| Abstract |
During the early years of the Republic of China (ROC), the government established a legal framework designed to regulate the practice of medicine in China. This framework sought to define such things as medical rights, legally acceptable medical practices, legitimate and illegitimate physicians, and so on. The new legal system, however, posed a threat to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which in turn fought back for its right to exist. This article examines the various efforts taken by TCM advocates to create legal rights for TCM; it also considers whether these efforts were successful. In particular, it looks at how in 1933, Dr. Guo Hong-joe, a TCM physician, proposed an “educational and administrative” right for TCM. The paper also examines the Chinese Medical Ordinance of 1936, the Physicians Act of 1943, and other legal documents. |
