The Process of China People Accepting Western Medicine in the Late Qing Dynasty
With regard to China people's acceptance of western medicine in the late Qing Dynasty, Xiong Yuezhi pointed out in the book "Western learning spread to the east and society in the late Qing Dynasty" that China people's acceptance of western medicine went through five stages: doubt-contact-attempt-comparison-conviction. This is undoubtedly an incisive summary of China people's acceptance of western medicine in the late Qing Dynasty, but it shows great differences in terms of different people in different regions.
First of all, different classes show obvious differences when accepting western medicine. Generally speaking, at the beginning of contact with western medicine, the lower class people often walk in the forefront. Because western medicine is practical, the lower class people live in poverty and are less influenced by mainstream culture, they have less scruples when they enter the church hospital and receive western medicine treatment earlier. Peter parker said in the hospital report in the first quarter, "Except for a few patients, all patients expressed complete trust." The upper and middle classes are different. Generally speaking, their living conditions are superior and they can invite famous doctors to treat diseases. Coupled with their sense of cultural superiority, they scoff at the medicine of "foreigners", while some people refuse to accept western medicine because of "suspicion". However, the pursuit of the curative effect of western medicine by the lower class has also had an impact on the upper and middle classes over time, especially when Chinese medicine can't treat the same disease, western medicine treatment becomes possible. 1840 or so, under the influence of a large number of lower class people seeking medical treatment from peter parker, many officials and gentry often seek medical treatment from peter parker.
Before the Second Opium War, when missionaries' medical services were extended to other places, there was no religious plan, because China people were skeptical about western medicine, which showed that China people were not opposed to western medicine at first. After 1860, missionary medical services expanded to the mainland and began to contact frequent religious plans. Although western medicine is easy to arouse the suspicion of Chinese people in some aspects, malicious propaganda against Christians is often the main cause of religious cases. But after a period of time, western medicine was quickly accepted by the local general public, and then the middle and upper classes began to accept it. It can be seen that both the mainland and the coastal areas, when accepting western medicine, all present a situation of "the lower level first and then the upper level". For example, in Suzhou at the end of 19, "China families don't like western medicine". Personally, I think Li Hongzhang is typical. Contact with western medicine in 65438+early 1960s. 1879, his wife is ill, and Tianjin TCM is helpless. Later, he was cured by missionaries Ma Gen and Hao Weide, and he only received western medicine treatment.
Secondly, different regions also show some differences in accepting western medicine. Obviously, the earliest place to accept western medicine was the earliest trading port where missionary hospitals were held. Then, due to the curative effect of western medicine, personnel exchange and information circulation, some people around who know nothing about western medicine also take the initiative to contact western medicine. For example, at the beginning of Luo's medical practice in Shanghai, people from Suzhou, Songjiang and other neighboring cities all went to Shanghai for treatment.
After 1860, the missionary medical service began to penetrate into the mainland, and its influence continued to increase. The social mobility in China is also increasing day by day, and the speed and scope of information dissemination are faster than before. In this context, western medicine information has spread to many places. In Hunan, which is famous for its xenophobia, people were interested in western medicine as early as 1879. According to Guo Songtao's diary, Charlotte Lin, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine in Changsha, asked him for western medicine books, and he gave Xia four medical books, such as New Theory of Internal Medicine and Brief Interpretation of Western Medicine. In closed Sichuan, Luo Dingchang of Chengdu wanted to get western medicine books published in Shanghai on 1980 19. 1886, finally bought all the new theories and theories about women and babies, and then wrote the essence of Chinese and western medicine. It can be seen that in the 65438+70' s and 80' s of 2009, people in Chinese mainland learned and accepted western medicine through information dissemination.
Western medicine has not been generally accepted in coastal areas when mainlanders are interested. According to "Church News": 65438+In the early 1970s, in western hospitals in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and other places, sick people "really admired, but many people were afraid to see a doctor". From 65438 to 1970s, it was difficult for Renji Hospital and Gezhi Academy to find suitable people from China to study western medicine. Ge Zhi compiled a reply to Hangzhou readers, saying that it is too early for China people to open public hospitals, because China people don't understand medicine, and "people don't believe in the methods of western medicine". Therefore, in the 1970s of 19, the trading ports only accepted western medicine to a great extent, while the understanding and acceptance of western medicine near the trading ports was still in the primary stage. In the 1980s and 1990s of19th century, with the development of western medicine and the opening of China society, China people at trading ports made great progress in understanding western medicine both in practice and in theory, and at this time, western medicine began to be generally accepted by local people. In the 20th century, western medicine was gradually accepted by some big cities in the mainland. 19 15, Beiyang government officially recognized western medicine, and western medicine was truly established in China.
Changes of China People's Understanding of Western Medicine in the Late Qing Dynasty
Accepting western medicine does not mean fully understanding western medicine. In the process of long-term contact, people in the late Qing Dynasty gradually got a correct understanding of Western medicine.
At first, most people in China lacked in-depth contact and understanding of western medicine. One of the reasons why they believe in western medicine is that they like the simplicity and strangeness of western medicine. Before having a scientific understanding of western medicine, many people in China decided to treat their own diseases. Some people don't follow the doctor's advice at all, some people often finish the prescribed medicine at once, some people stop treatment after their condition improves, and many people are afraid to undergo anesthesia surgery in western medicine.
