Ancient Formulas to Strengthen the Nation

Abstract

The changing status of the Treatise on Cold Damageover its nearly two millennia of existence is perhaps one of the most interesting and reliable markers of trends in Chinese medicine theory and practice. During the early twentieth century, the Treatisemay have reached the pinnacle of its importance when Chinese intellectuals believed that European and Japanese imperialism threatened the survival of the Chinese nation and even the Chinese race. Elite doctors in this period sought to heal the nation, and its frail bodies, by making the Treatisethe linchpin of a reformed medical practice. They were inspired by the evidential scholarship trend within Confucianism, the antiquity and empiricism of the Treatise, and the apparent strength and robustness of its formulas. They were also drawn to unique Japanese interpretations of the Treatise, which seemed to be rigorous and scientific enough to compete with biomedicine in Japanese society. To these Chinese elite, the Treatisewas the ultimate antidote to the world altering forces of the times and the foundation for building a renewed medical tradition that was distinctly Chinese. But after the Communist Revolution in 1949, the Chinese nation was no longer under threat. It became important to define the uniqueness of the Chinese body rather than dispel its weaknesses and frailties. The significance of the Treatisehas ebbed in contemporary Chinese medicine, as it became just one important text among many in defining the modern Chinese body.