Stop Ken Rose before he writes again!

[Guest guest]

Doug, Wainwright, Jim, et. al.,

 

Do you believe that if Ken stops doing what he is doing it won't happen? Do

you really think he has no intention of showing-up with a Chinese camera

crew? I've known Ken as a friend and author for several years and I think

the folks in Macao ought to polish their bios and get ready to smile for the

cameras.

 

The academic histories have already begun, and it is simply a matter of time

before there will be multiple journalistic inquiries. Nothing penetrates

American popular culture deeply enough to appear on television without

attracting journalistic attention. Be thankful it is Ken Rose writing the

story not some young lion from the " National Inquirer " with a reputation to

make and no concern for the field.

 

Ken is not asking any question, nor making any assertion, that is not

already in open circulation. For example, the following recent review:

 

In general these early teachers [Katpchuk, Bensky, O'Connor] presented

TCM

as a homogenous system, despite its hybridality in the PRC. This

appearance of homogeneity contributed to American consumers

perception

of TCM as a clear-cut alternative to biomedicine. (Barnes, Linda, " The

Acupuncture Wars: The Professionalizizing of Acupuncture - A View

from

Massachusetts, " Medical Anthropology, 22:261, 2003)

 

Sound familiar?

 

As for " going about it wrong, " I disagree. The " Web " is a perfect choice.

First, like " Foundations of , " it is an interpretive

presentation of the same basic Chinese material that is translated as

" Fundamentals of " and partially translated in Nathan

Sivin's " Traditional Medicine in Contemporary China. " Because

" Fundamentals " deletes nothing from the original Chinese text, and Sivin's is

commented, you can compare the treatment of TCM concepts side-by-side.

This reveals authorial viewpoints quite clearly, for example, the merger of

European " energetics " with TCM and the essential deletion of the Chinese

view of biomedicine and science in the more popular texts.

 

And, to not disappoint Jim by failing to have written all of this just so I can

promote terminological rigor, I'll point-out that often enough Nigel's

comments on terms are less about words and more about the simplification

that has resulted from the grooming of TCM to contemporary views (e.g. the

submersion of the Chinese concept of taxation into the narrower concept of

" stress " or " fatigue " to which the West is more attentive). Of course,

dropping indications that don't fit our own perspective is just academic, so

none need be concerned.

 

Another advantage of the " Web " is that it is a professionally-marketed book.

Thus, its marketing reflects analysis and intent. I talked with Marilee

Tolman of Conglon and Weed about positioning the " Web " based on its pre-

publication galleys. Neither the original cover scene, (which is more

Western than Chinese in its emphasis on the gently caring practitioner), nor

the presence of the OMD degree, (editorial convention is that only medical

doctorates are noted on book covers), are accidents. There is no question

that the " Web " was positioned in the book market as the work of a brilliant

young scholar-clinician who had gone to China and accomplished a

significant Chinese medical credential with a status similar to that of an MD.

I remember hundreds of conversations at NESA in the 1980's where this

was taken as fact. I would be shocked to learn that lay readers do not

believe that to be the case today.

 

In that light, it seems to me that Jim has expressed the primary fear behind

the emotion directed at Ken:

 

Are you trying to demonstrate that Ted and Dan's doctorate is fiction?

 

Including Dr. Benksy is just a prop for Ted; he is not involved. He has a

D.O., an earned degree from a accredited and respected U.S. university. He

has never labelled his Macao degree a doctorate, and he has never sold his

books based on his education in Macao. " Diploma " seems a fair label. In

fact, I have always imagined it took a bit of courage for him to stick to his

own description while his writing partner sported a doctorate side-by-side.

 

So, there's the question everyone dosen't want asked: Is Ted Kaptchuk's

education in Macao fair justification for presenting himself as he has? Or,

more importantly, (you'll have to pardon a greying hippy bookseller's lack

of shock at creative marketing in the trade), is Ted Kaptchuk the person

you most want to be representing the field on television, advising NIH

committees, and directing research that could be critical to the field's

future?

 

Everyone can answer that question for themselves.

 

For me, the answer is " no. " When PBS comes calling, I'd prefer that they

called Paul Unschuld, Volker Scheid, Sabine Wilms, Nigel Wiseman,

Marane Egril, and so forth. I would rather Emmanuel Segmen, Stephen

Birch and Richard Hammerschlag, Alon Marcus and others on this list to be

talking to researchers because I think they have a deeper understanding of

the issues. I think it very likely that , Bob Flaws, Dan

Bensky, and quite a few others have more time in hand-ons clinic. Ted

Kaptchuk has played an important role in the field's history, a role I have

recognized in my writings, but there is no reason that history cannot be

examined in detail.

 

For answering the challenge as to how we are going to present our field

based on the view of its nature and history we have today, the " Web " is an

ideal case study. Not only can it be compared to its own sources, the

marketing of the text and its author offer significant insights into what

Western populations want from CM and how they wish it to be. Popular

books and authors reflect demand, by examining them, we understand what

people desire and can more effectively develop a better self-description of

what we do.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bob Paradigm Publications

www.paradigm-pubs.com P.O. Box 1037

Robert L. Felt 202 Bendix Drive

505 758 7758 Taos, New Mexico 87571

 

 

 

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