Ghost points, insanity and the evolution of Chinese medicine
Item
Title
Ghost points, insanity and the evolution of Chinese medicine
Description
(2017), John Welden
Source
Abstract
Examining the history of ghost points and the treatment of insanity provides a glimpse into the evolution of Chinese medicine. One insidious myth that has been too often repeated is that Chinese medicine has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. In contrast, when one examines the breadth of the extant Chinese medical literature on any subject it reveals a slow but continuous process of normal scientific development. This medical science is the result of thousands of years of observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and publication of findings that were peer reviewed by subsequent generations, who then repeated this process over millennia. As a result, changes were gradually made to this system of medicine in an on-going effort to improve clinical outcomes. Far from this myth of a stagnant intellectual field, the history of Chinese medicine has been unctuously dynamic.
Creator
Language
English
Date
volume
14
issue
3
page start
25
page end
33
Alternative Title
Lantern
issn
1449-2717