Chinese Medicine in Crisis: Science, Politics and the Making of TCM

by Heiner Fruehauf This article1 is based on the conviction that the traditional art of Oriental medicine is dying - both in mainland China, home of the mother trunk of the field, and, consequently overseas where branches of the tree are trying to grow. It may be an anachronistic piece, written at a time when TCM administrators around the world are celebrating major advances in the field, such as increasing numbers of students, practitioners, patients, colleges, universities and hospitals, which all appear to reflect a booming state of Oriental medicine. But if we truly respect our tradition as a living organism and listen intently to the deeper layers of its pulse, it becomes evident that the original vitality of the system is expiring, although its true condition may be obscured by a steroidal glow on the surface.