Medical Manuscripts Research Articles

Early Chinese Medical Literature: The Mawangdui Medical Manuscripts (review)

Early Chinese Medical Literature: The Mawangdui Medical Manuscripts (review)

Crossing the Neiguan 内关 "Inner Pass": A Nei/wai 内外 "Inner/Outer" Distinction in Early Chinese Medicine1

[Vivienne Lo is a Wellcome Fellow at SOAS, London University. Her PhD dissertation was on The Influence of Western Han Nurturing Life Culture on Early Chinese Medical Theory and she has published a number of articles on this subject. She is currently preparing a translation of and prolegomena to Maishu and Yinshu, two medical texts written on bamboo from the Western Han Zhangjiashan burial site. She has also coordinated a recent project on the medical manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang, and is in the process of editing the proceedings of the conference for publication.]

East Asia - Donald John Harper (tr.): Early Chinese medical literature: the Mawangdui medical manuscripts. (The Sir Henry Wellcome Asian Series.) xi, 549 pp. London and New York: Kegan Paul International, 1998. £85, $144.50.

East Asia - Donald John Harper (tr.): Early Chinese medical literature: the Mawangdui medical manuscripts. (The Sir Henry Wellcome Asian Series.) xi, 549 pp. London and New York: Kegan Paul International, 1998. £85, $144.50.

Peter Murray Jones, Medieval medicine in illuminated manuscripts, London, The British Library by arrangement with the Centro Tibaldi, Milan, 1998 (original edition first published in 1984 under the title Medieval medical manuscripts), pp. 111, illus., £20.00 (0-7123-0657-9).

Peter Murray Jones, Medieval medicine in illuminated manuscripts, London, The British Library by arrangement with the Centro Tibaldi, Milan, 1998 (original edition first published in 1984 under the title Medieval medical manuscripts), pp. 111, illus., £20.00 (0-7123-0657-9). - Volume 43 Issue 3

Apologies of a Medical Manuscript

Apologies of a Medical Manuscript

Medical and Para-Medical Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collections

Medical and Para-Medical Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collections

Diseases in the Byzantine world with special emphasis on the nephropathies.

Using medical manuscripts and texts from the Byzantine period (330-1453), this article describes various, to date little discussed, aspects of Byzantine nosology, public health and therapeutics. Many diseases in the Byzantine era were widespread and had a high morbidity such as respiratory disease, various kinds of anaemia, pestilential diseases (e.g. quartan fever, plague, dysentery and cholera), parasitic diseases, orthopaedic, rheumatic and psychiatric disorders, trachoma and alcoholism. Other very serious and relatively frequent conditions included leprosy, mania, gout, cancerous tumours and ulcers. Important elements of nephrology and various renal diseases were described and investigated, such as acute and chronic renal failure, acute and chronic nephritis, pyelonephritis, necrotic renal diseases, crush syndrome, and ulcers of the kidneys, i.e. tuberculosis or renal tumours. The microhistology and physiology of the kidneys were first studied by Oribasius, who discerned the existence of the capillaries--tau rho iota chi omicron epsilon iota delta eta--some centuries before Malpighi. He also correctly described the blood circulation, general and pulmonary, as a precursor to Harvey. The first hospitals were organised during the Byzantine period, and the practice of Byzantine medical science and its social applications were regulated by a special medical legislation and deontology. Byzantine medicine was fruitfully connected with the Christian faith and developed the supreme model of the saints unmercenary--alpha nu alpha rho gamma epsilon rho omicron iota--physicians such as Cosmas and Damian (3rd century), Panteleemon (3rd-4th centuries) and the women physicians and miracle-worker saints, Zenais and Philonilla (1st century), the 'friends of peace', and Hermione (1st-2nd centuries).

Medical and Para-medical Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collections (review)

Medical and Para-medical Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collections (review)

The Channels: A Preliminary Examination of a Lacquered Figurine from the Western Han Period

Excavations of a Western Han tomb at Shuangbaoshan in the vicinity of Mianyang, Sichuan, in 1993 have uncovered a black lacquered wooden carving of the human body. Naked, hairless, and roughly anatomical in character, the figurine is understood to be the earliest extant three-dimensional medical model in Chinese culture.Ten red lines are drawn on the figurine. This article undertakes a preliminary examination of the figurine and offers an interpretation of the lines from two different perspectives. Firstly, the authors compare and contrast the lines with the eleven anatomical pathways of themai“channels” as described in the medical manuscripts excavated at Mawangdui and Zhangjiashan. From this point of view the figurine adds to the sources that bear upon the early development of theories of pathological physiology which were first formulated in Han times and eventually became central to classical acumoxa theory. Secondly, the lines on the figurine are considered in their relationship toyangsheng“nurturing life” practices popular in elite society of this period. Certain features of the figurine that set it apart from ideas of pathological physiology seem better clarified by reference to contemporary texts, also excavated from the Mawangdui and Zhangjiashan tombs, that treat ofyangshengpractices such as massage, therapeutic gymnastics, and breath cultivation.

