清代江南地区治疫成药生产与消费的初步研究

Manufacturing and Consumption of Anti-epidemic Chinese Patent Medicine in the Jiangnan Region During the Qing Dynasty

清代江南瘟疫频发,对社会经济、人口、医疗产生了重大影响。中成药具有可批量制作、运输和取用便捷的优势,在防疫、治疫的过程中发挥了积极的作用。从清代江南三地8间药堂所刊发的成药药目中,分析统计其中可用于防治疫病的成药生产情况,其特点为:药品种类丰富,覆盖多种疫病;通治性成药多,专病专药少;治痧类药物尤多。将成药价格与当时工匠收入进行对比,推断普通民众一旦染病难以承担所需成药费用。治疫成药主要的消费群体为公共性消费和仕商富绅阶层的奢侈性消费。

In the Jiangnan Region during the Qing dynasty,frequent outbreak of epidemics had a great influence on social economy,populations and medical care.Chinese patent medicines,which can be mass-produced,transported and used easily,played an important role in the epidemic prevention and treatment.This paper analyzes the drug lists of eight pharmacies in three different cities in Jiangnan Region to investigate the Chinese patent medicines used during the outbreak of epidemics.It’s found that the medicines are rich in variety.Most of them were used for general treatment and a few of them were dedicated to specific diseases.And there are many medicines used for treating Sha Diseases.In comparison of the drug price and wages of workers,we inferred that most people who suffered from epidemic diseases cannot afford Chinese patent medicines.The main consumers of anti-epidemic Chinese patent medicines were government to meet public demand and the rich.