A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties
This article is based on the local chronicles of Beijing, and studies the phenomenon and motivations behind self-mutilation for healing (cutting one's thigh flesh to heal sick relatives) during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The findings reveal that this practice was widespread across social clas...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | zho |
| Published: |
Editorial Office of Medicine and Philosophy
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Yixue yu zhexue |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.06.15 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849320751798157312 |
|---|---|
| author | Han ZHANG Zhuo CHEN Jing ZHANG Xinren ZHAO Jiao WU Lingzhi SUN |
| author_facet | Han ZHANG Zhuo CHEN Jing ZHANG Xinren ZHAO Jiao WU Lingzhi SUN |
| author_sort | Han ZHANG |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article is based on the local chronicles of Beijing, and studies the phenomenon and motivations behind self-mutilation for healing (cutting one's thigh flesh to heal sick relatives) during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The findings reveal that this practice was widespread across social classes, affecting both impoverished and elite families, with women being the most impacted. Folk healers and unqualified physicians contributed to the spread of this behavior. Beyond serving as psychological comfort for families of the ill, self-mutilation was largely an uncritical extension of the use of human-derived substances in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Government commendations for those who performed such acts added moral and political significance, elevating the practice beyond medical treatment and intertwining it with rituals and mystical beliefs, reinforcing its deep-rooted folk nature. Today, a dialectical approach to understanding this phenomenon is essential for gaining a correct perspective on the historical use of human-derived substances in medicine. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6e1bab6e9c9f4bc9b4daef8bb706ce6e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1002-0772 |
| language | zho |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Editorial Office of Medicine and Philosophy |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Yixue yu zhexue |
| spelling | doaj-art-6e1bab6e9c9f4bc9b4daef8bb706ce6e2025-08-20T03:49:59ZzhoEditorial Office of Medicine and PhilosophyYixue yu zhexue1002-07722025-03-01466737610.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.06.154-zhanghanA Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing DynastiesHan ZHANG0Zhuo CHEN1Jing ZHANG2Xinren ZHAO3Jiao WU4Lingzhi SUN5School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, ChinaKey Laboratory of Chinese Internal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Donzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100700, ChinaThe Second Clinical Medical College, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100078, ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, ChinaSchool of Chinese Classics, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, ChinaSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, ChinaThis article is based on the local chronicles of Beijing, and studies the phenomenon and motivations behind self-mutilation for healing (cutting one's thigh flesh to heal sick relatives) during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The findings reveal that this practice was widespread across social classes, affecting both impoverished and elite families, with women being the most impacted. Folk healers and unqualified physicians contributed to the spread of this behavior. Beyond serving as psychological comfort for families of the ill, self-mutilation was largely an uncritical extension of the use of human-derived substances in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Government commendations for those who performed such acts added moral and political significance, elevating the practice beyond medical treatment and intertwining it with rituals and mystical beliefs, reinforcing its deep-rooted folk nature. Today, a dialectical approach to understanding this phenomenon is essential for gaining a correct perspective on the historical use of human-derived substances in medicine.https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.06.15ming and qing dynastieslocal chroniclescuting the thigh meatself-mutilation for healing |
| spellingShingle | Han ZHANG Zhuo CHEN Jing ZHANG Xinren ZHAO Jiao WU Lingzhi SUN A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties Yixue yu zhexue ming and qing dynasties local chronicles cuting the thigh meat self-mutilation for healing |
| title | A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |
| title_full | A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |
| title_fullStr | A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |
| title_short | A Study on the Behavior of Cutting One's Thigh Flesh for Healing in Beijing Local Chronicles during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |
| title_sort | study on the behavior of cutting one s thigh flesh for healing in beijing local chronicles during the ming and qing dynasties |
| topic | ming and qing dynasties local chronicles cuting the thigh meat self-mutilation for healing |
| url | https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.06.15 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hanzhang astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT zhuochen astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT jingzhang astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT xinrenzhao astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT jiaowu astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT lingzhisun astudyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT hanzhang studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT zhuochen studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT jingzhang studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT xinrenzhao studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT jiaowu studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties AT lingzhisun studyonthebehaviorofcuttingonesthighfleshforhealinginbeijinglocalchroniclesduringthemingandqingdynasties |