Ghostwriters: Not Always What They Appear

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —We are concerned that the Editorial "Acknowledging Ghosts" in<i>JAMA</i>may be interpreted as a validation of ghostwriting.¹A ghostwriter is "a person who writes for and gives credit of authorship to another person, who hires him to do so." By definition, the role of the person whose data the ghostwriter uses cannot be "author": "the original writer of a literary work." We see no place for ghostwriting or rewriting in medical manuscripts.^2,3There is a clear distinction between minor editing and ghostwriting; the first involves inconsiderable changes, the second composing. The effort of the originator of the concept is largely cerebral, preferably novel and creative; the work of the ghostwriter and manuscript editor, like that of others with prescribed, remunerated duties, is largely derivative and technical. The statement that "<i>ghostwriters</i>and editors<i>who make important contributions but do not qualify for authorship</i>[italics ours]

Ghostwriters: not always what they appear

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —We are concerned that the Editorial "Acknowledging Ghosts" in<i>JAMA</i>may be interpreted as a validation of ghostwriting.¹A ghostwriter is "a person who writes for and gives credit of authorship to another person, who hires him to do so." By definition, the role of the person whose data the ghostwriter uses cannot be "author": "the original writer of a literary work." We see no place for ghostwriting or rewriting in medical manuscripts.^2,3There is a clear distinction between minor editing and ghostwriting; the first involves inconsiderable changes, the second composing. The effort of the originator of the concept is largely cerebral, preferably novel and creative; the work of the ghostwriter and manuscript editor, like that of others with prescribed, remunerated duties, is largely derivative and technical. The statement that "<i>ghostwriters</i>and editors<i>who make important contributions but do not qualify for authorship</i>[italics ours]

The Brigham Diary of Loyal Davis: a portrait of Harvey Cushing and a neurosurgical acolyte.

At 27 years of age, Loyal Davis wrote the Brigham Diary while training as an Associate in Surgery with Dr. Harvey Cushing. The diary is a daily record of the Cushing neurosurgical service between 1923 and 1924. The literary tone of the document is one of youthful enthusiasm and candor. Its contemporary portrayal of Harvard University's third Moseley Professor displays a demanding surgeon and scholar whose primary concern was the care of his patients and who taught the meticulous techniques of neurosurgery by example. In contrast to the experiences offered by current neurosurgical residency programs, Loyal Davis examined 107 patients, observed 81 operations, assisted Dr. Cushing during 23 operations, assisted Dr. Gilbert Horrax in 13 operations, and never performed an operation independently during his year at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Despite these technical constraints, the young assistant learned the Cushing method of surgery and skilled patient care and was encouraged to continue laboratory investigations. Davis also emulated Cushing's exacting method of preparation of medical manuscripts, which were characterized by scientific innovation and an engaging literary style. The diary shows that Cushing often held inflexible surgical and scientific opinions and was contentious in their defense. These opinions were modified only when he was presented with unequivocal facts. The young surgeon sought Cushing's approval which carried a genuine but restrained benevolence. Harvey Cushing's impression on Davis was lasting and profound. The diary conveys the philosophy that uncompromised discipline is a necessary virtue and hard work is full satisfaction in itself. In the following years, Loyal Davis systematically patterned his surgical and scholarly endeavors after those of Harvey Cushing, an exemplar whose unstinting resolve was the pursuit of excellence.

The Bellows Analogy in Laozi V and Warring States Macrobiotic Hygiene

The bamboo-slip medical manuscript entitled Yinshu (Pulling Book) from Zhangjiashan tomb 247, Hubei (burial dated ca. mid-second cen¬tury B.C.), includes a passage that uses the analogy of the bellows attested in received literature in Laozi V. In Yinshu the analogy is placed at the head of a macrobiotic technique. This article discusses the technique and argues that the bellows analogy most likely developed as part of the Warring States medical tradition of macrobiotic hygiene; that is, the bellows analogy in Laozi V was borrowed from medicine.

