| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 歷史學研究所 === 106 === In the early 16th century, yangmei chuang (syphilis) spread into many areas of China from the south. It gained its name because it caused “swollen red lesions shaped like yangmei (Myrica rubra, Chinese bayberry)” to appear on a person’s skin. According to the writings of Ming-Qing medical experts, yangmei chuang had “never been recorded before.” They vigorously suggested many treatment methods, as well as variously discussed the etiology of this new disease.
Confronted with a new disease, how did traditional medicine respond? How was it contextualized in existing knowledge systems? And how was the occurrence of a new disease explained? This study uses the case of yangmei chuang to investigate this process, including Ming-Qing medical experts’ knowledge of its etiology, its diagnosis and treatment, and Ming-Qing period metaphors of yangmei chuang and images of the disease.
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