The Seongho School's Study of the Ancient Learning and Its Influence on the Debate about Materia Medica in the Late Joseon Dynasty / 의사학

This study will determine the ways in which the ancient learning (gu xue) scholarship of the Seongho School, and its interest in the materia medica (ben cao xue) were related during the late Joseon period. The Seongho School centered its studies mainly on classical Chinese texts of the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and pre-Han (?-221 BC) (xian-qin liang-han) periods rather than those of the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279). Gu xue scholarship emerged during the Ming dynasty era (1368-1644) as an alternative to the scholarly trends of the Song dynasty, which were dependent on Zhu Xi's (1130-1200) Neo-Confucianism and its interpretation of Han and pre-Han classical Chinese texts. This scholarly trend influenced Korean and Japanese literature, philosophy, and even medicine from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Focusing on Korean scholarship, we find a great deal of research regarding the influence of gu xue on Korean classical Chinese literature and Confucian philosophy in the late Joseon period; however, no study has examined how this style of scholarship influenced the field of medicine during the same period. This study will investigate how the intellectuals of the Seongho School, who did the most to develop gu xue among Joseon intellectuals, were influenced by this style of scholarship in their study of the materia medica. Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836), the representative intellectual of the Seongho School, did not focus on complicated metaphysical medical theories, such as the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory (yin yang wu xing shui) or the Five Movements and Six Atmospheres theory (wu yun liu qi shui). Instead, his interests lay in the exact diagnoses of diseases and meticulous herbal prescriptions which formed an essential part of the Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Disease (Shang han lun) written by Zhang Zhungjing (150-219) in the Han dynasty. The Treatise was compatible with the scholarly purpose of gu xue in that they both eschewed metaphysical explanations. The Seongho School's interest in the materia medica stemmed from a desire to improve the delivery and quality of medical practices in rural communities, where metaphysical theories of medicine did not prevail and the cost of medicine was prohibitive.

Sobre los medicamentos homeopáticos mexicanos / On mexican homeopathic medicines

A lo largo de 155 años, médicos homeópatas e instituciones académicas han promovido el estudio y la configuración de las patogenesias de diversos remedios mexicanos. Este trabajo relata la historia de 54 de ellas y señala datos específicos acerca de su acción terapéutica. Es importante resaltar las investigaciones en torno a Meteorita campo cielo (es la primera vez en la historia que se experimenta con un meteorito), y Cinis popo (ceniza del volcán Popocatépetl).

Over 155 years, homeopaths and academic institutions have promoted the study and configuration of several mexican remedies pathogenesis . This work tells the story of 54 of them and points out specific facts about its therapeutic action. Importantly, the research on Campo cielo meteorite (the first time in history that is experienced with a meteorite), and Cinis popo (Popocatepetl volcano ash).

The Introduction of Compendium of Materia Medica and Praxis in the Late Joseon Dynasty / 의사학

Sakae Miki said Classified Emergency Materia Medica had been the dominant standard of herbology throughout Joseon Dynasty, and that Compendium of Materia Medica had only been accepted so lately that a few books used herbological result of it in the late Joseon Dynasty. But according to Visiting Old Beijing Diary written by Munjoong Seo in 1690, Compendium of Materia Medica was in fact introduced before the year 1712, the year Miki Sakae argued to be the year Compendium of Materia Medica was accepted to Joseon officially. Now, we can assume that the introducing year of Compendium of Materia Medica was faster than Miki Sakae's opinion by the following reasons; the effort of Joseon government and intellectuals to buy new books of Ming & Ching; the publishing year of the book for living in countryside regarded as the first citing literature of Compendium of Materia Medica. And the True Records of the Joseon Dynasty and many collections written by intellectuals in the 18th century show that the herbological knowledge from Compendium of Materia Medica had already spread to the corners of Joseon Dynasty. Thus we can make the following assumption: Classified Emergency Materia Medica and Compendium of Materia Medica had coexisted in the late Joseon Dynasty. Sakae Miki suggested 6 examples which used Compendium of Materia Medica in the late Joseon Dynasty. I reviewed two of them in this paper, Essentials of Materia Medica & Handbook of Prescriptions from Materia Medica. Essentials of Materia Medica quoted Compendium of Materia Medica briefly focusing clinical use, and Handbook of Prescriptions from Materia Medica also re-compiled Compendium of Materia Medica to practical use according to the form of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine. It means that the results of Compendium of Materia Medica have been used positively, based on the herbology of materia medica from countryside. From this point of view, the hyphothesis there weren't any herbological progress after accepting Compendium of Materia Medica in the late Joseon Dynasty by Sakae Miki can be denied.

