But is it [history of] medicine? twenty years in the history of the healing arts of China

Abstract

This article sets out to give an account of changes to the map of the history of Chinese medicine in the last 20 years. Concentrating mainly on English language secondary sources, it charts shifting aspirations for social history of medicine in China, the impact of anthropology and the tensions between local and large-scale histories. On the one hand, there is a focus on cultural difference, and the articulation of unique styles of perception, where practitioner historians are seen to have an advantage. On the other, historians of China are shown to be facing the challenge of writing in a global context. The paper acknowledges the importance of the transmission of knowledge and practice across social, cultural and geographical boundaries as well as through time.