Popular Knowledge and Modernity Ding Fubao and the Transmission of Medical Knowledge in Modern Shanghai

This thesis is a study of Ding Fubao (1874--1952)---a famous Chinese physicianpublisher, lay Buddhist and classical scholar---and the role he played in the history of modern Chinese medicine. Ding's medical ideas and practices as the founder of the Shanghai Medical Bookstore exactly mirrored the popularization and commercialization of medical knowledge in modern China. Focusing on the popularization of medical knowledge, this thesis explains how Ding---an educated man born in a traditional Chinese culture---could make use of political power, marketing and social networks to achieve success with a career of producing and disseminating modern medical knowledge. This process also reflected the relationship between Ding's medical knowledge and his conceptions of the body with his philosophy of life; while further illuminating the conflicts and compromises in the Chinese medical circles of the time. This work is primarily based on medical books and journals produced by Ding Fubao during the Late Qing and Republican eras, from the collections of libraries in Beijing and Shanghai.;Ding Fubao and the Medical Bookshop he established in Shanghai dominated the medical book market in China from 1909 to around 1915. During this time, dozens of Japanese medical books from the time of Meiji restoration, covering areas ranging from Western medicine to Chinese medicine, were published and distributed from his bookshop. Ding's success lay in his use of marketing and his social network. However, with the rise of Western medical professional societies, Ding lost his monopoly in the Western medical book market in China after 1915. This thesis analyzes this special background of the 1909 to 1915 area, a critical period for Ding. After 1915, as a lay Buddhist, Ding provided popular medical knowledge to the public through different kinds of modern periodicals. This dissertation also discusses the relationship between Ding Fubao's medical knowledge and his personal philosophies. Using this lens, this thesis reveals a traditional scholar of Chinese and Western medicine who was influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as a representative of modern medical theory and practice.;KEY WORDS&...