CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Xia, Ni |
|---|---|
| Title | Flatus and Needles: The First European Book on Acupuncture and Its Influence |
| Summary | This dissertation explores the circulation and reception of acupuncture and moxibustion in early modern Europe, focusing on the publication Dissertatio de Arthritide by Williem ten Rhijne. This work, recognized as the first European discourse on acupuncture, emerges from Rhijne’s encounter with Eastern medical practices during his assignment in Japan by the VOC, and his subsequent attempts to integrate these practices within the framework of European medical knowledge. The dissertation interrogates how acupuncture and moxibustion was variably accepted or rejected within European medical circles, reflecting broader dialogues about the adoption of foreign knowledge in a period characterized by both curiosity and skepticism towards the non-European world. Methodologically, the thesis employs a close reading of primary sources including the Dissertatio de Arthritide and contemporary discussions in medical journals and other publications. It also trace the nuanced shifts in medical theory and practice as acupuncture was disseminated across Europe. The analysis spans three chapters, each addressing different aspects of the encounter of Eastern medicine. Chapter 1 discusses the initial European encounters with acupuncture through ten Rhijne’s work, setting the stage for further European engagements with Eastern medical techniques. Chapter 2 examines the integration of acupuncture within existing European medical theories, particularly the pneuma and fluid circulation theories prevalent at the time, and how these theories facilitated or hindered the acceptance of acupuncture. Chapter 3 explores the broader intellectual and medical debates that influenced the preference for acupuncture over moxibustion, illustrating the complexities of integrating such practices within the anatomical and humoral theories then dominant in Europe. The findings reveal a dynamic interplay between acceptance and scepticism, where acupuncture was seen as both a promising new technique and a challenge to established medical doctrines. The dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of the transnational flow of medical knowledge and the contingent nature of its acceptance, anchored in the broader and deeper historical context of the early modern period’s scientific life. |
| Supervisor | Emese Lafferton; Robyn Dora Radway; Carsten L. Wilke |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/xia_ni.pdf |
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