明初下西洋使团中的医者——从新出张仕琦墓志谈起

Healers of the Expedition Mission to the Western Seas in the Early Ming Dynasty:Focusing on the Newly Excavated Epitaph of Zhang Shiqi

新获《故承事郎齐庵张仕琦墓志铭》详细记载了明代南京名医张仕琦的家世及生平事迹,其中关于其祖父张寿观永乐时期以太医院医士身份"护市蕃使者"下西洋经历的记载,对明初下西洋历史事件的研究具有重要的学术价值,可补史阙。"市蕃使者"可解读为来华贸易的贡使或明廷派遣到外蕃开展贸易活动的使臣,以后者的可能性为大。通过对相关史籍及碑刻资料的考析可知,明初下西洋庞大使团中的医务人员有医官(御医)、医士、民医之别,其中的医官(御医)多隶属于太医院,医士则是有官方背景的普通医务人员,亦有因下西洋有功由民医转为官医者。他们之间既有身份的差异,也应该存在一定的医务分工,以承担不同的职责。

The inscriptions on the newly excavated epitaph of"Gu Chengshilang Qi’an Zhang Shiqi"documented in detail the family history and life stories of Zhang Shiqi,a famous Ming dynasty doctor in Nanjing.The epitaph also noted that Zhang’s grandfather Zhang Shouguan served in the imperial academy of medicine and was appointed to join the grand voyage to the Western Seas as an escort of"Shifanshizhe"during Emperor Yongle’s reign,which provides essential information to the research of expeditions in the early Ming Dynasty."Shifanshizhe"can be interpreted as tribute envoys trading in China,but it’s more likely to be envoys sent by the Ming court to carry out oversea trading activities.Textual research on relevant historical records and inscriptions reveals that the medical personnel in the grand ambassadorial missions included Yiguan(imperial healers),Yishi(official healers),and Minyi(folk healers).Among them,Yiguan were mostly affiliated to the imperial academy of medicine.While Yishi were medical staff with official background,and some were entitled from folk healers as a result of their credits in the expedition missions.The difference in identities led to certain division of work so as to differentiate the responsibilities.