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Article: The physician-shaman: early origins of traditional Chinese medicine.
- Article from:
- Skeptic (Altadena, CA)
- Article date:
- March 22, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL Chinese medicine (TCM) has been fraught with speculative and often conflicting claims. One common theme is that "thousands of years" of continuous oral and written tradition have yielded a venerable system of diagnosis and treatment that remains highly effective and is practiced today in respected medical institutions as a part of so-called "complementary" medicine.
But what, exactly, is this tradition? Though a few scattered clues have been gleaned from oracle bones, carved jade, and bronze inscriptions, the cornerstone for any study of Chinese medical history has been the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi Neijing), from ...