Call for comments (Zev R)

[Guest guest]

Zev,

 

Thanks for the heads-up on the new book from Volker Scheid. Something to

look forward to. The recent essay by him and Dan Bensky - " Medicine is

Signification " - was very interesting, even inspiring of some sense of

optimism about the continuing evolution of our adaptation of CM to, as you

put it, our needs in the West.

 

Unschuld is at times almost merciless in pointing out that much of what we

(or some of us) in the West represent to ourselves as CM bears little

relation to actual historical traditions. When, in his more diplomatic

moments, he characterizes what is happening in the West as " a creative

endeavor " , he provides some room for justification (or perhaps for " saving

face " ). In fact, I believe, he is touching on this that you allude to -

developing elements of the traditions according to our needs, in our

culture and times.

 

This a major factor that motivates my current studies of Jeffery Yuen's

presentations and interpretations of " classical Chinese medicine. " (I'm in

the distance-learning PhD.D program at AUCM in LA.). Namely that he

(Jeffery) clearly has a formidable knowledge and understanding of both the

(Han) classical traditions and their elaboration through the various

succeeding historical traditions (including TCM). (You may have heard him

at the Pacific Symposium last Fall, or on other occasions.) But, as he

emphasizes often (but not focally in every lecture), what he is trying to

impart is not so much rote knowledge or his interpretive theories, but

rather a demonstration of what one (each of us) can do with a deep

understanding of the traditions. And that is to illuminate the problems and

discover solutions to the medical realities of one's present place and time.

That is that doing the medicine is less grinding out diagnoses and applying

the technical modalities (although years and years of that is also

prerequisite), and more mastering a style or manner of perceiving and

engaging with moment to moment realities.

 

I'm not sure if I'm expressing it clearly or accurately, but it's the same

sense I got from the " signification " paper (and also, though less

elegantly, from Heiner Fruehauf's paper). Hence my sense of optimism that

something very significant may be in the birthing here. (And redeeming from

the perennial struggles with the issues of legitimacy, the FDA, our

organizational political in-fighting, etc.)