Mr. Sowerby's Lecture on Medical Science in China Mr. A. de ©, Sowerby delivered]
fascinating lecture to the liter ary section of the British Women's} Association on Tuesday on the miedeieinn by the This most ancient of the arts goes back at least 6,000 years, said the speaker, and, claims the my-thiel Emperor Fu sits) first patron. His successor, Shea Nung, was the first to toy the he ing effects of herbs, even exper menting upon himeelf, and corded his results in" a herbal bearing his name.
Medical practice in China has} eon largely m secret art, and its} carefully guarded formule have been handed down from father to The Chou dynasty (1000-300 B.C.) marked considerable vance in the healing State Medical augurated. consisting of the Min-entry of Health for officials, a Public Health Department for the common people, a department} specializing in the caro of ab-cesses, sores and the like, an Tm. perial Dietry and a Veterinary Surgery.
Many books on medicine, sur. gory and healing have been writ ten, beginning with the Emperor! Sheng Nung's treatise on cine (2823 B.C.). The pulse was] studied, but ay these early practi Yioners had no knowledge of the heart and its functions" their elaborate treatments based there-fon had no value, An investiga. tion into Chinese "pulse-practice" made by T. ©. Arlington, will appear in the Tuly issue of the "China Journal of Science and rt.""" Cupping, the uso of plasters. of the needle or acupuncture and cantorising are now practised by. the Chinese. They employ most extraordinary materials, some of which have medicinal value while the worth of others is purely mythical.
Deer horn, at $80 an ounce, is} used as a tonic and rejuvenator, docs possess certain from large "warts ities, Butin, an extract
the back of a toad's neck, has a distinctly stimulating effect upon the heart. Their her-hal remedies are far superior to any others and in this line of in vestigation the Chinesy medical Practitigners "have done good work. Morn picturesque specifics are tigers' hones and blood for cowardies, wolf's brain for scarlet] fever, snakes and dried lizards as tonics, magpies and woodpeckers) for consumption and dried silk! worms for fevers. Bears' gall stones are regarded as a cure for eyo troubles and are worth $40)
'The. mysterious dual powers Nature, known as the pro-yang and the Yin play most important part, the Yang representing the male principle or positive and the' Yin the female principle or negative."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.