Religion and Medicine in East Asian Traditions: China, Japan, Korea

This short lecture provides an overview of some of the connections between the development of medicine in China, Japan, and Korea and the popular philosophies and religions of those countries (particularly Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism). It is focused on the pre-modern era, as that’s when these relationships were formed and when they were at their strongest. Sources used: Baker, Don. “Oriental Medicine in Korea.” In Medicine Across Cultures: History and Practice of Medicine in Non-Western Cultures, edited by Helain Selin and Hugh Shapiro (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Press, 2003): 133-154. Birnbaum, Raoul. “Chinese Buddhist Traditions of Healing and the Life Cycle.” In Healing and Restoring: Health and Medicine in the World’s Religious Traditions, edited by Lawrence E. Sullivan (New York: MacMillan, 1989): 33-58. Bridgman, Robert F. “Traditional Chinese Medicine.” In Medicine and Society in China, edited by John Z. Bowers and Elizabeth F. Purcell (New York: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, 1979): 1-21. Co