Chinese And Western Medical Culture In The Eyes Of Joseph Needham

Medicine is the sixth volume of Science and Civilisation in China written byJoseph Needham. This thesis, aims to answer the following question: what is thecultural parochialism of Medicine induced by Needham’s modern medical criterion?Through a close textual analysis, this thesis, on the one hand, unveils Needham’spersonal preference in the following structural arrangement: he selects hygiene,immunology and forensic medicine as the mainline to present Chinese medicine. Inthe subdivision, he highlights alchemy while downplaying herbal medicine andmagical practice. On the other hand, this thesis points out three mistakes Needhamcommits in understanding Chinese medical culture. Firstly, he mixes up Wu Xing(five phases), an essential concept of Chinese medical culture, with four elements inGreek culture. Secondly, he imposes objectivity on the concept of disease andvagueness on the concept of Zheng (essence of disease). Lastly, he fails to recognizethe social construction of inferiority of Chinese medicine in curing acute diseases.The methodology of Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK) is thereforeintroduced and applied in analyzing the causes for Needham’s selection of historicalfacts and his cultural fallacies. SSK is a study of science as a social activity, whichaims to challenge the objectivity of modern scientific knowledge. Paradigm shift,diversity of science and social construction in this theory are given spot light in thethesis to argue against Needham’s modern medical criterion. Although Needham isagainst Euro-centrism rooted in Weber’s thoughts, he succumbs to the absoluteauthority of modern science. Wielding Western medical criteria to judge Chinesemedicine, Needham inevitably fails to grasp the essence and effective beauty of Chinese medical culture.