甲骨卜辞所见之巫者的医疗活动

古代巫医不分,由于人类将疾病致因视为鬼魂作用,故以巫者充当人鬼间的中介,寄希望于巫术行医、安抚死神从而达到消除疾病的目的。正因基于此观念,医与巫、医疗与巫术、药物心理与巫术心理取得了自然的结合,求药及求巫两者皆统一于医疗活动之中。商代的医疗知识仍然处于中国医学的萌芽状态,具有迷信性质,常与巫教信仰交织在一起。即使如此,此时的巫医也开拓壮大了医学的先河。除利用药材之外。商人亦知运用针刺方法以治病,此种针砭医疗器具,在各地遗址时有发现。在医疗方面的巫术的具体活动,则主要包括二种:一为医疗巫术,二为逐疫除凶。

Shamanistic Medical Activity Seen from Oracle Bones Inscription of the Shang Dynasty

In ancient China, due to lack of understanding of the causes of diseases, people generally thought that disease was derived from supernatural beings. So shamans, acting as mediators between humans and gods, held special medical ceremonies people hoped that patients could escape from their suffering through sorcery. On the basis of this conception, a medical man and shaman had a common name. Moreover, this also resulted in the incorporation of medical and shamanistic psychology. Therefore, in Shang Dynasty, early medical skills were highly superstitious, and were closely tied to shamanism. However, these practices also made a great contribution to commencement of medical development in China, and medicine and acupuncture were already known in the Shang Dynasty. Medical activity can be classified into superstitious medical activity and preventive non-auspicious activity.