Medical missionaries to China and the reformation of anatomy.
The earliest record of human anatomy in chapters of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic is likely to be based upon proper dissections. The first incident of human dissection for medical purpose documented in the History of Han Dynasty occurred in AD 13. During the Sung dynasty, a physician prepared illustrations of internal organs of executed criminals, published in 1113 as the Images of Truth Successive Chinese medical treatises have plagiarized but preserved the anatomical diagrams without improvements or modifications. China had to wait till the mid-19th century for Anglo-American Protestant medical missionaries to bring about a complete and permanent reformation of anatomical science.
Department of Orthopaedics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Waled Hospital, Shatin, New Territories dr.louisfu@yahoo.com.hk.
Louis
L
Fu
D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history*; D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004210:Dissection / Q000266:history*; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D066189:Missionaries / Q000266:history*; D010820:Physicians / Q000266:history*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States
Anatomy; Chinese medicine; history of medicine; missionaries