The Pharmacology Of Chinese Materia Medica In Modern History

The experimental pharmacological research on Ma-Huang and Tang-Kuei by Chen Kokuei and his colleagues in Peking Union Medical College(PUMC), is the proem of scientific research on Chinese material medica(CMM) in China.Relevant scholars and experts lacks systematic discussion in the pharmaceutical history field.This research is expected to supply the historical process about the background of era, the institutions, the main research personnel, the methods and the findings. The research also try to establish a simple and implementable research model of the history of pharmacy, so that can be consulted by the others and provide reference for improvement in order to solve problems in the development of pharmacological research and new drugs.The academic history include the traditional concept of pharmacology and importation of western experimental pharmacology, the subject generated and development, the evaluation of pharmacological research of CMM in modern history.The research period of this article is from1840to1949.The traditional concept of pharmacology means the nature attribute and the compatibilities of each drug.Overseas study, the Chinese translations of the Western and Japanese Pharmacological works and the improvement of experimental equipment create good conditions for the subject.By mens of research, the article comes to the conclusion that:1. The traditional concept of pharmacology means the nature attribute and the compatibilities of each drug. At the beginning of the20th century, scholars from both domestic and abroad translated Western and Japanese pharmacological writings to transmit the experimental technology in China, which lay the academic foundation of modern pharmacological researches.2. The first pharmacological experiment in the laboratory of the PUMC in China is the hallmark of the period. The findings of that time were mainly to the pharmacological research of ephedrine and related substances.3. The pharmacology of CMM is developing gradually in modern times. Although some of the papers were preliminary study, their research had laid a foundation for later research works.4. The research method of pharmacology of CMM in modern times is advanced, so the researchers obtained higher achievements.The subject occupied an important position in the history of modern pharmacy.