The history of Chinese medicine hinges on three major turning points: the formation of canonical theory in the Han dynasty; the transformation of medicine via the integration of earlier medical theories and practices in the Song dynasty; and the impact of Western medicine from the nineteenth century onwards. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the crucial second stage in the evolution of Chinese medicine by examining the changes in Chinese medicine during the pivotal era of the Song dynasty. Scholars often characterize the Song era as a time of change in every aspect of political, social, intellectual or economic life. More specifically it focuses on three narratives of change: the emperor's interest in medicine elevated the status of medicine in the eyes of the elite, leading to an increased involvement of intellectuals and the literary elite in medicine government officials systematically revised, printed, and promulgated earlier heterogeneous medical manuscripts belonging to various traditions the government established unique imperially sponsored medical institutions to handle public health and other aspects of medicine. As the first book to study the transformation medicine underwent during the Song period this volume will appeal to Sinologists and scholars of the history of medicine alike.

The history of Chinese medicine hinges on three major turning points: the formation of canonical theory in the Han dynasty; the transformation of medicine via the integration of earlier medical theories and practices in the Song dynasty; and the impact of Western medicine from the nineteenth century onwards. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the crucial second stage in the evolution of Chinese medicine by examining the changes in Chinese medicine during the pivotal era of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).

Scholars often characterize the Northern Song era as a time of change in every aspect of political, social, intellectual or economic life. More specifically it focuses on three narratives of change:

• the emperor's interest in medicine elevated the status of medicine in the eyes of the elite, leading to an increased involvement of intellectuals and the literary elite in medicine
• government officials systematically revised, printed, and promulgated earlier heterogeneous medical manuscripts belonging to various traditions
• the government established unique imperially sponsored medical institutions to handle public health and other aspects of medicine.

As the first book to study the transformation medicine underwent during the Northern Song period this volume will appeal to Sinologists and scholars of the history of medicine alike.

This book is an annotated translation of Xu Shuwei's (1080-1154) collection of 90 medical case records - Ninety Discussions of Cold Damage Disorders (shanghan jiushi lun ) - which was the first such collection in China. The translation reveals patterns of social as well as medical history. This book provides the readers with a distinctive first hand perspective on twelfth-century medical practice, including medical aspects, such as nosology, diagnosis, treatment, and doctrinal reasoning supporting them. It also presents the social aspect of medical practice, detailing the various participants in the medical encounter, their role, the power relations within the encounter, and the location where the encounter occurred. Reading the translation of Xu's cases allows the readers high-resolution snapshots of medicine and medical practice as reflected from the case records documented by this leading twelfth-century physician. The detailed introduction to the translation contextualizes Xu's life and medical practice in the broader changes of this transformative era.