A Discussion of Ship Physicians of the Ming Dynasty in China
Until now, we had not found definite records on ship physicians before the Ming dynasty. However, military physicians had existed for a long history in China, and they had some relationships with ship physicians. In order to guarantee the success of Zheng He’s voyages, the Chinese imperial court sup...
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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
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40067/4094 |
| Summary: | Until now, we had not found definite records on ship physicians before the Ming dynasty. However, military physicians had existed for a long history in China, and they had some relationships with ship physicians. In order to guarantee the success of Zheng He’s voyages, the Chinese imperial court supported the medical preparations, and especially arranged ship physicians for the fleets. The jobs of Chinese physicians included: curing sailors, preventing diseases, keeping healthcare, gathering herbs, and buying medicines. When navigator Zheng He died, the official mechanism of ship physicians in China had disappeared. After the First Opium War, they just resurfaced again. However, Chinese doctors proved their value in ancient history. They perfected the theory of Chinese medicines, replenished knowledge about overseas medical herbs, explored nautical and tropical diseases, propagated traditional Chinese medical science to the world, and expanded the commercial roads of Chinese medicaments. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |