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This is book is quite simply the best history book about China I’ve read in at least a year if not longer. It has such strong and in-depth analysis, a great use of sources, a thorough understanding of European and Chinese history, philosophy, religion, and medicine. I got it on interlibrary loan for the parts that overlapped with my book of the month but found myself wanting to read the whole thing, and get my own copy as it is such an amazing book for reference as well that I know I’ll be looking back in it for years to come.
Chinese medicine is not one of the areas I’m particularly interested in about China, but this book does an excellent job of looking at the differences between early European medicine and Chinese medicine and how the two were attempting to interpret the other. It doesn’t take the view that one type was “right” and the other “wrong”, neither does she take them as static, but looks at the different beliefs and practices of the different time periods.
The parts that I found the most interesting were looking at the religious role of healing, including exorcisms, and physical healing. It was interesting to see the way that different Taoist and Buddhist techniques were interpreted by the Europeans in China. She also looks not just at the Jesuit or religious sources, but also those of politicians, traders as well as Western physicians.
Without a doubt I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the relationships between China and Europe, culture-clashes, Chinese medicine, the history of medicine, and the relationship between medicine, magic, and religion. All around a fantastic read which I can’t find a single thing to criticise.
( notes and quotes )
Chinese medicine is not one of the areas I’m particularly interested in about China, but this book does an excellent job of looking at the differences between early European medicine and Chinese medicine and how the two were attempting to interpret the other. It doesn’t take the view that one type was “right” and the other “wrong”, neither does she take them as static, but looks at the different beliefs and practices of the different time periods.
The parts that I found the most interesting were looking at the religious role of healing, including exorcisms, and physical healing. It was interesting to see the way that different Taoist and Buddhist techniques were interpreted by the Europeans in China. She also looks not just at the Jesuit or religious sources, but also those of politicians, traders as well as Western physicians.
Without a doubt I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the relationships between China and Europe, culture-clashes, Chinese medicine, the history of medicine, and the relationship between medicine, magic, and religion. All around a fantastic read which I can’t find a single thing to criticise.
( notes and quotes )