Chapter 296 295【Controversy】

Tianjin, Ta Kung Pao.

Hu Zhengzhi asked: "President, now that the dispute between Chinese and Western medicine is known all over the country, and all newspapers have joined the discussion, what position should our "Ta Kung Pao" take?"

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "What's your position?"

"Do not care about traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine. Those who can cure diseases are good doctors, and those who can't cure diseases are quack doctors." Hu Zhengzhi said without hesitation.

"Hahaha," Zhou Hexuan laughed, "This is a wonderful theory, so let's report it like this."

Hu Zhengzhi said helplessly: "If such a report is made, people will definitely think it is making peace."

The two were discussing, when suddenly Liao Yaquan knocked on the door and said, "President, Dr. Ding is here."

"Invite him in quickly!" Zhou Hexuan said.

Ding Guorui walked into the office on crutches, holding some manuscript paper in his hand and said, "Mingcheng, this is an article I wrote, please help me publish it!"

The Ministry of Health's "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine case" is really unreasonable.

Without a single Chinese medicine practitioner attending the meeting, a group of Western doctors passed a proposal to abolish Chinese medicine, completely using state agencies as a tool of struggle, and treating government orders and bills as child's play.

Those decision makers, have they thought that after the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine, the number of western medicine in the country will be sufficient? Are there enough hospitals? What if the common people can't find a doctor to see a doctor? What should Chinese medicine practitioners across the country do? What about medicinal material merchants across the country? What about drug farmers across the country? Is the imported western medicine enough to heal the Chinese people?

The bureaucrats in the Republic of China shouted loudly slogans, such as respecting science, pursuing progress, and abandoning corruption... But when making major decisions, they did not consider the consequences, and often made a mess of their heads.

No, Ding Guorui, who advocated the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, was enraged, and even jumped out to write articles to fight back at his age.

Zhou Hexuan carefully read Ding Guorui's article, and the old man was relatively calm. He first praised the scientific nature of Western medicine, then pointed out the disadvantages of Chinese medicine, then discussed the merits of Chinese medicine, and finally denounced the arrogance of Western medicine.

Zhou Hexuan asked Ding Guorui to sit down, and said with a smile: "The old man's article is very well written, and "Ta Kung Pao" agreed to help publish it."

Ding Guorui said angrily: "Western medicine has deceived people too much this time, we must fight to the end!"

Hu Zhengzhi comforted him and said, "Don't be angry, old man, this matter can be redeemed."

"It's difficult," Ding Guorui shook his head and sighed, "The officials in the Ministry of Health are all Western doctors. Using government power to suppress Chinese medicine practitioners like us, how can the people win against the officials?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "Mr. Sun Yat-sen also advocates civil rights. This time, the Chinese medical profession can try the power of civil rights."

"It can only be like this," Ding Guorui said helplessly, "The traditional Chinese medicine circles in Beiping and Tianjin have sent representatives to the south to petition."

Chinese medicine may not be strong, but Chinese herbal medicine merchants are very powerful.

The "abolition of the Chinese medicine case" this time is completely cutting off the roots of those medicine merchants. It's no wonder they don't jump up and make trouble.

The matter quickly changed from a dispute between Chinese and Western medicine to a struggle between political factions.

The veteran faction of the Kuomintang supports Chinese medicine, Wang Zhaoming’s reorganization faction of the Kuomintang party opposes Chinese medicine, and Feng Yuxiang’s faction is neutral—the Minister of Health belongs to Feng Yuxiang.

At the very beginning, medicinal material merchants linked up with the National General Chamber of Commerce to put pressure on the government in the name of the business community. They wanted to use the power of the veterans of the Nationalist Party to attack the Wang Zhaoming reorganization faction who advocated the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine, thereby making the Ministry of Health controlled by Feng Yuxiang succumb.

The veteran faction of the Kuomintang took advantage of the trend and used the power of the chamber of commerce to launch an attack on the reform faction of the Wang faction. At the same time, they wanted to pull down the Feng Yuxiang faction who controlled the Ministry of Health.

