Acquisition and Dissemination of Anti-Epidemic Medical Prescriptions During the Outbreaks in the Qing Dynasty of China

Abstract

During the epidemics in the Qing dynasty, many medical professionals, nonprofessionals, and social organizations collected and sorted medical prescriptions related to infectious diseases. These people also compiled, published, disseminated, and consulted related medical formularies. The above historical event can be viewed as the construction and dissemination of medical knowledge. They edited and published medical formularies on infectious diseases with lower cost and in flexible ways by taking the initiative and giving full scope to creativity. Diverse anti-epidemic medical prescriptions from these medical formularies can be used for infectious diseases in the event of the outbreaks. However, the therapeutic effects of classical prescriptions and folk recipes cannot be regarded as the same. The wide circulation of anti-epidemic medical prescriptions and medical formularies was essentially a process of epidemic prevention resource allocation. Not only did it enable many nonprofessionals to participate in epidemic prevention and control, but it also enhanced awareness, knowledge, and capacity for epidemic prevention at the individual level. At the same time, due to the uneven quality and individual differences in the physical fitness and condition of the prescriptions and formularies, they had the capacity of causing inconveniences to the readers or patients.