Song Military Research Medical Problems

Military medicine is a national system to ensure smooth application of the medical knowledge for military activities, and thus to save soldiers’ lives to the most extent. The designing and operation of this system directly relates to the military activity and the health of soldiers, and is therefore important task of army building.Song Dynasty set up relatively complete system for military medicine to guarantee the strength of national army. Basically, it includes medical officer with the army,to heal the sick and woundedto be on vacationand so on. Song Dynasty, for the first time in China’s history, included military families in military medicine system as well as wounded army man, diseased army man, and the surrendered. Central medical offices such as Hanlin Yiguanyuan,folk medical organizations such as Anjifang, and some local military offices were included in the operation of military medicine system.Influenced by the ideology of "respecting pens and suppressing swords", military medicine in Song dynasty is characterized by the time. First, this system was set up through imperial edicts;second, medical resources were unevenly assigned in different levels; third, both folk and local offices involved in this system; finally, the government in North Song paid more attentions to local military medical affairs than South Song. Based on mandatory imperial edicts and coordinated by other related offices, the military medicine system played a role in specific military activities, such as Annan Battle in Song Shenzong period. This system contributed quite a few for saving soldiers’lives, not only maintaining the system of conscript soldiers to some extent, but also stimulating the development of medicine in Song dynasty.