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Article ID: CBB001213714

Wang Shuhe Maijue (the Pulse-Diagnostic Song of Wang Shuhe) Controversy and the Construction of Scholarly Medical Knowledge in Late Imperial China (2012)

Po-Huei, Hsieh (Author)

Taiwanese Journal for Studies of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Volume: 15
Pages: 65--116

Publication Date: 2012
Edition Details: [Translated title.] In Chinese.
Language: Chinese

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Medicine and culture Medicine, Chinese traditional Medicine Controversies and disputes Medicine and society Qing dynasty (China, 1644-1912) Ming dynasty (China, 1368-1644) China

The complicated aspects of the scholarly medical knowledge in late imperial times are on path to be the focus of attention in academic studies in the history of Chinese medicine. Among different facets pointed out by scholars, social and cultural distinction is highlighted to be an important driving force that motivated the scholarly physicians to construct and reconstruct the medical orthodoxy they held to be of utmost importance for their status and dignity. Since the middle of Ming dynasty, because of the increase in the number of medical practitioners, it's important for the scholarly physicians to establish their own orthodox tradition, to distinguish themselves from other practitioners in order to cement their status and clientele. This paper is tasked with indicating that, with this background, specific knowledge, i.e. Wang Shuhe Maijue ( ), was culled to be the target of repudiation. The reason why Wang Shuhe Maijue was crucial is because of its undoubted eminence in the history of Chinese medicine since its appearance in northern Song dynasty. From then on, Wang Shuhe Maijue was so popular that not only lowbrow practitioners practiced it to earn their living, but scholars who were familiar with medicine were also deeply affected by its pulse-diagnostic theory. Its popularity was not eclipsed by the continuous fulminations from scholars and physicians during southern Song and Yuan Dynasties for its vulgarity and peccadillo in theory. However, it's worth noting that only from the middle of Ming dynasty on that orthodox physicians contended to veto its status as legitimate knowledge of orthodox medicine. The repudiation of Wang Shuhe Maijue not only defined the orthodox medicine ever since then, but the orthodox medical knowledge invented by the orthodox physicians in late imperial China was also deeply influenced by the repudiation of Wang Shuhe Maijue. It is against this background that new orthodox knowledge was produced, and the boundary of the community of orthodox physicians was delineated.

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