Will the real doctor...

[Guest guest]

I would be among the first to go back to school if there were degree-

granting programs in major state or private universities offering

curricula in Chinese medicine. My eyes glass over and I get plum-pit-

qi just thinking about real coursework in history, Chinese, research

methods, and medical ethics in addition to rigorous physiology,

pathology, diagnostics, and treatment. Despite having been spoon-fed

Chinese medicine for four years I believe I would now qualify for an

academic Master's program. I was tempted during a half-year in

China to complete my studies in Chengdu, but this was halfway into

my California schooling; I was also advised by a few physicians (of

diverse flavors) that I should just start practicing as soon as

possible and not postpone in China.

 

But before I start crying angrily that I was robbed of a real

education, I remember with appreciation how young the profession is,

and how much work it was for those pioneers who made it possible for

me to enroll in a CM program at all. Some of those founders were and

are more scholastically equipped and motivated than

others—Chinese medicine has always attracted many types, and will

continue to, both in and outside China. The standards are steadily

increasing, however, as the field continues to attract and produce a

cadre that could create the programs we are dreaming of. I like to

think this could proceed through discourses that are less

disparaging and divisive than they are constructive and progressive.

 

An old question: How can CM preserve its integrity in a university

medical department? If we pushed for inclusion in university

departments, might it prod medical schools to bolster complementary

specializations, thereby eclipsing CM as a unique field of study?

 

Finally, Flaws, yi-sheng, I never thought about the etymology of

" yi-

sheng " : beautiful. Although it is a ridiculous choice for

profession-wide usage, I may well use it personally; thanks.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jonah Hershowitz, itinerant yi-sheng, L.Ac.

 

P.S.- Here in title-heavy Italy people insist on calling

me " dottore " despite the discomfort it invariably causes me and my

subsequent attempts to emphasize my first name. This is as true in

the pharmacy and the wine shop as it is in my office. Of course they

know I'm not a " medico " and therein lies the difference, behind the

words.