Epidemic Disease And Society Of Northern China In The 3^Rd-6^Th Centuries

Epidemic Disease and Society of Northern China in the 3^rd -6^thCenturies Northern China went through unrest and regime of the end of Eastern Han Dynasty, Caowei and Shu,Wu coexisted and fought, Western Jin short unified, conference semifinals invaded into Central Plains, then sixty countries'turmoil and bleeding during 3^rd to 6^th century. Northern area didn't move towards unity and smooth until Northern Wei Dynasty established. However, with the Northern Wei Dynasty divided into Eastern and Western Wei, then the Northern Qi opposed Northern Zhou, Northern area fell into disturbance again. Northern area didn't become stable until Sui Dynasty unified the North and South. In addition, because northern minorities migrated to the Central area, the population of this period presented a flowing trend. Meanwhile, the ecological environment of this time changed a lot. Due to the destruction of vegetation such as forest, the people's life environment of GuanZhong and Central Plain that population relatively concentrated, deteriorated to a large extent. Especially the weather appeared to be abnormal, northern area was severe cold and wet for a very long time. It was just such kind of social and ecological environment that epidemic disease outbreak frequently in northern area. Ancient China moved into first epidemic peak. Many people died of the cruel epidemics, which seriously influenced the society. Therefore, the combing and research we comprehensively do in this period was not only a window to the social condition, but also a reference to the epidemics research in contemporary society. I am trying to do a tentative research in basis of the previous scholars.This essay conducted a study of epidemic disease restricted in the space–time range: from end of Eastern Han Dynasty(AD200years) to early Sui Dynasty(AD 599 years), taking Qinling-Huai River as the boundary line to divide North and South. In the specific process, this essay is divided into six chapters to discuss the northern area epidemic disease in the 3^rd -6^th century.The first chapter is the definition and acknowledgement of epidemic disease. People in the pre-Qin Dynasty have already perceived that epidemic disease was a kind of serious disease. In Han Dynasty, people obtain much about epidemic disease; it is a kind of extensive epidemic disease with high mortality. People at that time started to know that epidemic disease is infectious from contacting with the patients. But they didn't form a rational comprehensive understanding and expounds. During Sanguo and Jin period, people went deep into epidemic disease. They started to know epidemic disease was infectious in a theoretical and systematic way, which was a watershed of perceptual knowledge and rational knowledge. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people knew much more about epidemic disease. In early Sui Dynasty, based on the conclusions of prevention against epidemic disease in Northern and Southern Dynasties, people got a more theoretical,profound and systematic understanding about it. People even concluded the connotation of epidemic disease. In addition, ancient people had different kind of statements about epidemic disease, which I try my best to discriminate, in order to clear my researching object.The second chapter is the discussion of how ecological factors influence the epidemic disease. Ecological factors conclude geography,weather and natural factor. In main living areas of the northern people living in Wei,Jin,Northern and southern Dynasty, vegetation especially forest were destroyed to a large extent, people's living condition deteriorated gradually. Water became desertification in Huang Rive and its rate of flow decreased. All these processes were slow, which can't lead to the break-up of the epidemic disease, but it offered the objective condition to the disease. More importantly, the severe weather happened frequently during this period. The severe cold weather caused a large scale epidemic disease. The severe wet and dry weather was another important factor of the epidemic disease. Therefore, the abnormal weather was the leading reason for the epidemic disease in this area. Though the natural factor led to some epidemic disease, its influence is less important.The third chapter is the discussion of how social factor influence the epidemic disease. The social factors included political situation,war,population and social custom. Previous scholars took the unrest situation as main factor in this period. But through my investigation into different period, political situation was not the leading factor, but a pushing or slowing factor. War was frequent during this period, which was the second factor of epidemic disease. Population factor was also a very important one. Frequent and large scale migration was another important factor. In addition, people's living condition,diary patterns and funeral ways influenced epidemic disease in different ways.The forth chapter is the specific discussion of how the epidemic disease became prevalent. The epidemic disease broke up frequently at that time, and a wile range of epidemic disease were discovered, at least 17 of its kind. Moreover, some of these diseases are drug-infested,Cool destiny and high-mortality. Combining lots of historical materials, I clear up the specific statistics of the epidemic disease of that time and form a list. According to statistics, the epidemic disease broke up at least 81 times. On this basis, I analyze the space-time rule of the disease. It broke up rather frequently from end of eastern Han dynasty to Caowei, but more concentrated in western Jin Dynasty. After the turmoil of sixteen countries and frequent epidemic disease, it slowed down when Northern Wei Dynasty came. The epidemic disease increased a little in Eastern Wei,Western Wei,Northern Qi,Zhou and early Sui. As for the season, the epidemic disease concentrated in summer and winter, then the spring. Autumn is less compared with the other seasons, the epidemic disease multiplied when spring alternated autumn. It spread all the northern area except Jilin and HeiLongjiang. The epidemic disease concentrated in Central Plain and Guanzhong area, where three-quarter diseases broke up.The fifth chapter is the discussion of the harm and influence of the epidemic disease. The frequently broke-up and severe disease bring impact and effect to each level of the society. First of all, many people died of the disease, which is the main factor of the abnormal death in the north area. The rule of each government at that time was severely affected by the epidemic disease. Sometimes it directly influenced the political decision-making of the supreme rulers, which affected the trend of political situation. Many people and domestic animals died of the epidemic disease, which destroyed the labor and cattle force. Therefore, the agricultural products reduced greatly, which led to the price–rising in the disease area. At same time the economy got into trouble, which led to the unrest and turmoil of the society. The epidemic disease, which was a very important factor of military actions, influenced war to same extent.The sixth chapter is the discussion of how to prevent the epidemic disease. Many people died of the frequently broke-up epidemic disease, offering medical records for the doctors at that time, which pushed forward the development of prevention against the disease. The medical physician collected a lot of epidemic preventing medicine, and concluded many methods and measures, which make tremendous contribution to protect the people's life at that time. But due to the limit of historical conditions at that time, it is impossible to know the essence of the epidemic disease and it's hard to take the effective measures to prevent the disease. Therefore, the preventing method that used in this period played a limited role in protected the life and health of the people. However, subjected the social conditions of that time, people got a deep cognitive of the epidemic disease and concluded effective preventing measures of many disease, which pushed forward the process of Chinese traditional medical science. So all these achievements that gained at that time should be admitted and recognized.The seventh chapter is the discussion of official and civil relief measures. Though the epidemic disease was still serious, relief measures that rulers took was not that optimistic. They used limited medical resources to protect very important officials in the government, less in the treat and cure of the common people. However, the government took temporary measures to save the life of common people in order to maintain social orders. Though these measures couldn't settle the problems fundamentally, they relieved the disaster to some extent. Be lacking in the official relief measures, civil organization and personage took part in the disease–preventing action, which played a role at that time. In this process, Taoists and Buddhist actively participated in the treatment, which made certain contributions too. Of course, they brought some mysterious spell into treatment, which we should have an objective perception.