Study On Medical Practitioners In The Period Of The Republic Of China (1912-1937)

This thesis mainly examines medical practitioners in Shanghai and probes the process of their professionalization and the interplay among the government, medical practitioners, and the public in he period of the republic of China under the background of the development of Chinese modem society. It employs approaches of the medical history and social history to unfolds the unique professionalization of medical practitioners, as professionals, in Chinese modem society, and thereby its influence on the modem society so that we can have more thorough understanding of the social transformation during modern times. The thesis is divided into the following five parts.First, the thesis makes a general description of medical practitioners in he period of the republic of China. When the Chinese society experienced drastic changes and was flooded with western culture, medical practitioners, including traditional Chinese and foreign doctors were developing rapidly. However, not all of them were qualified and licensed because of some special historical and social factors. As professionals, they had flexible ways of practicing medicine, got rich and social prestige, and became a part of professionals, the middle-class, and intelligentsia in the municipalities.Second, the thesis discusses the professionalization process of medical practitioners and the interplay between medical association and the government. With the arising of professional awareness among medical practitioners, all kinds of associations came into being and became significant channels to pursue professionalization. They continued to perfect their professional organizations and administrative mechanisms, expanded working functions to build up authoritative position in the field, so as to seize the leading of the professionalization, as well as gained the support and safeguard from the government to promote the establishment of professional doctors system. The government put the medical register system in the systems and regulations of the nation to reach an agreement on the demand of professionalization. However, there were obvious conflicts between the government's supervision and control of medical practitioners and their pursuing of the authoritative position. The balancing and dialogues were tangling episodes among, different levels of governments, associations and social powers, which characterized the professionalization process of medical practitioners in the period of the republic of China.Third, the thesis revolves around the conflicts among native medical and western medical practitioners, discusses the co-existence of native medical and western medical practitioners and its influence on their professionalization and the society, and examines the subtle relationship among medical practitioners, the government and the public, native medical practitioners and western medical practitioners were the two main parts of doctors in the period of the republic of China. They had different medical background which fell into different academic systems. They were competing rivals in the medical field. Although their relationship was not so tense as expected, their conflicts and disputes couldn't be ignored. From academic arguments to political clashes, they attempted to make full use of their nations and social resources to achieve their own goals. When western medical practitioners hoped to substitute native medical practitioners with the help of the government, traditional Chinese doctors rose and resisted, put pressure on the government and finally safeguarded their right of existence. While the government was imitating the western countries to establish a modern country, they couldn't find the ways to absorb the traditional factors into the construction of a modem society. It hesitated to take measures so that the situation was deteriorating, native medical and western medical practitioners coexisted and developed in their conflicting during the whole period of the republic of China. In this process, both parties were unconsciously influenced by their rivals respectively. For one thing, Western medical practitioners were more and more localized. For another, native medical practitioners attempted to adapt to the professional system in the modern society. It was in the conflicting and integration of Chinese and western culture that the medical practitioners went through very special professionalization process.Fourth, the thesis discusses the doctor-patient relationship and furthermore examines the relation of medical practitioners, the society and the nation from this perspective. The social position of medical practitioners improved, and the changes of iatrical space and modes of practicing medicine began to change the traditional doctor-patient relationship, in which patients were the main concern, and the Subjective role of medical practitioners was highlighted. However, the enhancing of their economic, and social positions made a sharp contrast to the deterioration of their social images. People were widely disappointed at their commercialization and their lack of responsibility while medical practitioners were dissatisfied with patients' attitude and ideas of treatment and their relation became more and more tense. In order to solve the problem, on the one hand, medical practitioners reinforced the discussion and construction of the modem professional morals. On the other hand, they attempted to educate patients to establish the modem doctor-patient relationship, but in vain. The conflicts which couldn't be effectively mitigated led to the frequent occurrences of medical lawsuit. However, in the process of dealing with these cases, the intervention of the government couldn't satisfy both sides, and gambling of three sides directly determined the results of these medical cases because of the lack of authoritative evaluation organization. And the tense relation was an issue which failed to be resolved in the professionalization of medical practitioners.Lastly, the thesis examines the profound influences of medical practitioners on the Chinese society. Influenced by the tradition of "an outstanding doctor be able to work with hope of doing for his country ", which became a trade in modern china, the elites of medical practitioners were no longer satisfied with curing patients. They were ambitious to make our nation more prosperous and get rid of the insult of Sick Man of East Asia. As professional literates, they exploited their medical background and participated administration of sanitation actively in the hope to promote and influence the Chinese medical sanitary system which includes doctors, medical practice and public sanitation. At the same time, they took measures such ad spread the medical knowledge, reformed old customs to strengthen the quality of the whole nation to empower the country and its people. As the new middle-class, they had their voices in the national, political and social affairs. The medical practitioners in he period of the republic of China brought about profound and unique influences on the Chinese modern society because of the combination of publicity and speciality.Conclusion: In he period of the republic of China, the medical practitioners accelerated the professionalization process and became one of the most professionalized lines of work. As a part of the literate class, their educational background and knowledge, in which the Chinese and western parts were perfectly integrated, made them the force to push forward the professionalization and to have impact on the society. As the element in the middle-class, they looked for a larger place to develop between the government and the public. Their professionalization process and their relation with the government and the society can be a facet to exhibit the modern social transformation.