History of Chinese Medicine

Catalog description

In the past several decades consumer discontent with Western medicine has prompted an unprecedented interest in other methods of healing. As the longest continuous literate tradition on the planet Chinese culture has enduring experience in healthcare provision, making it an attractive alternative to biomedicine. In this course we survey the depth and complexity of the Chinese medical tradition through the lens of indigenous techniques and their permutations in diverse locales. Proceeding from the earliest written records on oracle bones to present day ethnographies of clinical practice, we will complement close readings of canonical texts with a focus on lived experience.