Open AccessThe Cognitive Evolution from “Plague” to “Infectious Disease”
Author(s) -
Xi Gao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chinese medicine and culture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2589-9627
pISSN - 2589-9473
DOI - 10.4103/cmac.cmac_31_20
Subject(s) - infectious disease (medical specialty) , plague (disease) , modernization theory , disease , china , medical terminology , terminology , medicine , political science , pathology , law , linguistics , philosophy , nursing
According to the Grand Chinese Dictionary, plague is defined to be an acute infectious disease. The Chinese term "infectious disease" is not what it is commonly thought originated from Japanese. The medical nomenclature shift from the traditional "plague" to the modern "infectious disease" is completed by the medical missionaries, Chinese scholars, and the national authority, each utilising different strategies. It is a history of acceptance concerning the concept of "infectious disease" from academia to national level. The conscious use of infectious disease-related thought and terminology by Chinese officials and doctors when studying infectious disease is a scientific modernization towards the understanding of epidemics. In a sense, this evolution of medical knowledge embodies the modernization of infectious disease in China.