The Medical History of Tibet (English edition)
Written by Wang Lei
Translated by Tang Dunyan Cai Wenqian
Hardcover, 850 x 1168mm, 315p. with 35 photo illustrations.
Shanghai 1994
ISBN 781009825

Tibetan medicine and pharmacology has had a history of over one thousand years. Though imbued with heavy religious air because it was formed under feudal society when politics and religion were one entity, it is a traditional, scientific system of medicine and pharmacology of unique style, with distinguished characteristics, complete theories and emphasis on holistic concept (of the organism as a whole), adaptable to the plateau environment and effective both in prevention and cure. It is not only one of the quintessence of Tibetan culture, but also a part of the extremely precious cultural inheritance in the traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology.

To study Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, the author aspires to introduce systematically to readers in China and the whole world the historical process of the formation and development of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology. Although, at present, there are many works in Tibetan language recording and narrating the history of the development of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, information in other languages is extremely deficient. As a result, through unearthing and sorting out ancient documents on Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, the ancient "Medical History of Tibet," written by Di Si · Sang Jie Jia Cuo, which was full and accurate in content and basically correct in historical data, was selected as a blueprint of this book. At the same time, brief modern and contemporary history of Tibetan medicine is added for the reference of researchers concerned.

The author of the ancient "Medical History of Tibet," Di Si · Sang Jie Jia Cuo (1653-1705 A.D.) was the 5th "Di Da" official to govern the political affairs of whole Tibet during the reign of the 5th generation Dalai Lama. The ancient "Medical History of Tibet" was completed in 1686 A.D., the 25th year of Kangxi of Qing Dynasty, and the water-goat year of the 12th Jia Zi (cycle of 60 years) in the Tibetan calendar. This book recorded in detail the history of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology before the 17th century and is the most authoritative classic among various books on the history of Tibetan medicine now in existence. The original text contained 293 pages, mainly in the Tibetan language, interspersed with ancient Tibetan language and Sanskrit. Aside from the history of Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, the book was also interposed with Indian medical history, Buddhism, Brahmanism legends and parts of Buddhist Scripture.

The translated Chinese manuscripts of the ancient "Medical History of Tibet" was contributed by the well-known contemporary Tibetan physician Qiang Ba Chi Lie. It was again amended and completed by Professor Wang Lei. Other contents and all the annotations of the book were completed by Professor Wang Lei.

Contents

1. Preface
2. List of Illustrations on the Flyleaf of the Original Ancient "Medical History of Tibet"
3. Thirty Stanzas of Metrical Hymn Preceding the Main Text of the Ancient "Medical History of Tibet"
4. Ancient " Medical History of Tibet" Part I The Meaning of Medicine
5. Ancient "Medical History of Tibet" Part II The Origin of Medicine and Pharmacology
6. Ancient "Medical History of Tibet" Part III The Propagation of Medicine
7. Ancient "Medical History of Tibet" Part IV The Medical History of the Tibetan Nationality
8. Brief Modern and Contemporary Medical History of Tibet
9. Annotations