The History of Acupuncture
The following is a brief overview and is not meant to be exhaustive.
- Bian shi - sharpened stones were used for acupuncture
- these bian shi date back to 3000 BCE
- Bloodletting may have been a precursor to acupuncture
- Evidence shows the use of bone fragments, fish bones, and bamboo for needles as well
- With the Bronze Age came bronze needles, but the stone needles were still the most widely used
475 BCE-24 CE
- the feudal system in China was established and strengthened
- With it, came iron weapons
- Stone needles were then replaced with iron needles
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Gold and silver needles were also used, but to a lesser extent
Ancient Texts
- The writing for "acupuncture" was found on bone and tortoise shell inscriptions from 1800 BCE
- Several historical texts from the 4th and 5th centuries BCE make mention of acupuncture
- The Mawangdui medical manuscripts from the 3rd century BCE detail the acupuncture meridians, but make no mention of actual needling
- Huangdi's Internal Classic - around 250 BCE
- The first and most famous text detailing Chinese medical theory
- Acupuncture points, types of needles, needling techniques, and treatments are all detailed
- Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion - 260 CE
- This text is comprised of 12 volumes detailing 349 acupuncture points
- It is a complete clinical manual / textbook
The Bronze Man
- Wang Weiyi (987-1067 CE) wrote The Illustrated Manual on Points for Acupuncture and Moxibustion which included the descriptions of 657 points
- He also cast two bronze statues on which meridians and points were engraved for teaching purposes
Ming Dynasty - 1368-1644 CE
- This time period is considered the climax of Chinese medical theory and acupuncture
- Extensive collections and revisions of were made of existing literature
Qing Dynasty - 1644-1911 CE
- For varioius reasons, including politics, herbal medicine was regarded as superior to acupuncture
- In 1822, acupuncture was banned from the Imperial Medical College
Chinese Nationalist Party
- After 1911, traditional medicine in China was discouraged and Western Biomedicine was introduced
- Acupuncture remained popular among the common folk, and the "barefoot doctors" emerged
The People's Republic of China
- In 1950, Chairman Mao Zedong adopted policies that revitalized acupuncture and traditional medicine in China
- A review of important medical texts was done which led to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
- From 1970 to today China has paved the way with extensive scientific research on Acupuncture
Acupuncture in Europe
- The first European acupuncture publication was published in 1658 in Holland by the Dutch doctor Jakob de Bondt
- European acupuncture then developed independently from that in China
- Electro-acupuncture and auricular-acupuncture were pioneered in Europe and then later adopted in China
Acupuncture in the USA
- In 1826 in the USA, the first acupuncture publication was by Bache Franklin M.D., great grandson of Benjamin Franklin
- After the 1920's, acupuncture was very rare outside of Chinatowns
- In 1971, NY Times reporter James Reston had surgery with acupuncture anesthesia and also post-op pain relief by Acupuncture. This brought much publicity to acupuncture
- The first Chinese Medical Schools appeared in the 1970s, and now there are over 40 such accredited colleges
- In 1996, acupuncture needles were changed from the "investigative" category to accepted medical instruments by the FDA
- In 1997, The National Institutes of Health issued the Consensus Statement that recognized that "Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States" and "may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program."
