Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: A Brief Historical Introduction to the Background of the Method-and-Wisdom Theoretical Model of Traditional Mongolian Buddhist MedicineT he genesis of Mongolian indigenous medical knowledge, which predates the Mongols' conversion to Buddhism, was closely related to their experiences derived from their nomadic and pastoral lifestyle, common exposure to severe climatic conditions, and extended periods of military campaigns led by Mongol khans.Bone setting, cauterization, bloodletting, massage, skull trepanning, 1 therapy of soaking and covering with animal hide, soaking in mud, and the like, were most common treatments among pastoral and military Mongols, some of which are still used today.Through their pastoral lifestyle, the Mongols became familiar with the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of their livestock and acquired the knowledge of medicinal plants.Therapeutic experiments that were conducted on sick livestock and that showed favourable results on animals were often applied to humans.These experimental treatments became eventually codified in the traditional Mongolian Buddhist medical treatises.Traditional Buddhist medicine in Mongolia underwent different phases of development, which started in the fourteenth century with two different translations of the Indian canonical Mahāyāna text the Golden 1.The archeological findings of trepanned skulls discovered near Chandmani Mountain of Ulaanbaatar's district and dated to the seventh/eighth centuries testify to the practice of brain surgery among the Mongols of that period.Likewise, famous Tibetan scholar Desi Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653-1705) mentions in his gSo rig sman gyi khog 'bugs the practice of brain surgery among the Mongols.
Author: Vesna A. Wallace
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Language: English
Topic: History of Medicine Studies
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4386766342