The Research On Comparison Between Traditional Chinese Medicine And Western Medicine In Axial Period

From the perspective of the eastern and western culture, under the specialsocial background, this article analyses the history evolution of TraditionalChinese Medicine and Western Medicine systematicly in Axial Period(BC800～AD200). It not only compares TCM with Western Medicine, but also reveals thereasons leading to the differences between them in Axial Period.As we know, the origin of TCM and Western Medicine was identical; inAxial Period, TCM and Western Medicine were also similar deeply in a great dealof theory; they gained remarkable achievements as well, from the overall level,they were both the most influential medicine in Axial Period; however, TCM andWestern Medicine were defferent in many specific contents and characteristicssince then.Viewing the social background and the development of TCM and WesternMedicine in Axial Period, we can find they had many similarities and differences,for example, they were still in the phase of empiricism after breaking up thewizard and medicine apart; they both advocated overall concept; they still paidattention to the stabilization of harmonious organism; they emphasized therelationship between the body and the natural environment, too; they upheldphysiocracy as well; however, the connotation about overall concept of TCM wasdistinctly different from the overall concept of Western Medicine; meanwhile,TCM paid attention to the function of organism, but Western Medicine paidattention to the anatomic structure, the mechanism about ailment and health was different in the theory of TCM and Western Medicine as well.Moreover, TCM and Western Medicine were born in the different culturalbackground, the doctors of TCM and Western Medicine accepted differentphilosophic thinking at that time, so their specific answers to the medicalproblems were different very much, their medical theory and research methodswere different as well, eventually those factors led to the differences betweenTCM and Western Medicine. Furthermore, that is the root cause for the hard wayof interjunction between TCM and Western Medicine.Finally, the future of TCM and Western Medicine is forecast, the value ofcomparison research is talked over, the significance of history and culture andphilosophy to medicine is discussed as well. Then the author hope we canunderstand and inherit TCM properly because Chinese medicine and its ancientcharacteristics are closely related to the traditional cultural background.