[A brief history of succession of Xiaoshan Mt. Zhulin temple's discipline of women's diseases in modern time].

The Zhulin (Bamboo Forest) Temple was established in the southern Qi Dynasty. Buddhist monks in the Temple began their study on TCM in the 8th year of Tianfu reign of the Later Jin dynasty. However, it was not until the 6th year of Shaoding reign in Southern Song dynasty that it was named "King of Medicine" and became world famous. Records on the temple's geneology tree showed that the succession ended at Jinxiu, the 106th generation, who resumed his secular life. The thousand - year old temple was thus dismantled severely with no trace of ruins. Due to fire, war and artificial factors, since the leath of Xu Hui, this Discipline of Women's Diseases was succeeded by his son until now, there are still successors. Recently, the Discipline is characterized by its systematization of secret recipes, academic exploration and specific out - patient department with advances in the newly application of secret recipes.

[Hippocratic therapies for gynecologic diseases. Popular medicine or science?]. / Hippokratische Therapien bei Frauenkrankheiten. Populäre Medizin oder Wissenschaft?

Gynaecology is the field of Hippocratic medicine in which most remnants of magical and popular medicine have been found. However, this must not lead to premature generalizations. Therapies and drugs which are repeatedly mentioned as examples of such archaic remnants (especially the so-called "Dreckapotheke") are to be interpreted differently according to context. While some treatments clearly show their archaic origin, others can be explained in the light of the scientific medical knowledge of their time.

Beware the wandering womb--painterly reflections of early gynecological theory.

Ailing women languishing in their sickrooms are common subjects in seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting. Because the women in these paintings are usually young, pretty, affluent, and apparently in good health but for their listless poses and the concern shown by the physicians and maids who attend them, scholars have traditionally interpreted the scenes as moralizing sermons against illegitimate pregnancy or as satires against "quack" doctors. However, the medical context of the time suggest that these paintings actually reflect early gynecological theories, which assumed a uterine origin for all diseases of women. The details within the paintings point to the symptoms of, and attempted cures for hysteria, or furor uterinus, a female illness commonly diagnosed in the seventeenth century, but with a history as old as medicine itself.

["Historia animalium" compared to "Gynaecia" in the literature of the Middle Ages]. / "Historia animalium" contra "Gynaecia" in der Literatur des Mittelalters.

In her essay the author pictures the dominating role of Aristotle's doctrines as compared with the more progressive scientific achievements of the Alexandrian school of medicine during the Middle Ages. One of the consequences of this dominance was an almost total neglect of the special health problems of women who were-in contrast with men and according to the Aristotelian tradition of the Middle Ages-considered to be defective human beings: a nearly uneradicable opinion far into later centuries. In addition it was not only in accordance with Christian doctrines but with religious and social conceptions and habits of the Arabic tradition as well. The progressive efforts of some reasonable medieval physicians to improve the deplorable position of women were incapable to break through the bulwark of cooperating misjudgments and prejudices. It took a lot of time-from Hippocrates to Galen and the Arabs-and many errors were made till the teachings of Soranos of Ephesos, the first great gynaecologist, began to gain ground since the late Middle Ages, when his treatment of women's diseases and obstetrical instructions slowly prevailed the speculative perceptions of Aristotle and his epigones.