Research On The Publication Of Medical Books On Various Disciplines Of TCM Clinical Practice During The Republic Of China Perio

The period of the Republic of China played a particular role in the history of traditional Chinese medical(TCM),which affected the result that whether TCM could continue,and its development direction.During this time,facing the charge of western learning and the negating attitude of the authorities then,people in TCM field started the struggling process for existence and development.While the publishing business burgeoned,the influence of publication became further,and TCM publication came to be a considerable part of the striving for survival and development of TCM.Clinic departments are important components of TCM system.Basically according to the statistics of General Catalogue of Ancient TCM Books,these characteristics could be revealed:In terms of various disciplines’ classification,writings of pediatrics,comprehensive clinical medicine,gynecology and febrile diseases occupied more publishing scale in turn.During this time,practically books of every classification of TCM were published.One prominent characteristic is that emphases were placed on comprehensive works.Concept of holism was emphasized in of TCM theories;core theoretical system of TCM could adapt to nearly all aspects of clinic,which made it possible to break through the dividing line of different clinical subjects;also wide acquaintance of various disciplines has been a tradition and an ideal for TCM doctors,which made these kinds of books were written and demanded generally.These factors contributed to the popularity of comprehensive publication.The publishing activities on books of various specialties of TCM were also prosperous,especially on pediatrics.Publishing activities on gynecology and febrile diseases were also popular.And books of some diseases also had relatively prominent publication scales,for instance,smallpox and measles.The edition quantity was related to the development of various disciplines of TCM,the demands of target audience,and the preference of writers and publishers.In terms of publishing time,editions of monographs on various clinical disciplines of TCM during the Republic of China era were published in a trend of gradual increase and sudden decrease.It can be differentiated into three stages:the first period is of 1912-1928,the number of editions published each year fluctuate within a relatively certain range;the second period is of 1929-1936,the number of editions showed a leap upward state in fluctuations,and peaked in 1936;the third period is of 1937-1949,the number of year-published editions dropped sharply and fluctuated at a lower level.The social environment,the situation TCM faced and the development of TCM affected this result together.In addition,before 1927 and 1928,more editions of ancient books were published than new books,while since then,publication scale of new works has exceeded ancient books and became the principal part of the publishing of TCM clinical disciplines books during the Republic of China era.In terms of the duplicate method,as the printing technology progressed rapidly,letterpress printing became the most popular form.At the same time,because of its advantages in printing ancient books and some rarely-used characters,and its lower cost compared with the large-scale machine production,stone-based lithography still occupies a place in the publication of clinical books of TCM during this time.Furthermore,handwritten copies enriched and preserved a huge amount of clinical documents,especially in fields of trauma and prescription of surgery.To some extent,the traditional Confucian medical atmosphere,the nature of operation in trauma department,and the thought of "secret transmission" of some unique skills of TCM contributed to this feature.In terms of geographical area,Shanghai was the most outstanding center of publishing,and publication of clinical books of TCM in Zhejiang,Jiangsu,Sichuan,Beijing,Guangdong,Tianjin,Hunan,Chongqing was also comparatively flourishing.A relatively stable and affluent environment was conducive to the development of the publishing business,and the gathering and cultivation of TCM talents provided a key force for the development of TCM profession and activities.In terms of the publishing organizations and publishers,large publishing companies didn’t show much fond of TCM publishing,so small and medium-sized publishing houses became the principal part,and practitioners in TCM area provided the key strength for TCM publishing.Besides TCM associations and bookstores,other TCM related organizations,like schools,hospitals,pharmacies and individuals provided their strength,too.Some government organs or social associations also published this kind of books.As for the publishing type and reprint tendency,compared with ancient books,new books written in the Republic of China era were published more both in kinds of books and kinds of editions.While on average,each kind of ancient clinical books of TCM was reprinted more editions than that of new books.Some of these kinds of works were also collected in some series of TCM books and combined collections.In conclusion,books of TCM clinical disciplines were published in a large quantity,and possessed their own features.As a side view of the development of TCM,it reflected the attributes,scale,depth and social demands of various clinical disciplines of TCM in the period of the Republic of China,and the efforts made by practitioners in the field of TCM to maintain and develop TCM during this period.