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Title: Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: Nature, Knowledge, Imagery in an Ancient Chinese Medical Text by Paul U. Unschuld ISBN: 0-520-23322-0 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $75.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Lost in the Contradictions of Misunderstanding
Comment: Robert Feld is welcome to embrace Unschuld's highly scholarly, hard to read, disjointed text. My primary point is that this is NOT the Nei Jing, it is not the text, it is not readable as such, and it is not a guide for would-be doctors interested in practicing based on Nei Jing. That much should be more clear in the description of the book, but it is not. It should be called "Essays on Nei Jing."
As for feeling buised over a lack of 'modern' solutions, something I never mentioned, or an under-esteemed 'holism'--the main point is that the original holistic theory is obscured behind the great many errors in the Nei Jing.
This is in fact a late stage text, not a nacent one, the assumptions of scholars aside. References to Mawangdui texts as the beginning are themselves fallacious. The origin of the system, and its holism, are deeper, older, and not contradictory like the Nei Jing essays. They reflect a holistic system of knowledge heavily obscured in the late-stage texts we (and all of Chinese history) received.
So, the 'scoffing.' Those who find Unschuld's tone abrasive, and we are many, will use this term to refer to the haughty modern scholarly quality that exudes from the pages; the debunker's knife, if you will. Though modern knowledge advances through dividing and studying the parts, there are other methods of studying nature, and certainly these ideas were not fabricated in a modern-worldview workshop. They were not put together in pieces, and animated by the fuel of superstition, as Unschuld often makes it seem.
I look forward to Unschuld's further works, including the forthcoming full translation of the text, and any ideas he has about the relative age of the various essays. Following a path of 'dividing instead of lumping,' they are not that dear to my heart, just to my mind. But what else are scholars to do? The elephant is not known to those who feel a wall under their hand.
Rating: 5
Summary: We need more scholarly books like this
Comment: Unschuld is thorough and thought-provoking. I will read the Suwen a little differently now, after reading Unschuld's book.
I don't agree with every conclusion the author makes, but I love mulling over the issues he brings up.
Yes, this book is scholarly, and you may need a dictionary here and there. But is that a bad thing?
It is not for someone who just wants to practice in blissful ignorance. It is not for a beginning student. It is not for someone who wants to mystify Chinese medicine.
It is for those who want to find deeper ways of looking at our medicine, and for those who like a little challenge to their own way of thinking. I will happily pre-order any book Unschuld writes.
Rating: 5
Summary: An important resource on the history of Chinese medicine
Comment: An important scholarly review of a milestone medical classic, Professor Unschuld is his usual through self in presenting this material with copious references to support his conclusions. The acutal translation of the Su Wen is to follow in three volumes, this book reviews sources and cultural influences that helped shape the Su Wen. Considering the complex nature of the material in that work, this book is invaluable to the understanding of the Su Wen itself.
While not a book for the general public looking for lay information on Chinese medicine, this is a must read for those interested in the history of medicine, Chinese culture, and the influence prevailing cultural paradigms can have on even medical thought. Students and practitioners of Chinese medicine should also find this book valuable as there is so little documented information on the roots of this rapidly growing healing tradition.
I would also like to add that I do not believe Unschuld set out to do a hatchet job on holistic concepts as one reviewer seemed to think. I am a supporter of such concepts and do not always agree with everything Unschuld concludes. I feel however, that although one may disagree with some of his conclusions, one cannot argue with the scholarly rigor with which he supports those conclusions. This is a great book for the right audiance and will undoubtedly stand as a valuable reference for years to come.
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Title: Nan-Ching: The Classic of Difficult Issues (Comparative Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care) by Paul U. Unschuld ISBN: 0520053729 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1986 List Price(USD): $90.00 |
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Title: Forgotten Traditions of Ancient Chinese Medicine: A Chinese View from the Eighteenth Century by Paul U. Unschuld ISBN: 0912111569 Publisher: Paradigm Publications (MA) Pub. Date: 01 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Ling Shu or The Spiritual Pivot by Wu Jing-Nuan ISBN: 0824826310 Publisher: University of Hawaii Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine by Nigel Wiseman, Ye Feng ISBN: 0912111542 Publisher: Paradigm Publications (MA) Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $125.00 |
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Title: The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine by Shigehisa Kuriyama ISBN: 0942299892 Publisher: Zone Books Pub. Date: 15 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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