How debauchery harms the body: Republican-era Chinese and western medical culture and views on the body.

Republican-era society was characterized by loosening social norms, particularly around sexual behavior, and the illnesses caused by "debauchery" were many. Debauchery was defined as dangerous behavior including masturbation and hypersexuality, later extending to nocturnal emissions, erectile dysfun...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Chinese Studies in History Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 59 - 77
Autor principal: Kuo-li, Pi
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Winter2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=185688718&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: hlh
    uiTerm: 185688718
    longDbName: Humanities International Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00094633
        7J7
      jtl: Chinese Studies in History
      issn: 00094633
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Winter2025
      vid: 58
      iid: 1
      pid: 377
      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
    artinfo:
      ui:
        185688718
        10.1080/00094633.2025.2473869
      ppf: 59
      ppct: 18
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 939KB
      tig:
        atl: How debauchery harms the body: Republican-era Chinese and western medical culture and views on the body.
      aug:
        au: Kuo-li, Pi
      su:
        Chinese medicine
        Human sexuality
        Impotence
        Western civilization
        Social norms
      sug:
        subj:
          Chinese medicine
          Human sexuality
          Impotence
          Western civilization
          Social norms
      keyword:
        abstinence
        calming
        endocrinology
        hormones
        Nerves
      ab: Republican-era society was characterized by loosening social norms, particularly around sexual behavior, and the illnesses caused by "debauchery" were many. Debauchery was defined as dangerous behavior including masturbation and hypersexuality, later extending to nocturnal emissions, erectile dysfunction, kidney deficiency, and sexual neurasthenia. These conditions are frequently mentioned in Republican-era sources. This article first defines these terms and explains the Chinese and Western interpretations of them. Treatments for the conditions have some categorical characteristics. For example, they all rested on the premise that semen was precious. Of course, from late-Qing to Republican times, traditional views of the body were influenced by Western physiological research. Western knowledge was particularly influential on the understanding of new medicines and treatments. The most prominent example was the shift in understanding of "nerves" and "endocrinology." Along with the rise of new medicines, treatment strategies focusing on calming the nerves and building up semen, qi, and blood also proliferated. This article analyzes the role of these new medicines in treating illnesses of debauchery, especially the hormone drugs that appeared in great quantities in the late 1920s. The new medicines were primarily Western, but this article uses a traditional Chinese medicine perspective to supplement the interpretations of new medicines and their role in dialogue with traditional Chinese bodily concepts. There are many similarities in Chinese and Western medical strategies and a comparison of them provides another way to understand the historical interactions of Chinese and Western medicine.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: Y
      custom: Copyright of Chinese Studies in History is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
      item: Chinese Studies in History
      holder: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      dt:
        @attributes:
          year: 2025
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N