天學與歷史意識的變遷──王宏翰的《古今醫史》

Christianity and the Rewriting of China's Medical Past: Wang Honghan's Medical History: Past and Present

本文考察王宏翰的《古今醫史》如何利用天學，重新檢視中國醫史。作為天學的信仰者，王氏認為基督宗教、儒學與醫學在上古時合而為一，只是時衰世變，中國人失去了信仰，儒學與醫學也因異端篡入而式微。王氏利用天學批評中國醫史中種種和道教、佛教相關的資料，並以天學駁斥醫史中和咒術、數術、鬼疾、外科等相關的記載，從而定位醫療實踐係以醫典為基礎、脈診和用藥為手段的「儒醫」術。藉著分析《古今醫史》，本文旨在理解處於文化交會過程中的歷史行動者如何挪用不同的文化資源，融合不同的文化因子，創造自我的敘事，肯定自己生涯的意義，並在敘事中宏揚自己的信仰。外來宗教成為信仰者重新融鑄自我的契機，新的自我則成為具現信仰的載體。

This article analyzes Wang Honghan's Medical History: Past and Present to investigate how he applied Western natural philosophy and Christianity to present a new interpretation of Chinese medical history from the ancient period until the seventeenth century. By analyzing Wang Honghan's Medical History: Past and Present, the author attempts to understand how historical actors situated at cultural crossroads utilized and blended diverse cultural factors to create their personal historical narration, affirm the meaning of their careers as Confucian physicians, and formulate and disseminate their religious beliefs. As an adherent of Western natural philosophy and a believer of Christianity, Wang Honghan maintained that Christianity, Confucianism, and medicine had been a unified system of thought and practice in ancient China. However, after the Qin Dynasty, the Chinese eventually lost their Christian faith. As a result, heterodox beliefs and practices replaced the interconnection between authentic Christianity, Confucianism, and medicine. After formulating a theory of symbiosis between Confucianism, Christianity, and medicine, Wang applied Western natural philosophy and Christianity to refute the effectiveness which previous histories of Chinese medical texts had attributed to healing methods drawing on Buddhist, Taoist, and shamanic practices such as divination, exorcism, and incantation. He also disclaimed the efficacy of surgery. Wang Honghan's reinterpretation of Chinese medical history ultimately resulted in the establishment of the practice of consulting certain medical classics as the foundation for the practice of medicine. By using the teachings of Christianity and Western natural philosophy, Wang was able to refute the legitimacy of other religious medical practices and redefine medicine as the exclusive enterprise of Confucian physicians. The embracement of Western knowledge and Christianity gave Wang Honghan the exceptional opportunity to recast his identity, and this new identity, in tum, fortified his religious commitment.