History of Tujia Medicine

Author: Tian Huaying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-27
Features: The first academic monograph on Tujia traditional medicine history in China, A History of Tujia Medicine, edited by Tian Huaying, Director of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Institute of Ethnic Medicine, was recently published and released by the China National Ancient Books Publishing House. This book is part of the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration's series on ethnic medicine literature. The entire book contains nearly 400,000 words and is divided into nine parts. It systematically discusses the origin, formation, and development of Tujia medicine, its role and status in Tujia history, its main academic characteristics, the influence of ancient cultures and cultural phenomena surrounding the Tujia people on Tujia medicine, the inheritance of Tujia medicine culture, the relationship between Tujia medicine and other ethnic medicines in the Wuling Mountains region, and the academic achievements of Tujia medicine.
A History of Tujia Medicine is the result of the author's more than 20 years of in-depth field investigations among the Tujia people. Using the research methodology of "substantial archaeological findings as evidence, archival literature as historical proof, original Tujia folk medicine cultural phenomena as supporting evidence, and ethnic oral traditions as contemporary proof," the author systematically organized and compiled the book, highlighting the "historical" aspect while preserving the medicine culture of the scattered Tujia people over millennia. This marked a significant leap in the history of Tujia medicine from oral tradition to written documentation. Professor Zhu Guoben, President of the China National Association of Ethnic Medicine and former Deputy Director of the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration, wrote the preface for the book.
Before its publication, domestic experts in the field reviewed the book and commented that "the author firmly grasps the humanistic characteristics of Tujia traditional medicine, systematically elaborates on the historical and cultural background of the emergence of Tujia medicine from the perspectives of history, culture, and ethnology, and advances and innovates the academic level of Tujia medicine. It enriches and perfects the theoretical system of Tujia medicine, fills the void in the study of the historical development of Tujia medicine in China, and represents one of the important achievements of contemporary ethnic medicine research in China. It plays a leading role in the inheritance and development of Tujia medicine, provides a foundation for restoring the clinical vitality of Tujia medicine, and facilitates the development of specialized disease treatment and pharmaceutical research."