ベトナム近現代史における「伝統医学」

Abstract

This paper describes how traditional medicine has been viewed and practiced throughout modern Vietnamese history. Vietnamese traditional medicine comprises two elements: thuoc Nam, which originated in Vietnam, and thuoc Bac, which is grounded in Chinese medicine. When discussing Vietnamese medicine, thuoc Nam is often referred to as the “original medicine” and one that represents “Vietnameseness.” This is in spite of the fact that the differences between two medicines are vague. At present, the Vietnamese government classifies both forms of medicines as “traditional medicine” (y hoc co truyen). It is also known as “national medicine” (y hoc dan toc) or “Eastern medicine” (dong y). This paper clarifies that traditional medicine was viewed differently from the North to the South. In addition, it outlines how traditional medicine acquired the label Y Hoc Dan Toc, or national medicine, after the unification of Vietnam under the influence not only of Vietnamese nationalism towards foreign countries but of nationalism by the state to unify its country.