Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Yes, I was talking to the deputy dean of Beijing university about bare foot doctors. He was quite cynical of them and went on to state that they were introduced after the Communist revolution into the countryside to treat the farmers. They only had a few months training, one acupuncture needle and a bushel of herbs. In the west however, we seem to adopt the more romantic idea of walking around barefoot treating people. This is not reality and breads a false sense of our profession. We need extensive education and clinical practice in order to be anywhere near competent. I would however, strongly recommend walking around barefoot, great for the soul. Kind regards Attilio [zrosenbe] 21 September 2004 01:25 Chinese Medicine Re: My Background Hold on a minute. . . . What 'barefoot doctor' are you talking about? This particular form of health care practice, an amalgam of folk medicine, Western medicine, and some Chinese medical methods, is a modern innovation from the early days of Communist China. Apparently, this designation no longer exists. Perhaps you are talking about itinerant healers who travelled from place to place, ringing their bells and selling their remedies? A different thing entirely. On Sep 20, 2004, at 1:59 PM, Rich wrote: > In ancient times, the > " barefoot doctor " was not licensed - but still quite respected for > what he/she did. They still exist today all around China and deserve > just as much respect today as they did 1000s of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 While the romantic version is not correct neither is the one the dean puts forward. A) there were Barefoot Drs before the revolution B) tyhe ones under Mao Tse Tung were trained for 6 months with a combined clinical didactic schedule C) they were sent to areas with no other healthcare D) they were better equiped than was stated That said theuy were not self trained or a real substitute for fully trained Drs they were a stop gap nada mas. Today I am involved in several third world countries training Barefoot Doctors who have a bit more training than the PRC model, also have a similar Alopathic set of skills and aare the only healthcare in their villages. Doc Attilio D'Alberto <attiliodalberto wrote: Yes, I was talking to the deputy dean of Beijing university about bare foot doctors. He was quite cynical of them and went on to state that they were introduced after the Communist revolution into the countryside to treat the farmers. They only had a few months training, one acupuncture needle and a bushel of herbs. In the west however, we seem to adopt the more romantic idea of walking around barefoot treating people. This is not reality and breads a false sense of our profession. We need extensive education and clinical practice in order to be anywhere near competent. I would however, strongly recommend walking around barefoot, great for the soul. Kind regards Attilio [zrosenbe] 21 September 2004 01:25 Chinese Medicine Re: My Background Hold on a minute. . . . What 'barefoot doctor' are you talking about? This particular form of health care practice, an amalgam of folk medicine, Western medicine, and some Chinese medical methods, is a modern innovation from the early days of Communist China. Apparently, this designation no longer exists. Perhaps you are talking about itinerant healers who travelled from place to place, ringing their bells and selling their remedies? A different thing entirely. On Sep 20, 2004, at 1:59 PM, Rich wrote: > In ancient times, the > " barefoot doctor " was not licensed - but still quite respected for > what he/she did. They still exist today all around China and deserve > just as much respect today as they did 1000s of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 I think as a concept that barefoot doctoring is great. It just has to be done correctly, and present day politics sometimes makes that very difficult. We need some way to get medical resources to rural areas in third world countries, and I am glad to see you still involved in this after all these years, Ron. On Sep 21, 2004, at 8:54 AM, Doc wrote: > Today I am involved in several third world countries training Barefoot > Doctors who have a bit more training than the PRC model, also have a > similar Alopathic set of skills and aare the only healthcare in their > villages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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