「國藥」或「代用西藥」？戰時國產藥物的製造與研究

“Chinese Drugs” or “Western Medicine Substitutes?”Manufacture and Research of Domestically Manufactured Drugs in Wartime

中醫與中日戰爭的歷史有何關係？本文先透過中日戰爭時期製藥業的鳥瞰，再談到整個國產製藥、代用西藥和國藥等幾個概念的複雜性。總體而言，戰爭促成了國藥種植與研究的開展。戰爭壓力使得傳統中藥一躍而登上科學製藥的舞台，而究其歷程，其研究不是立基於傳統中醫理論，而是開創一種植物學、化學研究中藥的研發。 對極需用藥的軍醫單位而言，所謂研發替代的國產藥物仍是「西藥」，而非中醫的中藥，背後中醫醫理並沒有在此時被重視，仍是一種經過西化後的製藥概念，而且偏重單味中藥的研究與分析。整個努力需要國家級單位或經費的挹注，而反觀軍醫系統內的藥科與藥學研究卻在1945 年時被短暫終止，令人扼腕。但整個研究方法已持續開展，並對於現代中醫的發展有所啟發，大量中藥開始透過植物學的再檢視，化學實驗室的分析，進而被種植、提煉，乃至創造成各種成藥，即便它僅是「代用」，卻也證實了中藥的「有效性」，無疑是項突破與創新。

 

What is the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine and history of Sino-Japanese War? Firstly, this study performed an overview of pharmaceutical industry during the Sino-Japanese War, and then probed into the complexity of several concepts, such as the overall domestically manufactured drugs, western medicine substitutes, and Chinese drugs. All in all, the war contributed to the development of planting and research of Chinese drugs. The pressure of war brought traditional Chinese herbal medicines to the spotlight of scientifically manufactured drugs. The investigation on the development history showed that the research of traditional Chinese herbal medicines was not performed based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, but the initiation of botanical and chemical R&D of traditional Chinese herbal medicines. To military medical units who urgently needed drugs, the so-called substitutes of domestically manufactured drugs under R&D were still “western medicines,” instead of traditional Chinese herbal medicines of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides, the importance was not attached to the medical principles behind traditional Chinese medicine at the time. Such R&D were still the implementation of post-westernization pharmaceutical concept. Moreover, particular stress was laid on the research and analysis of a single traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The entire effort required the attention of state-level units or funds. On the contrary, unfortunately, the pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical research within the military medical system was terminated briefly in 1945. However, the overall research methods were continuously developed, which inspired the development of modern traditional Chinese medicine. A large amount of traditional Chinese herbal medicines were further planted and refined through botanical re-inspection and chemical laboratory analysis to create a variety of over-the-counter drugs. Although such drugs were used as “substitutes,” they also verified the “efficacy”of traditional Chinese herbal medicines, which undoubtedly was breakthrough and innovation.