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A review of discussions on the introduction of East Asian medicine into America

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Abstract

The study and transmission of East Asian medicine had gathered the attention of researchers in various fields in the Western world, especially in the United States. This study reviews various research papers and summarizes key issues in the spread of East Asian medicine in the United States. The propagation of East Asian medicine in the United States is summarized through the key words of who, when, why, and how. In terms of ‘Who’, Chinese researchers emphasize the role of Chinese parties, while non-Chinese researchers stress the process of internalization. The question of ‘When’ is also controversial. The oldest origin disputed goes back to the 13th century but Bach Franklin’s year 1825 and William Osler’s year 1892 seem more meaningful to Americans. This is because acupuncture was first introduced to the American medical community in 1825. Also, Osler is a relatively interesting figure, as he is the founder of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Reasons for the question of ‘Why’ are mostly practical as the desire for better treatment techniques propelled East Asian medicine’s inclusion. Yet historically, the yearning for Chinese culture was partially involved as well as academic reasons. As far as ‘How’, Sometimes East Asian medicine was spread through books and records, and direct experience of actual practice. Also, institutionalization of the acupuncturist system and the establishment of educational institutions in America show that East Asian medicine has surpassed the point of mere curiosity, and has grown into a substantial part of American society.

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Notes

  1. Sivin mentioned Chinese immigrant doctors saying that his colleague, Charles Bodemer, recently discovered related sources but did not provide details about it.

  2. Willem ten Rhijne (ca. 1647-ca. 1700), he is known to be the person who named ‘Acupuncture’

  3. R James. A medical Dictionary, London 1743 “Acupunctura. Acupuncture. It signifies a particular way of bleeding, by making a great many small punctures with sharp instruments, made of gold or silver. It is often practiced in Siam, Japan, and other Oriental nations, in all parts of the body, even on the bellies of women with child. Heister.” (Bivins 2007: 114)

  4. Moxibustion was thought to be another type of cauterization when it was introduced to Europe because its practice was so familiar to them, aside from the logical explanation and acting points, etc. They did not deny the fact that moxibustion came from China, but they did not hesitate to make an academic lineage to ancient Western medicine. Eventually, it had some connection with Hippocrates at the beginning of 19th century in Europe (Barnes 2005: 297).

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from Kyung Hee University in 2007 (KHU-20071640).

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  1. College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea

    Dong Ryul Kim, Sang Beom Kim, Hye-il Kim & Wung Seok Cha

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Correspondence to Wung Seok Cha.

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Kim, D.R., Kim, S.B., Kim, Hi. et al. A review of discussions on the introduction of East Asian medicine into America. Orient Pharm Exp Med 16, 17–29 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-016-0219-9

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