A Catalog of Benevolent Items: Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Classical Chinese Knowledge
Translated by Paul U. Unschuld
University of California Press
ISBN: 9780520404243
In 16th-century China, a vast encyclopedia brought together knowledge about medicine and the natural world. This book gives you a taste of this fascinating work and its remarkable range of subjects, from soybeans and dragons to poisons and ice.
Excerpt:
Li Shizhen (1518 – 1593) created a work which, at first glance, seems to be dedicated solely to healing with natural and also artificially produced substances. On closer inspection, however, the Ben cao gang mu proves to be an almost inexhaustible source of data, not only on historical Chinese natural science as a whole, but also on countless facets of Chinese historical culture.
Who is this book for?
We have previously covered the complete Ben Cao Gang Mu, which spans nine volumes in translation. This book offers a selection from that vast work, providing a glimpse into the medical knowledge and scientific understanding of 16th-century China. Most entries are short, usually just a few lines or a couple of paragraphs, but they can be very revealing about how different substances were understood and used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Those interested in the history of medicine or Chinese history more generally will find this a good introduction to the larger work.
“This book is divided into two parts: the Prolegomena and eighteen chapters. The Prolegomena provides an overall discussion of the Bencao Gangmu, covering topics such as the origin of the book’s title, the history of materia medica, Li Shizhen’s biography, the structure and content of Bencao Gangmu, and translation considerations. This section serves as an introduction and explanation of the work, offering valuable insights for understanding Bencao Gangmu.
“The following eighteen chapters are organized creatively by Paul Unschuld, who uses eighteen key concepts as themes for each chapter. He then categorizes selected content from Bencao Gangmu under each concept. Paul Unschuld views Bencao Gangmu as more than a medical document, regarding it as a manifestation of the unique elements of Chinese culture. This book offers an understanding of Chinese culture from a pharmacological perspective, making it an essential resource for future studies of Chinese culture.” ~ review by Ka wai Fan in Chinese Studies International
The Translator
Paul U. Unschuld is Professor and Director of the Horst-Goertz Endowment Institute for the Theory, History, and Ethics of Chinese Life Sciences at Charité-Medical University, Berlin. His research focuses on the history of Chinese medicine.
A Catalog of Benevolent Items: Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Classical Chinese Knowledge
Translated by Paul U. Unschuld
University of California Press
ISBN: 9780520404243
In 16th-century China, a vast encyclopedia brought together knowledge about medicine and the natural world. This book gives you a taste of this fascinating work and its remarkable range of subjects, from soybeans and dragons to poisons and ice.
Excerpt:
Li Shizhen (1518 – 1593) created a work which, at first glance, seems to be dedicated solely to healing with natural and also artificially produced substances. On closer inspection, however, the Ben cao gang mu proves to be an almost inexhaustible source of data, not only on historical Chinese natural science as a whole, but also on countless facets of Chinese historical culture.
Who is this book for?
We have previously covered the complete Ben Cao Gang Mu, which spans nine volumes in translation. This book offers a selection from that vast work, providing a glimpse into the medical knowledge and scientific understanding of 16th-century China. Most entries are short, usually just a few lines or a couple of paragraphs, but they can be very revealing about how different substances were understood and used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Those interested in the history of medicine or Chinese history more generally will find this a good introduction to the larger work.
“This book is divided into two parts: the Prolegomena and eighteen chapters. The Prolegomena provides an overall discussion of the Bencao Gangmu, covering topics such as the origin of the book’s title, the history of materia medica, Li Shizhen’s biography, the structure and content of Bencao Gangmu, and translation considerations. This section serves as an introduction and explanation of the work, offering valuable insights for understanding Bencao Gangmu.
“The following eighteen chapters are organized creatively by Paul Unschuld, who uses eighteen key concepts as themes for each chapter. He then categorizes selected content from Bencao Gangmu under each concept. Paul Unschuld views Bencao Gangmu as more than a medical document, regarding it as a manifestation of the unique elements of Chinese culture. This book offers an understanding of Chinese culture from a pharmacological perspective, making it an essential resource for future studies of Chinese culture.” ~ review by Ka wai Fan in Chinese Studies International
The Translator
Paul U. Unschuld is Professor and Director of the Horst-Goertz Endowment Institute for the Theory, History, and Ethics of Chinese Life Sciences at Charité-Medical University, Berlin. His research focuses on the history of Chinese medicine.
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Facts Only
*Ben Cao Gang Mu* was created by Li Shizhen between 1518 and 1593.
The book compiles knowledge about medicine and the natural world in 16th-century China.
The text provides a selection from the complete *Ben Cao Gang Mu*, which spans nine volumes in translation.
One part of the book is the Prolegomena, discussing the origin, history, biography of Li Shizhen, structure, content, and translation considerations.
The remaining section consists of eighteen chapters organized by Paul Unschuld using eighteen key concepts as themes.
Paul Unschuld views *Ben Cao Gang Mu* as a manifestation of Chinese culture from a pharmacological perspective.
The translator is Paul U. Unschuld, Professor at Charité-Medical University, Berlin.
The work includes knowledge related to substances such as soybeans, dragons, poisons, and ice.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The presentation frames historical Chinese science not merely as empirical data but as a cultural artifact, suggesting that pharmacological understanding is inseparable from the unique elements of Chinese culture. This framing suggests an underlying pattern where objective scientific knowledge is inherently mediated by, and reflective of, specific cultural paradigms. The division into theoretical introduction (Prolegomena) and thematic categorization (eighteen chapters) reflects a method of imposing a modern, thematic structure onto an ancient system, which itself is an act of cultural interpretation. The value offered shifts the focus from strict historical documentation to a cross-cultural understanding of knowledge systems, positioning the text as a resource for cultural studies rather than just medical history. The implication is that true understanding of Chinese culture requires adopting a "pharmacological perspective," thereby challenging monolithic Western approaches to historical and scientific inquiry.
Bridge Questions: How does this pharmacological lens intersect with contemporary understandings of Chinese philosophical concepts? What are the inherent biases introduced when translating or reinterpreting empirical data through a cultural framework? How might the thematic organization chosen by Unschuld reveal specific epistemological priorities within the source material?