Reconstruction of Knowledge and Medical Images in the Convergence of Chinese and Western Medicine: Taking “Sweet Meat” as an Example

Abstract

Abstract. The pancreas is neither part of the five Zang organs (五脏) nor the six Fu organs (六腑). Thus, it has received little attention in Chinese medical literature. In the late 19th century, medical missionaries in China started translating and introducing anatomical and physiological knowledge about the pancreas. As for the word pancreas, an early and influential translation was “sweet meat” (甜肉), proposed by Benjamin Hobson (合信). The translation “sweet meat” is not faithful to the original meaning of “pancreas”, but is a term coined by Hobson based on his personal habits, and the word “sweet” appeared by chance. However, in the decades since the term “sweet meat” became popular, Chinese medicine practitioners, such as Tang Zonghai (唐宗海), reinterpreted it by drawing new medical illustrations for “sweet meat” and giving new connotations to the word “sweet”. This discussion and interpretation of “sweet meat” in modern China, particularly among Chinese medicine professionals, is not only a dissemination and interpretation of the knowledge of “pancreas”, but also a construction of knowledge around the term “sweet meat”.