[Regional difference of scholars' health-seeking behavior of the Qing dynasty as seen in diary].
It is obvious that from the Xunletang Sanctum Catalogue, Jiachu Diary, Gengfu Diary, Diary of Master Li Wenqing, the difference in the scholars' "health-seeking behavior" in different regions in the Qing dynasty due to the difference in medical resources can be figured out. In the cities with developed economy, the medical resources were abundant and readily accessible, patients tended to visit the doctors once they got sick, some even changed their doctors frequently for seeking better therapeutic effects. Accordingly, the doctor-patient relationship was rather simple. In terms of the little town or county, since professional medical workers were much less, and medical resources scarce, patients had to spend more time to search for a doctor, and his/her sickness was thus delayed and lingered for a long time. As a result, such patients had to remedy themselves. Once they chose a doctor, their relation might be maintained for a longer time in a stable and close contact. Restricted by the overall therapeutic level, different scholars in different regions might always pursue help from external mystic energy when they were helpless.
Center of Chinese Social History and College of History, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
Bo
B
Zhang
D002681:China; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations