Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to treat a range of health conditions.This history has produced a wealth of classical literature,case studies and clinical research data detailing its use and effectiveness...Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to treat a range of health conditions.This history has produced a wealth of classical literature,case studies and clinical research data detailing its use and effectiveness.However,high-quality and conclusive evidence that meets modern requirements for clinical decision support is lacking.This evidence gap limits the integration of Chinese medicine with contemporary medicine,which in turn limits global access and acceptance of Chinese medicine as a form of safe and effective health care.Over the past 20 years,researchers and organisations around the world,including the World Health Organization(WHO)and United Nations,have worked to support the integration of traditional medicines,such as Chinese medicine,with conventional medicines to improve global health care.This paper provides an overview of Chinese medicine studies published in the top four general medical journals(BMJ,JAMA,Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine)from February 2005 to February 2024 in the past 20 years to highlight the progress in the development of this evidence base.It also highlights key actions taken to promote evidence-based clinical Chinese medicine,including product and practitioner regulation,formalising education standards,and international collaborations.Research conducted at the China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine demonstrates the benefits of such a collaboration.Through development of its unique and inclusive‘whole-evidence’approach,plus clinical studies and systematic reviews,the Centre has significantly contributed to the evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine.In addition,its high-impact papers and groundbreaking monographs have been cited in international conventional medicine guidelines.While progress has certainly been made during the past 20 years to build a stronger evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine,there is still a considerable gap that limits its integration with conventional medicine.Future funding and research are needed to continue this work and achieve to safe,effective and accessible traditional medicine as part of the WHO’s Universal Health Coverage strategy.展开更多
In the history of medicine, relatively little attention has been paid to the way medical illustration circulated globally---or to the issues raised by the cultural ＂translation＂ of such images. My goal here is to fl...In the history of medicine, relatively little attention has been paid to the way medical illustration circulated globally---or to the issues raised by the cultural ＂translation＂ of such images. My goal here is to flesh out some of the history of this circulation and translation by exploring the aesthetic and medical connections be- tween two specific anatomical collections, both housed at the Gordon Pathology Museum at Guy＇s Hospital, London. The Joseph Towne collection of anatomical waxes and the Lam Qua paintings of the patients of medical missionary Peter Parker were both produced in the nineteenth century. Significantly, the two collections were part of related but culturally specific shifts in the way bodies （and diseased bodies） were viewed, represented, understood and treated. I explore some of the convergences and divergences between Western and Chinese medical and artistic priorities and will address some of the issues raised by them. These two collections are important, I argue, because they demonstrate how aesthetic considerations shape medical knowledge and wider attitudes about the human body.展开更多
文摘Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to treat a range of health conditions.This history has produced a wealth of classical literature,case studies and clinical research data detailing its use and effectiveness.However,high-quality and conclusive evidence that meets modern requirements for clinical decision support is lacking.This evidence gap limits the integration of Chinese medicine with contemporary medicine,which in turn limits global access and acceptance of Chinese medicine as a form of safe and effective health care.Over the past 20 years,researchers and organisations around the world,including the World Health Organization(WHO)and United Nations,have worked to support the integration of traditional medicines,such as Chinese medicine,with conventional medicines to improve global health care.This paper provides an overview of Chinese medicine studies published in the top four general medical journals(BMJ,JAMA,Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine)from February 2005 to February 2024 in the past 20 years to highlight the progress in the development of this evidence base.It also highlights key actions taken to promote evidence-based clinical Chinese medicine,including product and practitioner regulation,formalising education standards,and international collaborations.Research conducted at the China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine demonstrates the benefits of such a collaboration.Through development of its unique and inclusive‘whole-evidence’approach,plus clinical studies and systematic reviews,the Centre has significantly contributed to the evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine.In addition,its high-impact papers and groundbreaking monographs have been cited in international conventional medicine guidelines.While progress has certainly been made during the past 20 years to build a stronger evidence base for clinical Chinese medicine,there is still a considerable gap that limits its integration with conventional medicine.Future funding and research are needed to continue this work and achieve to safe,effective and accessible traditional medicine as part of the WHO’s Universal Health Coverage strategy.
文摘In the history of medicine, relatively little attention has been paid to the way medical illustration circulated globally---or to the issues raised by the cultural ＂translation＂ of such images. My goal here is to flesh out some of the history of this circulation and translation by exploring the aesthetic and medical connections be- tween two specific anatomical collections, both housed at the Gordon Pathology Museum at Guy＇s Hospital, London. The Joseph Towne collection of anatomical waxes and the Lam Qua paintings of the patients of medical missionary Peter Parker were both produced in the nineteenth century. Significantly, the two collections were part of related but culturally specific shifts in the way bodies （and diseased bodies） were viewed, represented, understood and treated. I explore some of the convergences and divergences between Western and Chinese medical and artistic priorities and will address some of the issues raised by them. These two collections are important, I argue, because they demonstrate how aesthetic considerations shape medical knowledge and wider attitudes about the human body.
