- 期刊
十九世紀後期台灣的腦神經疾病－中國海關醫報的紀錄
Neurological Diseases in Late 19th Century Taiwan-Medical Reports of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs
摘要
日治時代以前，台灣缺乏疾病分類和統計的資料。所幸，在清末的教會醫學時代，清廷海關由洋人管理，亦有洋人港口醫生負責海員和外僑的健康，同時在教會醫館兼職做義工。1871年起，海關開始出版海關醫報，為半年刊，內容包括氣候，地理，環境衛生，以及疾病（包括外國人和在地人）的統計。此項報告維持到台灣割讓于日本。 台灣的海關醫報，由北部的淡水和基隆以及南部的高雄和台南的港口醫生分別報導。資料顯示，當時的台灣，腦神經系統疾病罕見，約估全部疾病的2-3%：常見的腦神經系統疾病為痳瘋病，鴉片癮，梅毒引起的癡呆症，癱瘓症，歇斯底里，神經疼，癲痛症，狂症，坐骨神經痛，腦膜炎，平衡失調症，等。現代社會常見的老年期腦病，包括腦中風，癡呆症，巴金森症，等，以及生活緊張引起的頭痛，失眠，焦慮症，等，則少見或未報導。雖然海關醫報疾病統計的可靠性和代表性尚有爭議，對台灣醫學史以及腦神經醫學史，這些資料還是彌足珍貴的史料。
並列摘要
Western medicine was introduced to Taiwan in 1865 when Dr. James L. Maxwell, a missionary doctor of the English Presbyterian Church, established a hospital in nowadays Tainan. The period of the missionary medicine lasted for over 30 years until Japanese took over. During this period, however, official records of diseases in Taiwan that were based on Western medicine were scanty or not available. Fortunately, port surgeons stationing respectively in Tamsui and Kelung in the north and in Takow and Taiwan-fu in the south reported semi-annually diseases seen in the ports, foreign communities and missionary hospitals that they volunteered to work. The diseases reported by port surgeons were either cases or summary of cases with classification and statistics. Their medical reports covered from 1871 to 1900. The data show that neurological diseases and/or disorders in the late 19th century Taiwan were uncommon, comprising only 2-3% of total diseases. The data further show that common neurological diseases were leprosy, opium smoking, syphilitic dementia (GPI), paralysis, hysteria, neuralgia, epilepsy, mania, sciatica, meningitis and ataxia. Stroke was uncommon while Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease were not mentioned, indicating that neurological diseases related to old age and neurodegeneration were not yet a threat to health. Similarly, headache, insomnia, anxiety and depression, hallmark of functional disorders of the modern society, were also not mentioned, suggesting that these disorders were indeed rare or did not cause sufficient concern for patients to seek help from doctors of Western medicine.