Theoretically speaking, China people's initial understanding of western medicine is quite one-sided. Pan Shiyi was the first person to judge western medicine theoretically. He said in "The New Holism": The new holism has some original opinions, but it is different from Ling Shu and Su Wen, and it can only be expressed by one family. He also has doubts about western anatomy, thinking that it was obtained by dissecting the dead and could not reflect the real situation of the living. At first, people in China often thought that western medicine was good at surgery, but not at internal medicine, and they were also surprised by some surgical operations. As for western medicine, many people think it is "violent" than Chinese medicine. With the development of church medical service, the spread of medical works and the development of medical education, people in China have gradually deepened their understanding of western medicine. China people's understanding of western anatomy is quite different from that when 1884 was published. At that time, Guang Shou, Rong Lu, Chen Lanbin, Zhang Sigui and others made a preface. Guangshou commented, "Anyone who studies medicine in China will realize that acupuncture and medication are not satisfactory. This book has great advantages. " At the same time, China people's attitudes towards western medicine and surgery have also changed. Yu Yue pointed out in the preface to The Mystery of Chinese and Western Medicine: "The dispute between China and the West envies western medicine, and it is said that it is good at surgery, but I don't know that its internal medicine is particularly good"; Western medicine is good at internal medicine because it has an accurate understanding of physiological anatomy. China people have a deeper understanding of western medicine, which is not only the difference between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, but also the inherent difference in the use of western medicine.
It can be seen that China people's understanding of western medicine in the late Qing Dynasty experienced a process from perceptual to rational, from one-sided superficiality to comprehensive and meticulous.
China people's views on Chinese and Western medicine in the late Qing Dynasty
In the process of accepting and understanding western medicine, China people in the late Qing Dynasty produced four different views on Chinese and Western medicine.
(1) Believing in Western medicine and rejecting Chinese medicine. Most western doctors educated by missionaries in the late Qing Dynasty held this view, and some people who converted to western medicine also held this view. For example, after Wu Rulun believed in western medicine, he rejected Chinese medicine, saying that medical books such as Lingshu, Su Wen and Compendium of Materia Medica were groundless. The anatomy of western medicine is quite accurate, and the drugs are mostly decided by chemists, so it is "a hundred uses and a hundred effects". He thinks that Chinese medicine is far worse than western medicine, and some medical books after the Song Dynasty can be burned. Wu's view exaggerates western medicine and completely denies Chinese medicine, which is an extreme view.
(2) Advocate the combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine. Some people who believe in western medicine compare Chinese and western medicine and think that western medicine can make up for the deficiency of Chinese medicine, forming the following two general views of Chinese and western medicine. First, it is believed that Chinese and western medicine have their own strengths, and they advocate that the two will be connected. Li Hongzhang said in the Preface of the Nations that both medicine and medicine in China have shortcomings, while the strengths of western medicine lie in medical education, medicine and anatomy. He also thinks that the anatomy of western medicine is consistent with the traditional medical books in China in some aspects. Zheng believes that Chinese and western medicine have their own strengths and weaknesses. "Developing strengths and avoiding weaknesses, combining Chinese and Western medicine will definitely break the boundary between China and the West and invent each other, which will be of great benefit to medicine." In addition, Li Jingbang, Chen Chi, Zhong Tianwei and Xu Keqin all hold this view. Zhu Peiwen and other famous modern Chinese medicine practitioners also hold this view. In addition, some doctors trained by missionary medical education also hold this view, such as Gu Furu, a student of Suzhou medical missionary Bolewen. Second, Chinese and western medicine can complement each other, but western medicine has many shortcomings, and Chinese medicine should be the main one. This is represented by Tang Zonghai, who proposed in the Essentials of Chinese and Western Classics that "we should accept the spirit, refine the classics, and interpret Chinese and western meanings, regardless of territorial similarities and differences, but compromise." However, he also said that western medicine lags far behind Chinese medicine in medicine, medication, anatomy and surgical treatment.
(3) Confirming western medicine in a limited way, but actually opposing or not accepting western medicine. This is represented by Zhu Yixin, Qiu Chen and others. Zhu said in "Answers to Questions in Innocent Hall": "Medicine is China's acupuncture technique, which has been lost for a long time, and Western medicine is good at it. His knowledge of internal medicine is far less than that of China. " At the same time, he also opposed western medicine from physical differences and medical differences. Although Qiu Chen admitted that the diseases of western medicine originated from germs, saying that "in fact, all ancient books in China were quoted but not published", he actually did not accept western medicine. This view reflects the "western origin" of treating western learning.
(4) Insist that Chinese medicine excludes western medicine. Among China people who oppose western medicine, some oppose western medicine from the perspective of preserving the quintessence of Chinese culture, and some oppose western medicine for the benefit. For example, in the 1970s and 1980s, some Chinese medicine practitioners and officials in Northeast China and Zhejiang created rumors for their own interests and incited the masses to oppose Western medicine. In "On Western Medicine", Ye Dehui said that Christianity has made great achievements in using medicine to preach, so we should take precautions, and put forward five reasons against western medicine from the aspects of physiological anatomy, the difference between China people and foreigners, and the difference between medical science and medicine. Finally, he proposed to revitalize Chinese medicine.
To sum up, the evolution of China people's views on western medicine in the late Qing Dynasty was a complicated process. Under the impact of western medicine, the unification of traditional Chinese medicine was broken, which led to the diversification of China people's medical views in modern times. This had a far-reaching impact on the development of modern medicine and medical and health undertakings in China.