Influência Da Medicina Tradicional Chinesa Nas Mezinhas De Casa Das Nhonhonha De Macau
This article analyzes the influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on the home remedies of the Nhonhonha of Macao, considering them as a marker of the Macanese identity in the face of health problems throughout local history. Starting from the hypothesis that folk medicine dominated Macao in...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2002
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40004/2694 |
| Summary: | This article analyzes the influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on the home remedies of the Nhonhonha of Macao, considering them as a marker of the Macanese identity in the face of health problems throughout local history. Starting from the hypothesis that folk medicine dominated Macao in the early stages of occupation, the study articulates historical evidence — such as a 17th-century Jesuit letter describing the preponderance of Chinese midwives — with field data obtained from a survey conducted with 350 individuals (1990/1991). From this anthropological-historical approach, the text describes these remedies as domestic practices that utilize herbs, simple healing techniques, and female healing knowledge, coexisting with Western medicine, whose mistrust stemmed from factors such as the poor training of European doctors, prejudices regarding hospitalization, and the appeal of Chinese herbal medicine. It is observed that Chinese healing practices had greater adherence among newcomers, responding more immediately to local needs and cultural expectations. However, historical milestones (the founding of Hong Kong, the establishment of the Republic in Portugal, the Sino-Japanese conflicts, and World War II) acted as drivers of value change, gradually shifting the centrality of TCM without extinguishing it. It is concluded that TCM shaped the domesticity of Macanese health and cultural identity, revealing a dynamic of continuity and transformation between the 'before' and the 'after'. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |