Research On Traditional Chinese Medicine Books In The Republic Of China

The Republic of China began in 1912 and ended in 1949,lasting for a total of 38 years.In this short period,China has presented a picture vastly different from before in all aspects of society,politics,economy,culture,education,etc.,including the field of traditional medicine.Since the period from late Qing Dynasty to early Republic of China lies amidst the historical process of "eastward spread of western culture(????)" and it straddles the contemporary and modern times of China,this period,however short it is,has its historical significance.After the Opium War,the previous closed-door policy was forced to be abandoned and the ban on sea transportation was extensively suspended.As China entered the modern era,western medicine has since been introduced into China in a more aggressive manner,profoundly changing the system of traditional medicine development and shaking the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)that lasted for thousands of years.This led to the gradual formation of a western medicine system,which was independent from the TCM system and eventually replaced the latter as the mainstream of medicine in China.In addition,under the banner of promoting science,the local academia regarded "science" as the only yardstick for measuring medicine,and gradually criticized TCM as "unscientific".In fact,during the period of Republic of China,a series of cases such as the "Abolition of TCM" broke out,which directly led to the wane of TCM from the official practice to the private sector,and its voice was gradually overwhelmed by the clamor of "scientific" criticism.The invasion of western medicine also manifested itself in the field of medical education.The introduction of the western model of medical education has provided a vivid example for the development of Chinese medical education,which has gradually been transformed accordingly.The traditional"teacher-apprentice" model(‘???'??)of training pharmacological talents was,therefore,gradually forsaken.The Republic of China period has been regarded as a critical period for the transition from traditional to modern Chinese medicine,with a role to carry on the work from the past to the future.Under the influence from the "eastward spread of western culture",a large number of scientific works were produced in the field of Chinese herbalism with reference to modern western medicine and other disciplines.What lies behind these writings is a shift in the perspective from which people during the time regarded and studied Chinese herbalism.In addition,there were also traditional herbal writings that continued to be developed in accordance with the development of traditional herbalism during this period,and these books that adhered to the tradition are also of great significance for the inheritance and dissemination of traditional herbalism.Although the Chinese medical education in the Republic of China,especially the sector of traditional Chinese herbalism,was still relatively underdeveloped and inadequate,it at least accumulated experience for future development and,more importantly,compiled a variety of textbooks and teaching materials for Chinese herbalism with different features to match the development of education,which constitute the indispensable research object of this study.In conclusion,the Chinese herbal writings of the Republican period are unique in nature.However,compared with the researches into the significance of TCM development during the Republic of China period for the academic history,the current studies on Chinese herbal medicine during the period is generally insufficient.This study is based on books of traditional Chinese herbal medicine published in the Republic of China period.Firstly,catalogue books like The General Catalogue of Ancient Books on Traditional Chinese Medicine(<????????>),The Joint Catalogue of Modern Chinese Medicine Books(<????????????>),and The General Catalogue of the Republic of China Period(Natural Science and Medical Science)(<???????>(????·????)),and the books of the Republic of China period recorded in the collections of the National Library,the Capital Library,the Library of Beijing University of traditional Chinese Medicine,the Library of Chinese Academy of traditional Chinese Medicine,Shaanxi Provincial Library,Nanjing Library and other libraries,are used as clues to gain accurate information about the titles,years of publication,authors,editions,and classifications of the books.Then the author read the original books to further obtain rich information about the authors' experiences,academic inclinations and thoughts.On the basis of this,a classification system for the books on TCM published in the Republic of China period is proposed by using the literature analysis method.With the system development considered as the backbone and the relevant contents archived and extensively integrated with the social,political,economic,cultural,educational and other aspects of the Republic of China period,the author attempts to explain the development of books on TCM published during that era,explore the internal development patterns,summarize the development characteristics and influences,uncover the diverse academic thoughts,and provide guidance for the TCM development of today and in the future.