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Preventive medicine in the Shan hai ching page 74

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Another literary work of equal interest is the Shan hai ching,

which has sometimesbeen described as the oldest
geographical book in China. Although it is archaistic in
style,recent studies tend to date the composition of its
various parts between the late Chouand some time in the
Han period.
18
This book is ostensibly a geographical account of all the
regions of the Chinese culture-area. It contains indeed a
good deal of mytholo-gical material about strange beings,
gods and local spirits who were worshipped indifferent
places, yet the tone is surprisingly matter of fact. The content
includes a largequantity of very rational description, including
the trees, animals and minerals foundin different places, and
the difficulties of communications.Surprisingly perhaps, the
Shan hai ching
usually recommends particular drugs notfor curing diseases,
but for preventing their onset. It uses no less than ninety
plant,animal and mineral substances to promote health and
to prevent illness. The word fang , which we might translate
‘will ward off
’, is extremely prominent here. Thenumber of measures
listed to prevent each disorder or condition is shown in Table

.Apart from words for ingestion, the text also speaks of
phei chih, meaning to wearon the body an object that repels
some evil; and very occasionally, of paying homage toit or
worshipping it.The interest of this analysis is that one can
see the kinds of disease which were fearedin the Warring
States period, especially by travellers.
19
Because more animal substances than plants are
mentioned, one can also visualise the great extent of forest
country anduncultivated waste land in those days. Table

analyses the diversity of materia medicain the book.Thirty-
one items were eaten for protection and only slightly fewer
used in other ways,such as being worn or smeared on the
body. The idea of promoting general health is inaccordance
with the Taoist principle of nurturing vitality’ (yang shêng).
20
In certain
17
Chou li
: Extirpator, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a; Master of Crickets, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a; Water Sprinkler,ch.

, p.

a, ch.

, p.

b; River Patroller, ch.

, p.

a, ch.

, p.

a; Protector of Corpses, ch.

, p.

b,ch.

, p.

a; Travel Patroller, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a. Biot (

), tr., vol.

, pp.
ff
.
18
This book has already been described in the section on
Botany, in Vol.

, pt

, pp.

 –

.
19
No doubt Fan Hsing-chun(

), pp.

–

, is right in believing that ‘
ku
poison’ was variousparasitic disorders such as
schistosomiasis.
20
On the notion that this principle is Taoist, see the
Introduction, p.

.
???????????\Thirty-one items were eaten for protection and
only slightly fewer used in other ways,such as being worn or
smeared on the body. The idea of promoting general health
is inaccordance with the Taoist principle of ‘nurturing vitality’ (
yang shêng
).
20
In certain
17
Chou li
: Extirpator, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a; Master of Crickets, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a; Water Sprinkler,ch.

, p.

a, ch.

, p.

b; River Patroller, ch.

, p.

a, ch.

, p.

a; Protector of Corpses, ch.

, p.

b,ch.

, p.

a; Travel Patroller, ch.

, p.

b, ch.

, p.

a. Biot (

), tr., vol.

, pp.
ff
.
18
This book has already been described in the section on
Botany, in Vol.

, pt

, pp.

–

.
19
No doubt Fan Hsing-chun(

), pp.

–

, is right in believing that ‘
ku
poison’ was variousparasitic disorders such as
schistosomiasis.
20
On the notion that this principle is Taoist, see the
Introduction, p.

Preventive medicine in the Shan hai ching page 74

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