Barefoot Doctors And Western Medicine In China

The first study in English that examines barefoot doctors in China from the perspective of the social history of medicine.

The first study in English that examines barefoot doctors in China from the perspective of the social history of medicine.

“Rich insights into how one country has dealt with perhaps the most central issue for any human society: the health and wellbeing of its citizens.” —The Lancet This volume examines important aspects of China’s century-long search to provide appropriate and effective health care for its people. Four subjects—disease and healing, encounters and accommodations, institutions and professions, and people’s health—organize discussions across case studies of schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, mental health, and tobacco and health. Among the book’s significant conclusions are the importance of barefoot doctors in disseminating western medicine; the improvements in medical health and services during the long Sino-Japanese war; and the important role of the Chinese consumer. This is a thought-provoking read for health practitioners, historians, and others interested in the history of medicine and health in China.

Monograph on medicine and health services in China - discusses health problems in modern and traditional Chinese medicine, (such as mental diseases), pharmacology, and nutrition, and covers administrative aspects of public health, etc. Illustrations, references and statistical tables.

560 references to literature published 1949-1974. Includes many English-language journal articles, as well as other publications in other languages. Focuses on provision of rural and urban health care services and training of auxiliary health personnel, specifically with reference to the "barefoot doctors" of China. Entries arranged by authors under topics, e.g., Disease control, Dental health, and Nutritional studies. Miscellaneous appendixes. Author, subject indexes.

The American translation of the official Chinese paramedical manual, first published in 1977, is now available in a compact format. Unique in its integration of Western and traditional Chinese medicine, the manual was first prepared by medical authorities in the People's Republic of China in the 1950s, and is based on the theory of the balance of life.