The New Politics Department of the Kuomintang, which supports Chang Kaishen, has the same interests as the veteran faction of the Kuomintang, and both want to kill the Wang faction's reorganization faction and Feng Yuxiang's faction. As a result, the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce and People's Association, which have always been hostile to each other, actually united to support Chinese medicine this time.

Gods fight!

From this battle between Chinese and Western medicine, we can see how chaotic the factional struggle within the Nationalist Party is.

In addition to the New Politics Department and the Reorganization faction, there is also the CC faction headed by Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu. But this time the CC faction sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight, leisurely watching the show beside them, applauding and shouting that the dog bites the dog is really exciting.

Even the Ministry of Education was involved, because the content of the "Abolition of Traditional Chinese Medicine Case" included the prohibition of opening schools for Chinese medicine practitioners. Even the former Chinese medicine vocational schools had to be renamed the old medical training institutes.

Li Shizeng was holding a national conference in Nanjing at this time, and was overwhelmed by the Peking University students who went south to petition. As a result, major Chinese medicine associations also came to petition him, insisting that he support Chinese medicine.

Li Shi was so depressed that he wanted to hit the wall. I haven't even got Peking University students, how can I help you set up a Chinese medicine school now.

The debate between Chinese medicine and Western medicine in the newspapers is constantly escalating. Western medicine accuses Chinese medicine of being unscientific, old medicine, witch doctor, and disregarding human life. Chinese medicine blames western medicine for abandoning its ancestors, and western medicine annexes Chinese medicine, which is medical imperialism and traitors.

Because the resistance of Chinese medicine practitioners was too fierce and the scale was too large, the Ministry of Health controlled by Feng Yuxiang could only come out to make peace, announcing that although the "Abolishment of Chinese Medicine Proposal" was passed, it will not be implemented for the time being, and will be discussed slowly in the future.

This debate between Chinese and Western medicine is far from over, and it will last at least ten years.

However, Western medicine has controlled government agencies after all. Although it did not directly abolish Chinese medicine, it did it secretly. For example, after the TCM petition group left Nanjing, the Ministry of Education immediately issued an announcement ordering all TCM schools to be renamed Chuanxi Institutes. Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of Health issued an order to change the name of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals across the country to clinics, and prohibited Chinese medicine from using Western methods and medicines.

In particular, the second regulation blocks the path to the modernization and scientization of TCM, and the combination of TCM and Western medicine is completely prohibited. Leading to the second storm of resistance in Chinese medicine, the Chinese medicine community organized rallies, protests, petitions, marches, strikes, and hunger strikes all day long, creating a miasma of chaos.

Nowadays, China cannot manufacture western medicine by itself, and all western medicine is imported, so the price of medicine is very expensive, and the people at the bottom cannot afford medicine. With the government doing this, Chinese medicine practitioners have been making troubles all day long, even going on strike, causing many people to suffer from illnesses that are difficult to treat, and even get prescriptions but cannot buy medicinal materials.

The abolition of Chinese medicine in the 21st century may not have too serious consequences, but in the period of the Republic of China, it was simply disastrous.

At this time, there are too few Western medicines and Western hospitals, and Western medicines are ridiculously expensive. If there is no Chinese medicine, will ordinary people wait to die after getting sick?

The funniest thing is that Wang Zhaoming, who was the most troubled by the abolition of Chinese medicine, his mother-in-law suffered from a serious disease and diarrhea, and tried western medicine to no avail. In the end, Shi Jinmo, one of the Four Great National Physicians, could only be invited to help, and he was cured after taking ten doses of decoction.

Seizing this opportunity, the Chinese medicine community wrote an article saying that Wang Zhaoming had already believed in Chinese medicine. Wang Zhaoming couldn't refute it, ignored the news, and continued to call for the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine as always.

Zhou Hexuan reads the debates in newspapers all day long, and feels helpless, but also feels that the debates in the Republic of China are really fun. There will be a big discussion every three days, and everyone will attack each other around various issues. The collision of ideas and values ​​is inherently charming.