Peer Review Is an Effective Screening Process to Evaluate Medical Manuscripts

To measure the effectiveness of peer review as a screening process to evaluate medical manuscripts. Retrospective. The editorial office of the American Journal of Surgery (AJS). A MEDLINE search was conducted of publications from 1984 to 1992 for manuscripts that were identical or similar to those rejected by AJS between January and December 1989. Manuscripts that were submitted to AJS by foreign authors were excluded because of the presumed difficulty in tracking foreign-language publications. The percentage of manuscripts rejected by AJS that were subsequently published in journals indexed by MEDLINE, the time from rejection to ultimate publication, and the journal of publication. The reasons for rejection were also documented. We assumed that the majority of rejected manuscripts would be published within 3 years after rejection. One hundred twenty-five manuscripts submitted by North American authors were rejected by AJS in 1989, and 62% were not subsequently published in another core medical journal during the study period. The average duration between rejection and later publication was 17 months. Of those manuscripts subsequently published, 54% appeared in general surgical journals, including 12% that were revised, reevaluated, and later accepted by AJS. Twenty-nine percent of the rejected manuscripts were published in specialty medical journals, 10% in state and local journals, and the remainder in general medical journals. Twenty-eight percent of the authors of rejected manuscripts had previously and subsequently published manuscripts on very similar subjects. Our data indicate that the review process serves as a sieve and influences whether manuscripts are published in core medical journals. This was demonstrated by the fact that rejected manuscripts often were not published in other indexed medical journals.

Peer review is an effective screening process to evaluate medical manuscripts

Peer review is an effective screening process to evaluate medical manuscripts

A Guide to the Medical Manuscripts Mentioned in Kristeller's Iter Italicum V–VI

With the final volumes of his Iter, Paul Oskar Kristeller covers such important countries as Italy, Switzerland, the United States, and (what was at the time of publication) the U.S.S.R. A significant portion of the manuscripts listed or described concerns scientific correspondence between, for example, Italian physicians and Swiss naturalists, such as that between Ulisse Aldrovandi and Konrad Gessner and the Zwinger and Platter families. The Aldrovandi correspondence has been known for some time, but the Zwinger and Platter letters have not yet been sufficiently exploited. In all, eighty-seven letter writers are represented.

LECTURE: Basic knowledge of medical literature: Part III. How to prepare medical manuscripts.

LECTURE: Basic knowledge of medical literature: Part III. How to prepare medical manuscripts.

The Corpus of Greek Medical Manuscripts:

The Corpus of Greek Medical Manuscripts is a new research programme which intends to supersede the old repertory of Herman Diels. Its purpose is to inventory anew the medical manuscripts, to describe them fully from the originals, to treat the detailed information by help of the computer, and to establish a microlilm collection of the manuscripts. It will constitute a first-hand materials for a history of medicine based on the factual data contained in the manuscripts.

Del manuscrito al primitivo impreso: la labor editora de Francesc Argi­lagues (&lt;em&gt;fl. ca.&lt;/em&gt; 1470-1508) en el Renacimiento médico italiano

El proceso de transición del manuscrito médico al primitivo impreso en la Europa de las últimas décadas del siglo XV y primeras del XVI no ha sido suficientemente estudiado. En este trabajo se presenta a un protagonista destacado (aunque prácticamente desconocido hasta la fecha) de este proceso desde su papel de editor. Se trata de Francesc Argilagues {fl. c. 1470-1508), médico valenciano que, tras cursar sus estudios en Itaüa, se estableció profesionalmente allí, donde fue uno de los más tempranos editores de obras médicas para la imprenta, entre ellas dos de primer orden en la medicina universitaria bajomedieval y renacentista: el conjunto de escritos conocido por el nombre de Articella (en 1483 y 1487) y el Conciliator differentiarum philosophorum et praecipue medicorum de Pietro d'Abano (en 1483, 1490 y 1496). Hemos abordado la personalidad y obra de Francesc Argilagues a partir de diferentes fuentes básicas de información. Dado el indudable interés de los prólogos y de la nota introductoria que dirigió a los lectores de las dos obras por él editadas, se ofrece también su edición y traducción castellana.

Effect of acceptance or rejection on the author's evaluation of peer review of medical manuscripts

Effect of acceptance or rejection on the author's evaluation of peer review of medical manuscripts