The book presents a collection of reasearch on the historical uses of mercury in Asian and European medicine by an international group of scholars. Drawing upon primary textual sources as well as on colonial and trade company records, the authors explore the ways in which mercury was used in the different medical traditions from the medieval periods to the present. The essays in this volume provide insight into the many connections between the various Asian medical cultures, and the role European colonial enterprises played in adding to these connections.
The chapters of this book orginated as papers delivered at the University of Zürich in February 2013 at a conference convened by Prof. Dagmar Wujastyk under the title, "Mercury in Medicine: Fluid Economies of Knowledge and Trade." Two further papers were later added to the collection. The contributions address the histories of medicinal mercury in India, Tibet, Japan, China, and in Portuguese, Arabic and Persian literatures. These papers first appeared in a special issue of the journal Asiatische Studien/Études asiatiques (2015).
The editor's introduction admirably locates mercury within the history of medicine, chemistry and trade, and traces its cultural trajectory from yesterday's wonder-drug to today's poison. The subsequent chapters deepen the perspectives from all over Asia, offering new discoveries and raising fascinating questions for future consideration.
We hope that by bringing this book to readers in India and abroad in an affordable and accessible form, the work will reach a new readership and stimulate further research into the fascinating history of mercury in medicine.
Histories of Mercury in Medicine Across Asia and Beyond presents a collection of research on the historical uses of mercury in Asian and European medicine by an international group of scholars. Drawing upon primary textual sources as well as on colonial and trade company records, the authors explore the ways in which mercury was used in the different medical traditions from the medieval periods to the present. The essays in this volume provide insight into the many connections between the various Asian medical cultures, and the role European colonial enterprises played in adding to these connections. |
