DIRECTIVE ON WORK IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
(30 July 1954)
Traditional Chinese medicine has contributed greatly to the people
of our co^SS? ihL with a population of 600 willion
By comparison, Chinese medicine has a history of several
years while western medicine has been introduced into China o
y , ,
SSLf TO this day, there are still 500 million Chinese people who depend
or those LScine fir the treatment of their illnesses while t^e^ho
count on Western medicine number only several tens of millions (and most or
to^e ^opL live in the big cities). Thus, so far as Ctoa's P^ltc health
■,„a.rtsHugs Since the beginning of history are concerned, the contribution
of Chinese medicine and its achievements are great Indeed
For a number of years, there was no fostering of the medical heritage
of the motherland.
On the contrary, it was despised and
^
example, examinations for doctors of Chinese medicine
there were papers on physiology and pathology.
Those who failed
examination Sara not%iven dlplowas. In addition f
prohibiting doctors of Chinese medicine from entering hospitals.)
tractive of the Party Central Committee on integrating Chinese and Western
Chinese not bean^carried out. Tha trua ^-^ration of China's
Western medicine also has not been resolved. This is
problem must be resolved. Mistakes must be corrected.
^ministration organs dt different levels must undergo ideological changes.
Henceforth, it is most important that
"®®5oo”200^erSuates
study Chinese medicine, and not vice versa. First, detach
of medical universities or colleges and turn them over to some prominent
doctors S Chinese medicine to learn from the letter's clinical experience.

In their studies, these graduates should assume a very modest attitude. It
is a glorious task for doctors of Western medicine to leam Chinese medicine.
Because after learning an^ promoting Chinese medicine, they will be able to
do away with the line dividing Chinese and Western medicine and turn the
two into a unified medicine of China and make a contribution to the world.
Second, all hospitals must regularly invite doctors of Chinese medicine to
the hospitals to give treatment to patients and for consultations,, and
permit patients to take Chinese medicine. The hospitals must also set up
various systems to accord respect to doctors of Chinese medicine and through
these systems ensure that they will not be embarrassed and have misgivings
about treating patients in hospitals. Third, Chinese medicine should be well
safeguarded and developed. Chinese medicine of our country has a history of
several thousand years and is an invaluable treasure of the motherland. If
we let it wither away, then it is our fault. Therefore, we should investi
gate and safeguard all medicinal herbs grown in the various provinces. We
should encourage their production, facilitate their transportation, and
improve their marketing. For example, because their planting period is
con?>arativeiy long, certain herbs require upwards of 2-3 years from planting
to harvesting. White peony takes four years to grow into a plant and a
bitter herb known as Coptls teeta six years. Individual peasants frequently
do not have the manpower to plant them. Also, in some medicinal herb pro
ducing areas, such as Kansu and Tsinghai provinces where transportation is
lacking, herbs grown there cannot be shipped out promptly, thus often forcing
the peasants to use them as fuel. In the past, the waste of some Chinese
drugs was enormous due to incorrect technique in processing or brewing. Loss
through mildew and spoilage due to inadequate methods of packaging and
storage was also very serious. All this should be improved. From now on,
all organizations engaged in this work should change to joint state-private
operated enterprises. All drug-making personnel should be regarded as
technical cadres in accordance with their technical levels. In studying
Chinese medicine, it is not enough just to engage in chemical analysis. We
should go a step further in performing pharmacological and clinical experi
ments. Especially, we should all the more pay attention to the compounding
effect of Chinese drugs. Fourth, books on Chinese medicine should be revised.
Formerly, nobody bothered because the subject was hard to understand. More
over, we attached no particular significance to it. If traditional Chinese
medical books are not revised, they may soon go out of publication. We should
organize knowledgeable doctors of Chinese medicine to engage first in the
work of rendering those useful ones from classical language into modern
language, according to plan and with emphasis on key topics. When the condi
tions are ripe, they should be organized to sum up their own experience and
compile a set of books on Chinese medicine.
In order to carry out the different kinds of work mentioned above,
first of all, it is up to you to rectify that bourgeois individualism and
sectarian thinking. Only when there is a change in ideology can these
tasks be carried out thoroughly.
Henceforth, those first level personnel in public health administra
tive departments will be dismissed if they do not perform well in these tasks.