《婦女雜誌》中的“醫事衛生顧問”

本文討输《婦女雜誌》中的「醫事偉生顧問」。這個專欄歡迎讀者投書諮詢其切身醫樂衛生疑難，由該誌特約的醫師来解答。《發女雜誌》自創刊以降，始終堅持廣西方的新式科學、醫學，而這個專欄，則讓我們看到的接受程度。此外，由出於醫衛生是讀者切身的問題，因此在詢問的同時，往往在信中提供個人情報供醫師参考，所以可以充作考察《婦女雜誌》讀者背景的抽樣。從可考的部份看來，《婦女雜誌》雖然是爲婦女而發刊，但是讀者中男性的比例可觀。地理分布雖以都會居多，但也遍及偏遠的鄉村與海外。就年齡層來來，則以一、二十歲的青年讀者群居多，這些訊者特性也反映在所提出的內容上。所問的問題中，有關婦女疾患者並不特別顯著，反而大多與青年階段较焉注重的外貌相朋；另外，求學階段所會遇到的眼睛、腦力，也是關切的重點。徒讀者的提問中，可以看出雖然也有部份已經完全接受該誌啓蒙新知的立埸，但更多的證據說明，「醫事衛生顧問」所一再試圆傅達中醫荒誕、成樂不可信從的努力，成效相富有限。從此反觀中國近代醫學史的研究，歷来多重視醫事械構的發展、偉出醫生的活動等課题，偏重提供者而較少鐲及接受者的一面。本文則試圖從後者的角度颧察，看到现代醫學知識在中國漸生根，其實歷對話、舆成見角力、遭受曲解誤解等過程。「醫事衛生顧問」原本是《婦女雜誌》宣導科學知識的新關戰埸，卻反而見證了自己宣導成果的侷限，其間所透露的傳播史、醫學史的複雜性，令人深思。

關鍵字

讀者投書；醫學教育；媒體；中西醫論爭

並列摘要

This paper examines the ”Medical Advisory Column” in the Ladies' Journal (Funü zazhi). This column invited readers to write letters inquiring about medical advice or health problems, and a medical doctor would answer their questions. One of the Journal's purposes was to promote modem science and medicine, and this column allows us to examine the extent that readers were so influenced. Furthermore, due to the nature of medical questions, the letters often reveal personal information about the readers, and accordingly these letters provide a sampling of readers' backgrounds. There are reliable indications that despite the Ladies' Journal's claim to be for women, it had a considerable portion of male readers. Although most of the letters came from metropolises, some letters are from the countryside or even overseas. Most readers were in their teens or twenties, these attributes being reflected in the letters. Among the questions, gynecologic problems are not particularly numerous. Most concerned issues such as appearance and attractions, which especially young people concerned, and problems eyes or the brain, which were essential for school. Some readers showed their complete acceptance of the modem medicine as broadcast by the magazine; however, many more cases demonstrate that many readers ignored the magazine's claims that traditional Chinese medicine was absurd and that patent medicine were unreliable. Such readers repeatedly asked for the doctor's opinions about Chinese medical ideas and druggist advertisements, and the doctor was frustrated by his incapacity to extinguish such questions. Much research on modern Chinese medical history has focused on the development of institutions and the activities of eminent doctors, while neglecting the receiver's side. This paper is an attempt to explore the common people's point of view. The establishment of modern medicine in China was not smooth but experienced many challenges, wrestling with rooted preconceptions and distorted understandings. The ”Medical Advisory Column” was originally designed to be part of the promotion of scientific medicine, but in the final analysis its efforts were largely fruitless.