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与Gadfly共赏《中国人的荒谬观念——对医学惊人的无知》

作者：Goodhelper

读到Gadfly贴的该文，感觉有意思，就找到{纽约时报}的原文看了一边。感觉Gadfly对
原文的理解有不至之处。有时很小的误译可以给人带了谬之千里的理解。比如把 One 
cause of this was the Chinese language, the most meager and 
tedious of all tongues. The Chinese scholar was indifferent to 
other tongues because he was unable to study them in his own 翻译
为“一个原因是中文。中文是所有语言当中最冗长累赘的一种。因为自己学不会，中国学
者往往对其他语言无动于衷。”显然是译者并不理解原文时的牵强附会，让他人不知所云。
而且让人误认为E.P.斯威教授在诬蔑贬低中文。其实E.P.斯威教授是在说明不同语言
的表达力是因使用该语言的人的思维内容广度的不同而不同的。当时中国社会的落后
必然表现为语言表达能力的落后。所以日本在面临这种情况时，就发明了片假名。
这种情况是很普遍的。几乎每一篇出自中国人的译文都错译误译连篇，象中医的“遍地
都是庸医和骗子”一样 （无意诬蔑Gadfly, 见谅），尤其是翻译的新闻报道。

翻译如下：
 
  “医学科学在中国” 是昨天下午亨利·德雷顿医生在人类学科学院宣读的一篇文章的
题目。该文章是由在广州医院工作的E.P.斯威教授撰写后交给亨利·德雷顿医生来宣读
的。斯威医生在文中称，科学在中国不存在，千百年来延续下来的习俗已经凝固，留下来
的是一大堆学说，猜测，惯例，和迷信，很少真正的知识。
 
　　这原因之一个是中国的语言。中文是所有语言中表达力最贫乏的一种。中国学者们
因无法用他们自己的语言去学习理解其它语言，而对其他语言表现的漠不关心。当然，更大
的障碍源于人们的无知和偏见。中国医生们学习的方法和获得学问的手段太难太不实际。
单单一部关于药用物品和疗法的著作就有40卷，引述了756名作者。一部关于植物著作
共有60卷，1715幅插图。由于解剖人体在中国是犯禁忌的，中国人对生理解剖有一套最
荒唐的概念。他们认为食物通过脾进入胃，咽喉可通心脏，心灵居于肝脏，而心窝（指胸
廓剑突部位－－－－Goodhelper 注）是呼吸之处也是欢乐之源。他们认为头盖骨就是一
整块，手臂也一样。他们认为右肾是生命之门，各个器官都与土，气，火，金和水相对应。
火主心，金主肺，水主肾，等等。
 
　　中国人对于人体的每一处都给了名称(There is not a square inch of the 
human body that is nameless to the Chinese －－－－Gadfly 在原文中漏掉的
一句). 他们所有（诊治）逻辑理念都建立在相生相克的理论上。草药，符咒，小人儿
偶，和其他许多不入经传的手段都可以用于治病。学生们是通过一个铜制小人儿来学习
人体解剖的，小铜人儿身上布满了穴眼，并标上经脉的名称。中医里经脉分成三类手腕
经脉，每个手腕的经脉又可细分为24种。因此，学生们要掌握144种脉象才能熟悉中医
系统(Goodhelper 对中医一窍不通，谢谢Gadfly听起来很恰当的翻译）。此外，小人儿
偶也被用于治病，他们相信若病人什么地方患病，只要按摩小人儿偶的相应部位就可以
治愈疾病。因为谁都可以当医生，所以遍地都是庸医和骗子。即使如此，法律还是规定耽
误病情等同于骗钱，而如果病人最终死了，医生就可能掉脑袋。尽管有以上的种种艰难，
中国的人口却能持续地增长。
 
手术在中国是从未听说的。中国人相信，任何对肢体的破坏都会被带到来世，一条腿
的人将来会托生后还将是一条腿。尽管如此，中国人还是有成为外科医生的潜能的，他
们具有所有应具备的冷静和灵巧。过去五十年医学实践在中国的变化是巨大的。大量欧美
医生的涌入带来了很大的变化，中国人至少逐渐开始认识科学研究和科学的医术的必要性。
人们开始学会到哪里去求医，开始屏弃那些神婆巫术。中国是女医生们可以施展的广阔天
地，因为中国妇女不到万不得已的最后时刻是不会找男医生看病的。疫苗免疫接种最近被
引入中国并受到欢迎。迄今在中国有六十所教会医院和八十名医生。现在正在努力建一个
疯人院（这在中国以前从未听说过）。中国人的保守势力是阻挠知识化和科学医学的很大
的阻力。但这正被缓慢而稳健的克服。
 
