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Related Experiment Video

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A Mouse Model for the Transition of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Colonizer to Pathogen upon Viral Co-Infection Recapitulates Age-Exacerbated Illness

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The Cognitive Evolution from "Plague" to "Infectious Disease".

¹Department of History, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Chinese Medicine and Culture : Official Publication of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

|August 29, 2023

Summary

The study traces the historical shift from "plague" to "infectious disease" terminology in China. This evolution reflects a broader scientific modernization in understanding and managing epidemics.

Keywords:

Epidemics infectious disease modernity sanitary regulations

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Area of Science:

Medical History
Epidemiology
Chinese Studies

Background:

The term "plague" historically encompassed acute infectious diseases.
The Chinese term for "infectious disease" has a complex origin, not solely from Japanese.
Understanding this linguistic and conceptual shift is key to grasping China's medical modernization.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the historical transition of medical nomenclature from "plague" to "infectious disease" in China.
To investigate the roles of medical missionaries, scholars, and authorities in this semantic shift.
To examine the acceptance and integration of the concept of "infectious disease" across academic and national levels.

Main Methods:

Historical analysis of medical terminology and concepts.
Examination of documents and literature from the period of transition.
Case studies of key figures and institutions involved in the nomenclature shift.

Main Results:

The shift from "plague" to "infectious disease" was a deliberate process involving multiple stakeholders.
Medical missionaries, Chinese scholars, and national authorities employed distinct strategies to promote the new terminology.
The adoption of "infectious disease" terminology signifies a move towards scientific modernization in epidemic understanding.

Conclusions:

The evolution of medical terminology reflects a broader modernization of infectious disease study in China.
The acceptance of the "infectious disease" concept represents a significant advancement in China's public health understanding.
This historical linguistic change underscores the scientific modernization of epidemic study and management in China.