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중앙사론Institute for Historical Studies at Chung-Ang University

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송대 사대부의 의학지식 축적과 확산: 옹저(癰疽)의 사례를 중심으로
조회수 : 1393 등록일 : 2024-05-22

A Study on the Accumulation and Dissemination of Medical Knowledge by Literati(士大夫) in the Song Period, with a Focus on Case of Abscess(癰疽)​

 

Author : ​Choi, Hae-Byoul

 

Page : 47-108

 

Abstract

  In the Chinese medical history, the literati officials of the Song period (960-1279) played a crucial role in the enormous accumulation and dissemination of medical knowledge. More specifically, they compiled and wrote medical books and thereby contributed to the collection and spread of medical knowledge. It is noteworthy that they noted abscess (癰疽), which belongs to the discipline of surgery, as a single disease in addition to Shanghan(傷寒). Previous studies have not examined this topic sufficiently. Most studies focused on the overall interest in medicine by literati officials during the Song period or Shanghan or some specific diseases endemic to the southern region. This study focuses on activities of the literati officials during the Song period for the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge about abscess. A previous study noted that literati officials during the Song period had an influence on the development of a scholarly, pulse check-based internal medicine, and this trend continued into the Ming and Qing. This study examines the way the literati officials of the Song period communicated with each other in the discipline of surgery, the efforts they made to treat abscess, and the way they interacted with local doctors specializing in abscess, and thereby elucidates diverse aspects of a medical culture during the Song period.

  Knowledge about abscess was accumulated and disseminated by the literati officials in the Song period in a diverse way using the following three activities: (i) compiling abscess-specific medical books or preparing a preface for the written works, (ii) including abscess prescriptions in the formulary(醫方書) published in the private sector, and (iii) occasionally writing notes about abscess in the Biji(筆記) or wenji(文集). The literati officials, who contributed to the compilation and dissemination of abscess-specific medical books, often suffered from abscess themselves or had family members with the disease. They sought more specialized knowledge and treatment for abscess, and sometimes highlighted the importance of moxibustion owing to limitations with traditional prescriptions. Moreover, they stressed the importance of “treatment with heat(熱治),” which was not commonly used at that time, according to yin(陰) and yang(陽) symptoms. Furthermore, they emphasized the compilation of a “simple” abscessspecific formulary. They incorporated interactions with surgeons(外科, 瘍醫) at the coalface and suggested more effective specialized treatment options.
  When literati officials in the Song period personally compiled a formulary, they included a section regarding surgery or abscess in the formulary. They also included various routes to obtain prescriptions as well as treatment cases. Some prescriptions were learned from exchanges between literati officials based on the formulary, whereas others were learned from exchanges with local abscess specialists(瘍 醫). Although the prescriptions were mostly for oral administration or external application, prescriptions based on moxibustion were also common.
  Various fragments of knowledge, which remain in written works(筆 記), are interesting as they indicate what literati officials considered important in daily life. Regarding the cause of abscess, they noted that they were caused by Danyao(丹藥). Regarding its symptoms and treatment options, they focused on sharing important clinical cases, which were not widely known. They often shared information about food or local specialties good for abscess, which were easily available in everyday life, as medical ingredients.
  The following points are noteworthy regarding the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge about abscess by literati officials of the Song periods: Regarding abscess, literati officials interacted frequently with specialist doctors on the ground. Most notably, they interacted with Yang-yi(瘍醫) specializing in abscess. Much of the knowledge they acquired and disseminated about abscess, emerged from their interactions with other literati officials. They included prescriptions learned from other literati officials and shared their treatment experiences with each other. Moreover, they shared and passed on useful knowledge about abscess by referencing and citing each other’s fragmentary records across different periods. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that their knowledge was primarily based on their own and their acquaintances’ treatment experiences, anecdotes, and the information they heard from people around them in daily life. Finally, although their treatment options for abscess focused on prevention and treatment through medications for oral administration or external application or food consumption, some of them were particularly interested in treating abscess and focused on other alternatives, such as moxibustion and leech treatment. 

  In conclusion, although the knowledge about abscess accumulated and disseminated by literati officials of the Song period was based on classical traditions and knowledge about various prescriptions in mainstream medicine, such as Suwen素問and Zhouli周禮, they tended to produce, accumulate, and disseminate the knowledge on a broader scale through exchanges with practicing abscess specialists or other literati officials, based on their own experiences, anecdotes, and daily observations. 

 

 <Key Word>​

the Song Period, Literati officials(士大夫), Abscess(癰疽), Abscess-specific Medical Books, Formulary(醫方書), Yang-yi(瘍醫), Moxibustion(灸), Rezhi(熱治)​
첨부파일 : 02_중앙사론61집_최해별.pdf

이전글 ｜ 동남아시아 중국인 디아스포라와 화교⸱화인 학교교육의 설립과 변화: 청말 이후 1949년 이전까지
다음글 ｜ 墓誌에 기록된 百濟遺民의 入唐관련 서술에 대한 검토
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