在下面的讨论中，J. 司徒加特. 哈坡尔会介绍一些关于这个国家（中国）和人民的情况。
哈坡尔出生于中国，并在中国生活过很长一段时间。他说，中国和美国对于（他们国民中
的）个体的人提供的发展的机会是一样的。以行政官僚系统为最好的例子，任何一个贫苦
的中国男孩子理论上讲都有爬成政府高官的可能。
 
ABSURD CHINESE NOTIONS
　　REMARKABLE IGNORANCE OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY IN CHINA
 
　　Published: April 2, 1890
　　The New York Times
 
　　“Medical Science in China" was the title of a paper read before 
the Academy of Anthropology yesterday afternoon by Dr. Henry S. Drayton. 
The paper had been prepared by Prof. E. P. Thwing of the Canton 
Hospital, and was sent by him to Dr. Drayton to be read before the 
academy. Dr. Thwing declared that science did not exist in China. The 
usages of centuries had crystallized, and there was an abundance of 
theories, speculations, traditions, and superstitions, but very little 
knowledge.
 
　　One cause of this was the Chinese language, the most meager and 
tedious of all tongues. The Chinese scholar was indifferent to other 
tongues because he was unable to study them in his own. But still 
greater obstacles than this were the ignorance and prejudice of the 
people. The method of study and the means of information afforded a 
Chinese doctor were difficult to overcome. A single Chinese work on 
materia medica and therapeutics was in 40 volumes, with quotations 
from 756 authors. A work on plants was in 60 volumes, with 1,715 
engravings. As the dissection of the body is forbidden in China, the 
Chinese have the most absurd notions of anatomy and physiology. They 
believe that food passes from the spleen into the stomach, that the 
larynx leads into the heart, that the soul is in the liver, and that 
the pit of the stomach is the seat of breath and the source of joy. 
They regard the skull as one bone, likewise the arm. They regard the 
right kidney as the gate of life, and hold that each organ is related 
to earth, air, fire, metal and water. Fire rules the heart, metals the 
lungs, water the kidneys, and so on.
 
　　((There is not a square inch of the human body that is nameless to 
the Chinese.)) All application is made on the dual principle of action and 
reaction, and herbs, incantations, idols, and numerous other pagan 
means are used in treatment. The medical students study anatomy from 
the copper model of a man, which is pierced with holes and marked with 
the name of pulses. These pulses are divided into three wrist pulses, 
and each wrist pulse is subdivided into twenty-four others. Therefore 
the Chinese medical student has to study 144 pulses in order to become 
familiar with the Chinese system of medicine. The idol is also brought 
into use, and it is believed that the part in which the patient 
suffers may be cured by rubbing a corresponding part of the idol. 
Anybody may become a doctor, and consequently quacks and impostors are 
abundant. Still the law holds that to prolong a disease is equivalent 
to stealing the money obtained from the patient, while to have a case 
terminate in death may result in the doctor losing his head. In spite 
of all these difficulties the Chinese race constantly increases.
 
　　Surgery is utterly unknown to the Chinese, as they believe that 
any disfigurement in life will be transmitted to the next world - that 
a one-legged man will become a one-legged angel. And yet the Chinese 
are capable of becoming excellent surgeons, for they have all the 
coolness and deftness. The changes within the last fifty years in the 
practice of medicine in China had been marvelous. The invasion of 
European and American doctors had wrought a great change, and the 
Chinese were at last gradually awaking to the necessity of a 
scientific study and practice of medicine. The people had learned 
where to find relief and were denouncing their priests and quacks. 
China was an unlimited field for women physicians, as a Chinese woman 
would suffer almost anything before she would submit to treatment by a 
male. Vaccination had been recently introduced, ((and was regarded as 
a blessing. There were also)) sixty mission 
hospitals in China with eighty doctors in attendance, and an effort 
was being made to establish an asylum for the insane, something 
hitherto unknown in China. The conservatism of the Chinese was a great 
barrier to advancement in the knowledge and practice of medicine, but 
it was being overcome slowly but surely.
 
　　In the discussion that followed, J. Stewart Happer, who was born 
in China and had spent much of his life there, gave some interesting 
information about the country and its people. He said that the 
opportunity for individual development was as great in China as in the 
United States. Civil service was in its best form there, and any poor 
Chinese boy might rise to the highest government office.
 
注：双括号（（……））中是Gadfly漏掉的内容。

(XYS20100428)

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