Behind the Naming of Herbal Section as the Decoction Section in Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine / 의사학

Heo Jun, who is the main compiler of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine, states to applicate Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica, Rihuazi's annotations and Li Gao and Zhu Zhenheng's opinion to arrange materia medica on the introductory notes of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine. While Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and Rihuazi's annotations are both conventional texts dealing with materia medica, Li Gao and Zhu Zhenheng are just clinical practitioners. Not only Li Gao has no authorship on materia medica, but also Zhu Zhenheng's Supplement to the Elucidation of Materia Medica is assessed to have no distinctive achievements. Nevertheless, Heo Jun shows positive considerations for their achievements of materia medica. Specifically, on the Decoction Section in Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine, theories of lift, lower, float, sink and Channel Entry, both representative achievements of Yishui school-including Li Gao-are adopted as it is, and Zhu Zhenheng's expressions are frequently utilized for conclusive remarks of medicinal effect. Furthermore, applications of both clinicians can be found within nature & flavour which is one of the principal terms of understanding materia medica. While being based on the conventional materia medica text Classified Emergency Materia Medica, the Decoction section in Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine is not restrained by the intricate traditional compositions and shows a new aspect of depiction by adding clinical information. And I think it is a important meaning of the Decoction section, which is the herbal chapter of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine.

The Translation and Its Meanings of Materia Medica Part. I in the Jejungwon / 의사학

For more systematic medical education, Dr. O. R. Avison translated medical textbooks into Korean since he took charge of Jejungwon in 1893. The first book he chose was Anatomy of the Human Body. He, however, failed to see it published after losing its manuscript twice. Instead, Materia Medica Part. I was brought into the world first in 1905, for which he translated Materia Medica and Therapeutics written by John Mitchell Bruce from the U. K. At that time, this book was in widespread use in the English-speaking world as a textbook for pharmacology. It is also assumed that Avison used it as a textbook for his classes in Canada before coming to Korea. For the publication of Materia Medica Part. I, Avison did not translate Bruce's original text in full, but translated only the selected passages. He followed a principle of using Korean alphabets (Hangeul) only, but in combination with Chinese characters, if necessary. He put pharmacological terms into existing Korean equivalents or newly coined words, but also borrowed many from Japanese terms. That's because Japan moved faster to introduce Western medicine than Korea did, so that many pharmacological terms could be defined and arranged more systematically in Japanese. Moreover, Japan took such a favorable stance in the state of international affairs that many of Japanese-style terms could be introduced into Korea in most fields including medicine. By translating Materia Medica Part. I in cooperation with his disciple KIM Pilsoon after Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, Avison tried to lay groundwork for providing medical education in Korea based on the British-American medicine. It is assumed that he took an independent stance in selecting and translating Western medical textbooks on his own rather than simply accepting the existing Chinese translation of Western medical textbooks. Despite all his efforts, he might find it difficult to translate all the Western medical terms into Korean within a short period of time. Therefore, he seems to have had no choice but to accept Japanese medical terms as a complementary measure.

Moalejat-e-hindi: a compilation of ăyurvĕdic formulations tested by Nizam--III of Hyderabad.

This Indian Institute of History of Medicine possesses more than 100 medical manuscripts (paper) in Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages. One of the rare manuscripts is known as "Moalejat-e-Hindi", its specialty is that it is on ăyurvĕda in Persian. It contains shlokas in transliterated form. It contains three sections. It has been compiled by the order of Nizam-III of Hyderabad.

Atharvaveda and its materia medica.

Atharvaveda is the fourth and last Veda of Hindu literature. Its oldest name was 'ATHARVANGIRASAH', because it was contributed by two sages, ATHARVAN and ANGIRA. It is also known as 'Bhaishajjvaveda'. Atharvaveda gives information regarding plants, minerals and animal products with their usage for medical purposes. For example, 'Apamarga', a plant is useful for cough, piles, itching and abdominal pain, wherea 'Lavana' is useful for pimples; 'Shankha' useful to protect from diseases and 'Mriga Shringa' is useful for pulmonary consumption and other chronic diseases etc.

The relation between Greek and Islamic materia medica.

