Medical Transitions in Twentieth-Century China (China Medical Board Centennial)

This volume examines important aspects of China's century-long search to provide appropriate and effective health care for its people. Four subjects―disease and healing, encounters and accommodations, institutions and professions, and people's health―organize discussions across case studies of schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, mental health, and tobacco and health. Among the book’s significant conclusions are the importance of barefoot doctors in disseminating western medicine, the improvements in medical health and services during the long Sino-Japanese war, and the important role of the Chinese consumer. Intended for an audience of health practitioners, historians, and others interested in the history of medicine and health in China, the book is one of three commissioned by the China Medical Board to mark its centennial in 2014.