| Pediatrics in traditional Tibetan Medicine,known as chung dpyad,has had a long history of practice in its country of origin and growth.To date,there is,however,little research conducted with regards to pediatrics in Tibetan medicine.This study builds upon early scholarship by examining thoroughly relevant literature in medical sources made available recently.Research Goals1)Pediatrics in Tibet is compared with that in other traditional medical systems to emphasize the autonomous state of Tibetan medical practices.2)All the literature on pediatrics in Tibet currently available are carefully studied.3)Periodization of history of pediatrics in Tibet is attempted to trace major growths in pediatrics in Tibet.4)Major works of physicians in the area of pediatrics are discussed highlighting their unique contributions.5)Different editions of manuscripts are compared and contrasted to identify the earliest editions.6)Types of diagnosis and treatment are thoroughly investigated and outlined for ease of their successful integration in clinical practice.Research MethodsThis study is based on the comparative study of relevant literature in medical sources made available recently.These new materials include catalogues and anthology of biographies and treatises.Different editions of primary texts are thoroughly examined at the level of content to reconstruct periodization of history of pediatrics in Tibet.This study also benefits from using methods of statistical analysis and interview to assist our understanding of the primary sources.Research ResultsThis dissertation is comprised of five chapters.First,this study is primarily concerned with a comparative study of practices in Tibetan medicine with three other medical systems with regards to the theme of pediatrics,This comparison is largely based on the close study of the Four Tantras,Yan lag brgyad pa'i snying po bsdus pa,Luxinjing,the Corpus Hippocraticum,and the Canon of Medicine.These treatises or anthologies are classics in Tibetan,Indian,Chinese,and Persian medical sciences,respectively.This study concludes that Indian Ayurveda exerted a greater influence on Tibetan medical practices in the area of pediatrics.However,Chinese and Greek medical influences were minimal.Therefore,I argue that pediatrics in Tibetan medicine is a relatively autonomous system of medical practices.This claim is further enhanced by findings from my scrutiny of the new medical sources on pediatrics made available recently.Second,I identify and present five earliest texts on pediatrics.After a survey of these new sources in terms of transmission history and content,I propose that this early period marks the beginning of an autonomous and systematic growth of pediatrics ranging from such areas as categories of illness and their treatments.Third,a survey is conducted of relevant literature,especially including Four Tantras and Yan lag brgyad pa'i snying po bsdus pa,and nine newly discovered texts on chung dpyad composed between the 11th and 16th centuries.The translation edition of Yan lag brgyad pa'i snying po bsdus pa by Rin chen bzang po marks a new development in pediatrics in Tibetan medicine.Byis pa'i nyer spyod and gdon nad were new factors adding to existing system of pediatrics in Tibetan medicine.Fourth,Tibetan medicine including its component of pediatrics reached its peak in terms of diagnosis and treatment during the seventeenth century when Lcags po ri'i gso rig 'gro phan gling was built in Lhasa and many subsequent medical colleges were instituted in many parts of Tibet.Recent development in pediatrics in Tibet includes creation of the Department of Pediatrics in Tibetan Medicine Hospital in Lhasa as well as importation of modern non-Tibetan medical practices and skills.Finally,over 274 recipes for concoction of Tibetan medicine are identified and compiled for treating thirty-one different children's illnesses.Their efficacy is thoroughly investigated so as to prepare their future use and integration into clinical practice in modern healthcare settings. |
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