Yi-Li Wu

How did Chinese medical practitioners historically understand the material forms and physical structures of the human body, and how did their perceptions shape their beliefs about illness, diagnosis and therapy? Our workshop addresses these questions through a cross-cultural investigation of what we are calling Sinitic medicine, namely healing practices derived from canonical texts originally written by Chinese authors. It was a shared cultural reference for doctors in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and elsewhere; and Sinitic medicine was also influenced by non-Chinese practices. Through comparative study, our workshop aims to uncover new information about the history of the Chinese medical body and to promote new ways of studying it.