Many studies have been made on the exact data of the introduction of Greek sciences to the Arabic culture. During the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. a big progress was done in the Arab-Islamic sciences, when the Caliphs of the Omayad and Abbasid dynasties invited many scientists, researchers and translators for translation of all sciences into Arabic. The Arabs paid special attention to the Greek natural sciences such as botany and pharmacy. Greek materia medica was a major common basis for Arab-Islamic medicine and pharmacy which in turn paved the way to the modern pharmaceutical therapy.

A medico-historical review of Arjuna

Ancient Indian Medical knowledge known as Ayurveda goes back to a immemorial past. The Vedas and Puranas refer various materials of medical importance including herbs, plants and trees etc. The ancient medical scientists have mentioned the properties of the Arjuna, and recommended mainly for the management of Hirta/Rudhira vikaras, Vrana, Prameha, Visa Vikaras, Asrugdhara, Kshetriya/Shukra dosha etc. The modern medical/Botanical scientists have also carried out so many researches on Arjuna and do not find any difference with the ancestery knowledge.

Khadira (Acasia Catechu Linn.) - A medico-historical review.

Indigenous Medical wisdom in India known as Ayurveda goes back to a hoary past. We find references in Vedas not only to medical science but to various drugs also. The medico-historical review of Khadira (Acasia Catechu linn.) including the historical perspectives, identity, varieties, formulae and therapeutic usage etc. is presented here, based on the classical treatises, medical lexicons, commentaries and other compilations, covering the from Vedic period to present times.

Al-Adwiyah Al-Qalbiyah: introduction and commentary.

Avicenna was a great scientist and philosopher of the 10th century A.D. He wrote about 456 books in various fields of learning. Al-Adwiyah Al-Qalbiyah is perhaps the most important work of Avicenna after Al-Qanun fil Tibb or canon of medicine. Like Al-Qanun, it was also very popular in Europe and was translated into Latin. It has also been translated in Turkish, Uzbbek, and later on in Persian and Urdu.

Some salient features of 'Kitabul-Hashaish' with special reference to the manuscript preserved in Khuda Baksh O.P. Library, Patna.

The contributions of Dioscorides in the field of materia medica and pharmacology are unparalleled in the history of medicine. This great botanist of the 1st century A.D. made personal observations of the specific properties of drugs and presented them through illustrations for the first time. Almost all the physician authors of Unani system of medicine from Galen to Azam Khan have quoted Dioscorides. Kitabul-Hashaish was rendered into English and arabic and published repeatedly in the West. The book has great value and is quoted widely due to its authenticity. This unique work needs to be edited critically and afterwards translated into Urdu and other languages for the benefit of the present day students and scholars.

A brief history of Indian alchemy covering pre-Vedic to Vedic and Ayurvedic period (circa 400 B.C.-800 A.D.).

History of Indian alchemy can be traced to pre-Vedic period. The archaeological excavations at Mohenjodaro and Harappa in the Indus valley have brought to light that, the people in ancient India were possessing chemical knowledge as early as in the pre-historic period. In Vedic period single herbs were prescribed. Minerals and animal substances were also prescribed but no compound preparations were in use. Alchemy in India, was started for the preparation of an elixir of life for imparting immortality and later for the transmutation process for converting base metals into gold. Indian alchemy derived its colour and flavour to a large extent from the Tantric cult. Then, during the iatro-chemical period all the previous accumulated alchemical ideas were put into something more practical and tangible. a number of preparations of mercury and other metals were evolved as helpful accessories in medicine. Here a bried history of this Indian alchemy is presented which will give an idea about the development of chemical knowledge in India in its multiple aspects.

Traditional Chinese materia medica: a retrospect and prospect

For thousands of years, traditional medicine and remedies have been practed and used in the fight against disease in China. They have proved to be valuable and the distillate of vast historical experience based on field-tested human experiments, long-term observations and clinical trials. The Chinese people belive that traditional medicine is consistent with theirown culture. Endowed with a unique theoretical system and provided outstanding clinical results, traditional Chinese medicine continues to play an important role in helping the Chinese nation flourish. The recent study of traditional medicinal plants in Chine has given us confidence that what was recorded in ancient medical literature through empirical observations is indeed still coindicent with the concepts of modern chemistry, pharmacology and medicine. The task of revealing what is valid and efficacious should be retained, and what is mythic and invalid should be discarded in traditional Chinese medicine may require scientific research lasting for several generations. Therfore, multidisciplinary cooperation and international collaboration in this field would be essential. Systematic coordination of work in traditional medicine by word organizations, national governments, private foundations and individual scientists is a requisite as well.