[The tension between history and medicine in TCM historiography]

Before subject classification was introduced from the western world Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) had the background of Chinese traditional culture, and therefore the features of both medicine and historiography. After the introduction of subject classification, TCM was classified into medicine which is a science category and TCM history was classified into the historiography category. From then on, in the context of subject classification, the nature of TCM became more and more medical while less and less historic. As the subject classification of TCM has not been completed, its history needs retrospective study retrospective study needs to be done to its history. Focusing on TCM subject classification and on reality, TCM historiography usually highlights the medical part. In the process of TCM subject classification, the historic mode of academic development did not disappear. In the context of subject classification, TCM is usually classified to TCM historiography for its historic nature, while TCM historiography is somewhat medical because of TCM's medical nature. Considering the particularity of TCM, the tension between history and medicine should be maintained in the TCM historiography research.