Bone doctors

By Du Qiongfang Source:Global Times Published: 2015-1-4 17:53:01

TCM school takes hands-on approach to fractures


Editor's Note



According to UNESCO's definition, an "intangible cultural heritage" includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. It has to be traditional, contemporary and living at the same time, inclusive, representative, and community-based. The safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.

The Shanghai municipal government has designated 157 traditions as Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage. The Global Times Metro Shanghai culture page will introduce one intangible culture heritage and interview their current inheritors every month.

While acupuncture may be the most famous type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there were 54 schools of TCM covering subjects such as internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, trauma treatment and massage before the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).

However, only a handful of TCM schools have survived. Under the impact of Western medicine, many TCM schools are disappearing.

The orthopedics and trauma therapy developed by the Shi family is one of the few TCM schools that has survived and continues to flourish today. It was listed as an item of national intangible cultural heritage in 2008. In the past October, Shi Yangshan, great-grandson of the skill's founder Shi Lanting, was named TCM master.

Shi Lanting operated a security escort service in Jiangsu Province. In 1880, he relocated to Shanghai and, using the skills he had developed in treating injured security workers and bodyguards, setting up a clinic to treat bone and muscle injuries.

Shi's clinic had become quite famous by the time of the era of Shi Yangshan's father, Shi Xiaoshan.

Shi family's orthopedics and trauma therapy is one of the few TCM schools that has survived and continues to flourish today. Photo: Du Qiongfang/GT



 





In May of 1934, Peking Opera master Gai Jiaotian fractured his leg during a performance in Shanghai. The production team called Shi Xiaoshan for help. He examined Gai and recommended that he immediately go to hospital. But Gai refused to leave the stage in the middle of the performance. So Shi gave Gai some painkillers and fixed the fracture with a simple splint. After just a few minutes, Gai took to the stage again.

In a time before the widespread use of X-ray machines in Shanghai, many bone fractures were diagnosed by the doctors of Shi's family using just their hands. They also treated tendons, ligaments, cervical spine diseases, pains in the waist and legs, osteoporosis and circulatory problems.

Shi Lanting also invented a series of oral medicines and nearly 100 kinds of medical plasters.

Many of these medicines and treatment techniques were a secret of the Shi family until 1953, when Shi Xiaoshan donated the secret recipes of all the plasters and the orthopedic techniques to the country. Many hospitals and sports schools started to use the plasters. During its heyday, more than 85 percent of orthopedic patients across the nation were using Shi's plasters.

 



 

 





After graduating from senior high school, Shi Yangshan accumulated clinical experience at his father's medical practice. He also learned traditional TCM theories from Huang Wendong, a famous TCM teacher and doctor who specialized in internal medicine. "Apart from TCM knowledge, I learned, first and foremost, that I should be a good person," said Shi Yangshan. "No matter if the patients had money or not, we cured them anyway."

One of the most important theories of Shi's therapy is jianxie, which refers to an injury that appears not to be an injury. "It refers to the incompletely cured illness that becomes the root of a chronic disease. The injury will be affected by the invasion of cold. The illness gradually accumulates in the body, and finally becomes a disease that recurs," said Shi.

 





"Many patients who feel ill cannot be proven so by modern physical examination machines. The jianxie concept of Shi therapy can well explain such cases," said Qiu Dehua, a student of Shi Yangshan, who explained that the Shi therapy is the combination of prevention, healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation.

The Shi family was ahead of other TCM dynasties in that they stopped limiting inheritors of the system to blood relatives. Traditionally, apprentices learned TCM knowledge and techniques from their teachers, but the Shi family has a more modern education model through which it trains hundreds of inheritors. More than 100 inheritors have PhD degrees and senior job titles.

 



 

 



The orthopedics and trauma treatment therapy of the Shi family has further developed alongside modern medical techniques. More than 800 theses and over 50 academic works related to the school have been published, winning many awards including the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award.

Some inheritors have attended top international universities, and have published their theses in world-famous medical magazines. "TCM and Western medicine are not in conflict, they are complementary," said Qiu, who added that today Shi therapy is practiced alongside Western medicine.



Posted in: Metro Shanghai, Culture

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