Event I. The development of oriental medicine in Russia in the XVIII-XIX centuries. The role of scientists of the Imperial Medico-Surgical (Military Medical) Academy

Abstract

The article presents the history of nascence traditional oriental medicine in Russia during XVIII–XIX centuries. The first information about oriental medicine was brought to Russia in the XVIII century by doctors, who visited Mongolia and China as members of embassy expeditions. The first decades of the XVIII century can be considered as beginning of a systematic study oriental treatment methods. It was possible thanks to the many years efforts of the employees of the Russian ecclesiastical mission in Beijing. This organization from 1715 to 1864 years served religious, diplomatic and scientific functions. An invaluable contribution to the study of Chinese medicine was made by the leaders of the mission. Major role belongs to Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin (father Iakinf), archimandrite of the IX mission. He was fluent in Chinese, studied the primary sources of medical literature, translated significant treatises into Russian, and taught Chinese to the mission staff. The head of the X mission, Pavel Ivanovich Kamensky, compiled a Chinese-Russian medical dictionary, reorganized the mission, and insisted on the need to introduce the position of a doctor among the staff. Starting from 1821, doctors O.P. Voitsekhovsky, P.E. Kirillov, A.A. Tatarinov, S.I. Bazilevsky and P.A. Kornievsky, graduates of the Imperial Medical and Surgical (Military Medical) Academy worked as physician of the X–XIV missions. Doctors continued to study the theoretical concepts of Chinese medicine, philosophical and cultural traditions that underlie healthcare. In addition to medical work, in accordance with the instructions of the Medical Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they explored epidemiology, healthcare organization and the process of training doctors in China, analyzed Eastern approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, pharmacopoeia, used of herbal remedies, methods of prevention and health maintenance. The scientific approach, knowledge of the Chinese language, and a long stay in the country allowed them to lay the foundations of Oriental medicine in Russian, acquaint medical community with the methods of treatment and prevention of diseases adopted in China, introduce acupuncture, moxa, the use of new types of herbal remedies, enrich the collections of medicinal plants.