE PHYSICIANS.
The system of medicine Gf it can be
called system) practiced by the Chinese
must seem very curious to the inhabitant of
the Western hemisphere. 1t is somewhat
startling to learn, for instance, that in China
any man can pursue the profession of a
physician; no special education or diploma
is necessary. Any man that thinks he is es-
peeially empowered to cure diseases, hangs
his sign out and waits for patients. If he
is successful. and has plenty of patients and
makes cures, nobody questions that he is
learned man in his profession. The state
ment has been made that if, on the other
hand, he constantly fails to benefit the peo-
pie who employ him, if patients constantly
grow worse and die oD his hands, his neigh
bors and such patients as have withstood
the effect of his treatment get together, take
down his sign, chop it up and ignominously
drive him from the place. This is not true.
IF the physician tails to cure, no blame is
attached to him. The patient gets another
doctor. 1t is not uncommon for a sick per-
son to have three or four doctors, prescribing
separately at the same time.
The medicines of the Chinese have been
handed down for many generations back.
The Chinese doctor has curious way of
explaining how it was discovered that the
several medicines in his pharmscopaia have
the properties attributed to them. He will
tell you that many centuries ago in the days
when science and art were in their highest
state of development in the Flowery King
dom, certain doctor of great repute, whose
name has come down to latest generations,
and always will live, discovered transpar-
ent man. The man seemed to be made of
glass, so that every organ, muscle and vein
could be looked at and its workings be seen.
The doctor $50 the story goes) took the man
and gave him in turn all the herbs that grow
and looked into him and saw how they acted
upon his system. All these observations he
wrote in book, and that book has since
been the great source of medical knowledge
for the Chinese world.
PECULIAR REMEDIES.
That the Chinese are large consumers of
medicine may be judged from the number of
their drug stores Such establishments
abound in China; in San Francisco there
are score of such establishments, and in
and around New York there are probably q
dozen. Every town in the country where
there is a settlement of Chinese has its med.
icine store. These places employ three or
four men in cutting, mixing and putting up
prescriptions and in decocting and drying
the large number of remedies that are gath
cred from every source The assistant ex-
aminer of the Chinese customs service not
long ago sent to the United States Treasury
Department printed list of Chinese med
icines exported from Yangtse ports. Among
the remedies were tigers blood, ground
blood, bears gall, asses glue, tree bugs,
elephants gall, fossil crabs, fossil teeth,
fowls gizzard, "insects of nine SMELLS"
Jobs tears, cow hair, glass, rhinocerous
horns, cows knee, puff balls, dragons
teeth, straw, hedgehog skins, dried silk
worms, snake skins, crabs eyes, horse tails
and centipedes.
The Chinese medical writer's do not know
blood; they make no distinction between
venous and arterial blood. According to their
theory, certain channels lead to different
portions OF the body, each channel COM
municating with particular portion of the
system. When a medicine is administered;
it passes through one of these channels and
reaches the part of the body upon which it
is designed to act. At Pekin there is the
model of bronze man in which the theory
is illustrated, and the medical books state |
that medicines, no matter whether given |
singly or in combination, are sure to reach |
the organ for which they are designed. |
They feel the pulse, not only in the wrist,
which has three pulses, but in the arms, the |
temples, the legs and feet There are q
different conditions of the pulses, and from
their conditions the state Of the various or |
gans is in part discovered. There are four |
methods by which diagnosis is made: by |
observation of the tongue, eyes. complexion |
and general appearance; by listening to the
patients breathing and the sonnd of his |
voice; by questioning the patient and max
ing him give an account OF himself, and,
lastly, by the pulse.
THE SEAT OF INTELLIGENCE.
They do not believe in the existence OF
stomach. They think that the internal |
viscera is sort of tree, the root of the tree
being situated in the pelvic region. Ac-
cording to their theory the seat of intelli-
gence is not in the brain, but is measured |
by the size of a mans heart. the larger his
heart the more intelligence he is possessed
of. The seat of a mans affections is located |
in the liver.
The medical profession in China is di-
vided into speciaities, but the serious study
of the profession requires life time. Many
OF the best doctors become imbued with the
spirit Of the alchemist and believers in
superstitiols and supernatural influences.
They are unite successful in treating some |