中西医学话语与近代商业——以《申报》上的“痧药水”为例

The Medical Discourse in China and West an and Modern Commercial ——Taking “Fever Liquid Medicine" in Shen Bao for Example

痧药在晚清大量出现,随着药水的剂型出现,其被运用的范围也愈来愈广。痧药水不但是中西医皆爱用的商品,且常常成为慈善家施药和展开卫生运动时的赠品,它可以治疗霍乱、中暑或以上吐下泻为主要疾病的肠胃炎。在社会广泛运用和中西医不断解释、报纸广告的介绍下,它还变成了近代最有名的治疫、防疫药品,而且有许多例子是病人自己诊断、自己用药,缺乏专业医者的诊断,此模式成为近代防疫史中一段非常有趣的故事。中西医者也针对痧药水的疗效和成分进行各种解读和论述,上层医者与下层民众对药品与疾病认识上的异同,近代媒体推进药品社会化的深度,说明近代中西医药品的宣传、销售以及对疾病的解释等使得"痧药水"在社会中渐渐被塑造成能广泛治疗、防范各种"时疫"的药品。

This study took ＂fever liquid medicine＂ in Shen Bao Newspaper as an example to investigate how modern Chinese and Western medicine interacted with the society in the aspects of promotion, marketing, and explanation on diseases. ＂Fever liquid medicine＂ appeared in the late Qing Dynasty, and was popularly used. The emergence of the medicine in liquid form allowed it to extend its applications. The newspaper article claimed that the ＂fever liquid medicine＂ is a product commonly used in either Chinese or Western medicine. It was frequently given as a gift by philanthropists in free medicine service or the promotion of health activities. Its main indication is gastroenteritis caused by cholera, heat stroke or diarrhea. However, its comprehensive application in the society, frequent introduction by both Chinese and Western physicians, and the extensive media coverage and advertisements made it the most famous medicine for the treatment and prevention of diseases. In many cases, patients would diagnose their own disease and prescribe themselves with it where there was no diagnosis from professional physician. Such a model became a very interesting story in the history of disease prevention. This study also intended to analyze the interpretations and discourses about the efficacy and ingredients of the ＂fever liquid medicine＂ from Chinese and Western physicians, in order to identify the difference in understanding of drugs and diseases between the physicians and the public, as well as to further interpret the relationship between medicine and social history.