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Mercury, Mad Dogs, and Smallpox: Medicine in the Si tu paṇ chen Tradition

Mercury, Mad Dogs, and Smallpox: Medicine in the Si tu paṇ chen Tradition
Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies
Format: Journal Article
Publication Date: 2013-07
Publisher: Tibetan and Himalayan Library
Sources ID: 128200
Visibility: Public (group default)
Abstract: (Show)

Creator's Description: Si tu paṇ chen (1700-1774) was an active student, teacher, and practitioner of Tibetan medicine. This paper discusses a few features of the Si tu tradition of medicine, based on a study of several works attributed to Si tu and to his students. It begins with an overview of Si tu's own medical practice and the state of institutional and textual medicine in his day, and then addresses distinctive features of the Si tu medical tradition by examining its dominant and authoritative texts. The paper then focuses on three topics – the use of mercury, the treatment of mad dogs, and remedies for smallpox – proposing characteristics of a distinctive Si tu medical tradition. (2013-07-01)