作为历史进程指标的传染病

Epidemic Disease in China as Index of History

疾病是大家经常关心的大事情。这是因为某些疾病可以导致人类丧失宝贵的生命。这一点,无论东方与西方,过去与现代都没有任何改变。疾病的历史,可以视之为人类历史的主要内容之一。但是,因何种疾病而导致失去生命,却因时代与地域而异。环境的变化会给人造成很大的影响。而这并非自然与人的静态关系,也存在着由于人的能动劳作活动造成(以农业的土地开发为典型事例)的动态关系,比如疟疾和日本血吸虫病这类感染症的流行。这类疫病可称为"开发原病"。此外,城市化和工业化也是环境变化的因素之一。城市化和工业化使得人的生活形态发生巨大变化,这成为结核等感染症蔓延的原因。正是基于此,疾病就成了反映历史进程的指标之一。

This papor summarizes the outline of epidemic disease in Modern China and confirms those historical meanings as index of history.The key concept of my viewpoint is'epidemic disease is index of Chinese history'.Before 1990s, little attention has been given to epidemic disease in Modern China except research work from the approach of history of medicine.But over the past ten years,a considerable number of studies both Chinese and foreign scholars including younger generations have been made on epidemic disease from a viewpoint of social history.Epidemic disease has been examined from commercialization,migration,urbanization,social system,international relation and politics and various other aspects.These resuha lead to the conclusion that epidemic disease is index of history in China.And now we are in the next step to classify epidemic disease and its historical meanings.I also suggest that the level of pandemic of epidemic disease,epidemic disease under globalization and local disease as index d environmental change remain to be explored.