Digest Number 1050

[Guest guest]

Jim,

 

It deals with the conceptual and ideological plurality found in CM,

that is the rich variety of interpretation and application of

classical ideas---or lack of clear consensus.

 

Good point. It has certainly always

been the case in China that there has

been no clear consensus as to what

medicine is all about or what the best

approach to healing is. From my own

experience over the past ten years

here, I can say that it's as true

today as ever.

 

Of particular interest

was the variety of opinions concerning bianzheng lunzhi (pattern

differentiation and treatment differentiation).

 

One point that stands out to me is on p.209:

 

" The ideological dimensions of bianzheng lunzhi are, perhaps, the

most obvious. Given the historical pressures of the time, it was

necessary for Chinese physicians in the 1950s struggling for the

indenpendence of their tradition to show that their practice, while

possessing distinctly Chinese cultural roots, was capable of

moderization and of contributing something unique to the

contemporary world of medicine. "

 

Chinese physicians, like physicians everywhere

all the time, are always under enormous

cultural and political pressures. Unschuld

makes this argument quite convincingly, and

in fact it is what Who Can Ride the Dragon

is all about. That's one of the many reasons

why I feel it's so important that people

explore these cultural dimensions of the

subject so that they can appreciate for

themselves the importance of understanding

how these pressures shape medical theories

and practices.

 

 

 

Their struggle with their relationship to WM in China does not seem

very dissimilar to our struggle with our relationship to CM in the

USA.

 

 

In kind, it seems, that the struggle is

the same. Of course the particulars of

specific cultural sets, language, politics,

economics, etc. all come to bear. There's

only so much that can be known about such

issues " in general " , and I see no way

around having to role up one's sleeves

and really find out.

 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

I'll make a point of reading Volker's book.

 

Ken