[HOBSON, BENJAMIN, JIANG NING, AND GUAN MAOCAI] (合信氏, 江甯, 管茂材）.

西醫略論. [Xiyi luelun].<BR> [The First Lines of The Practice of Surgery in The West].

[Japan]. 桃樹園藏梓. [Tojuen zoshi] [Taoshu yuan cangzi]. 安政戌午 [ 1858]. Reprint. 安政戊午晚冬 (Ansei 5, 1858/59). Stock ID #224899

Benjamin Hobson's 西醫略論, medical text, three juan in four volumes complete, with black line drawn anatomical, bandaging, surgical and plant illustrations, 上編 全, 47 folded leaves, 中編 上, 40+i folded leaves, 中編 下, 41-94 folded leaves，下編 全, 18 + iv folded leaves. Japanese woodblock reprint with text in traditional Chinese characters and Japanese kunten, title page dated 安政戊午晚冬 (Ansei 5, 1858/59), reprinted from the first edition (Shanghai, Renji Hospital), retaining Hobson’s preface dated 咸豐七年 1857, no colophon. English title and list of contents in Chinese and English at the end of volume IV. Volumes I, II, III, measure 24 x 16.5cm, volume IV, 25 x 16.7cm, paper wrappers with Chinese 4 stab binding. Title slip lacking on upper cover of volume II, (中編 上). Paper slightly browned, wrappers a little worn and marked. Good condition.

西醫略論 "The First Lines of The Practice of Surgery, In The West" by English missionary Benjamin Hobson(1816-1873) and his Chinese translator and assistant 管茂才 [Guan Maocai] (also known as 管嗣復 [Guan Sifu]). The book covers a wide range of medical subjects, discussing various medical problems and their remedies. The second of the five medical textbooks in Chinese written by Hobson between 1881 and 1858, is regarded as his best. According to Hobson himself in an article (1861) published in Medical Times & Gazette, he says "These five works were not translations of any one English work in particular but rather selections from many works on the same subject, adapted to use." However, Hobson did use Robert Druitt's "The Surgeon's Vade Mecum" as his main reference for this book.

In the preparation for writing this book, Hobson was introduced by the Rev. J. Edkins to the Chinese scholar Guan Maocai who played a huge role in the publication of this work. At the time he met Hobson, Guan was a Nanking refugee fromthe Taiping rebellion. Guan worked hard both as the translator and also to balance the ideas of Western and Chinese medicine in the book. This "balancing of the text" was not always happy, leading to some friction between author and translator, however Guan's elegant and immensely readable style meant that the book was widely read and appreciated. Confucian traditional education had included medical learning as part of the elite education from the Song dynasty onwards, so Guan, who was highly educated in the Confucian tradition, had a real understanding of the subject.

With the purpose of establishing a solid foundation for Western medical study in China, Hobson's writing tended to over emphasise the advantage of Western medicine and surgical procedures over that of traditional Chinese medicine. He could be openly critical of Chinese medicine stating for example in his article previously mentioned, "So between the ignorance of Physicians and the poor quality of the medicine administered, the sick in China stand but a poor chance of drawing much benefit on medical skills."

西醫略論 "The First Lines of The Practice of Surgery, In The West" had an unprecedented impact on the introduction of Western medicine in China and also was greatly appreciated in Korea and, most particularly, in Japan. The first Japanese edition was issued in 4 volumes and published in 1858. Interestingly, both Chinese and Japanese editions were reprinted rapidly. The policy of Renji hospital, the publisher of the Chinese edition, might have some contribution to this situation, as the hospital "had a policy allowing anyone who wanted to read these books to make a copy from the original printing plates, which were stored in the hospital: if he carries his own paper and ink...the hospital will not charge a penny." Renji Hospital is today part of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Dr Benjamin Hobson's second wife was the only daughter of The Rev. Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to China.

(Journal of Chinese Studies No. 56 - January 2013; Chinese translation of English textbooks on internal medicine from the 1850s to the 1940s - Hong Chuang-Ye and Wang Fu-Mei

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