從甲骨文看商代的疾病與醫療

Disease and Healing in the Shang as Reflected in the Oracle Bone Inscriptions

甲骨文發現百餘年來，學者利用甲骨資料研究商代疾病和醫療的文章時有所見，但普遍存在兩個現象：一是材料不夠完備，二是誤釋和誤說甚多。本文充分利用甲骨和其他考古材料，補充前人之所未備，並補正諸多誤說。研究發現，甲骨材料中所記錄的殷代疾病是多方面的，但多屬於患病部位的貞卜，項目雖多，內容往往都很簡單，學者據此簡單記載而多方揣測，多半是沒有根據的猜想。關於疾病的醫療，主要走向鬼神祭祀、祈禱以求病癒。有人利用甲骨字形提出殷代已有針灸等療法，其實可信度不高。考古發掘中，雖有少量簡單的醫藥材料出土，但甲骨文中缺乏這類直接而可信的記載。

Since the discovery of the oracle bone inscriptions more than a hundred years ago, some research on disease and healing based on the oracle bone inscriptions has appeared, but most of this work suffers either from a lack of relevant evidence, or from misinterpretations of what evidence does exist. This article makes use of a wide variety of evidence both from the oracle bone inscriptions and from other archaeological materials to supplement previous research and to correct various misinterpretations. The article argues that, while records in the oracle bone inscriptions provide much information about disease in the Shang, they focus on the narrow field of prognostications for sicknesses in particular parts of the body. Although there are many such references, they are terse and simple in content. When scholars have attempted to extrapolate from this material to describe disease in the Shang they have usually come to conclusions that are unsubstantiated by the evidence. Most of the information on healing in the oracle bone inscriptions relates to sacrifices to spirits and prayers for improved health. Claims based on the oracle bone inscriptions that acupuncture and moxibustion were already in use in the Shang are unconvincing. Archaeologists have uncovered some simple medicine from the Shang, but the oracle bones provide no such direct and reliable information on methods of healing.