RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1972 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/gm80qf99h CHINESE MEDICINE 17 European notice in the last century through the publications of the Jesuit fathers. Preventive medicine was only stressed in recent years by scientific medical men, but in China the idea that "Prevention is better than cure" has been advocated long ago. I quote the following passages from different writers in support: In the Su Wen (†), The Basis of Chinese Medicine, supposed to be edited by Emperor Huang Ti (†), it is said: “The sage does not treat those who are ill but those who are well." Huai Nan-tzu (††) said: "The good doctor pays constant attention to keeping people well so that there will be no sickness.” In the Difficult Classic (##) (Nan Ching), it is said: "The skilful doctor treats those who are well but the inferior doctor treats those who are ill." In the Nei Ching (#) Canon of Medicine, it is said: "The good physician first cures the disease of the nation, then human ailments." Hygiene and Public Health were also in an advanced state during the Chou (B) dynasty. The writings of Confucius (R), Huai Nan-tzu (†), Kuan Chung (4) and others contain numerous references to them. Thus, as regards food and drink, Confucius advised one to abstain from rice which had been injured by heat, moisture and turned sour; fish and meat that was stale; what was discoloured; what was of bad flavour; anything that was not in season, etc. The relation between contaminated food and disease was recognized. The Confucian Analects (3) said: “Diseases enter by the mouth." "Eat nothing that is improperly cooked." "Meat and wine bought from the street stands must not be taken.” Many of the so-called "new" methods can be traced back to China. Take for instance Fletcherism; that is, thorough mastication of food. It was first advocated by an American, named Fletcher; hence the term. Mr. Gladstone, the Grand Old Man of England, who lived to be 85, was so convinced of its benefits that he chewed every mouthful of food 36 times before swallowing it. Strange to say, Ho Yang-heng long ago described: "Rice (i.e. food) should be chewed into pulp before swallowing. It nourishes the heart and abdomen. It tastes better and is more nutritious. Again, health advocators teach that the teeth should be brushed twice a day. It is interesting to note that Sun Szu-mo (R) of ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1987 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/rx919b522 109 MCKENZIE, Herbert 29.1.1876 MCMULLEN, Jacob 28.7.1937 George Houghton MCPHERSON, Alex 28.7.1905 MCPHERSON, Buddy 19.9.1938 Aeneas Cameron MCPHERSON, Peter 13.11.1935 MADISON, Geoffrey 22.11.1936 MAHONEY, Cyril 9.2.1845 MALCOLM, Alexander 24.5.1932 James Cook MANIHAN, Alfred 17.7.1938 MANN, Ludwig 28.3.1892 MANRIQUE, Alonso 17.3.1908 MARCUSSON, Paul Not known Lallace MARTIN, J (infant child of) MASON, John Robert MATHEWS, Abraham Peter Everhard MESKE, Karl 1.5.1903 MARTIN, Paul Curt 19.7.1904 Not known MASON, John Jr 11.11.1924 29.8.1903 MENHORN, Max 30.12.1906 5.3.1915 MEYER, Ernesto 5.1903 MEYERBREI, Jean 17.8.1915 MILAS, Leonides 30.6.1962 MITCHELL, James 29.1.1922 MITCHELL, Mary 2.3.1921 MOREHOUSE, Harry W 19.1.1886 MORRIS, Heten 27.5.1944 MOREHOUSE, Oscar F 9.11.1885 MORRISON, Raymond 5.6.1958 Margaret Arthur MUELLER, Heinrich 18.10.1913 MULLEN, G H 27.11.1936 MUNRO, John 1.2.1941 MURRAY, Samuel 12.10.1924 NELLE, John Edw. 29.7.1914 NEUMARK, Walter 2.9.1922 Fritz NEWCOMBE, Mahalla 19.7.1919 NEWTON, A Cochrance 28.4.1942 NICHOLSON, Charles 24.2.1912 NORDMANN, Maria 24.5.1875 Stewart Schwab de NUSSBAUM, Gottlieb 17.1.1900 NYSSENS, George 12.4.1893 OAKEY, Francis 17.11.1880 OGILVIE, John 2.11.1882 OLSEN + Not known OPPEL, Gustav 11.11.1875 OSWALD, James 27.11.1865 OTT, Theodor 26.3.1886 PACKSCHICK, Otto 13.2.1915 PALOMO, Emilio 6.8.1964 PANTELL, H 17.6.1916 PATRICK, David Jean 24.3.1896 PAUKERT, Karl 20.6.1914 PEACOCK, Charles 31.1.1945 Samuel PERRY, Robert 8.1898 PETERSEN, Johnny 30.10.1915 PETTY OFFICER from USS "Richmond” 24.12.1879 PEACET, Emile 8.10.1877 PIDERIT, Karl 16.6.1922 PIERCE, Joseph 19.2.1879 PINFORD, Frederick S 6.1951 PITCHER, Samuel C 31.1.1895 PLAZA, Dominga 30.6.1963 PLITTS, W 3.9.1882 PLUMB, William W 21.7.1902 POLLARD, Reginald Lucas 25.7.1889 POLLARD, Thomas 9.8.1889 POLLITZ, Fernando Sydney 7.1902 POND, Oriana 11.7.1869 PORTE, J Marius 14.1.1866 PRALL, Joseph Apsley 10.4.1905 PREHN, Heinrich Otto Friedr. Ludwig 24.12.1878 PRESTON, SC 14.3.1932 PRESTONJEE, J 25.11.1959 PRING, Reginald D 15.11.1938 PURKISS, Garnett Gladstone 8.12.1966 RAE, Alexander 16.9.1884 RALPH, John 18.9.1908 RALSTONE, Robert 10.2.1945 RASCH, Mrs Herta 9.2.1945 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1991 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/k356gt84j 128 Also, many who did not believe in reincarnation did believe in supernatural powers and in retribution. Namely, that one would be punished later for sins committed on earth. In the funeral in this case study, the three daughters and the two granddaughters all believed in reincarnation. Conclusions In his long, complicated, Italian poem, I Sepolcri (Graves), Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827) looks at death, the after life and how the dead are represented on earth. We see ourselves in the tombs we erect, he maintains. What is the cult of death? It began when civilisation began. When homo sapiens ceased to be animal and 'honoured its urns'. There is conflict between erecting tombs and the law of nature which recycles bodies back into the earth's system, Foscolo continues: "The stink of the corpse mixes with the smell of incense. In Italy, importance is attached to cypress and cedar trees which stay green with fragrances to record to eternity those who have gone. In England, these are replaced by aged yews and in the Far East sometimes by frangipani. Funerals, along with food, festivals and weddings tell us much about a nation's culture. Former British Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809-98) said: Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws and their loyalties to high ideals. Certainly the 'cult of death' is complex and fairly clearly defined for the Chinese who, with their ancient civilisation, rich in folklore, have been 'honouring urns' in a similar manner back as long ago as the Chou Dynasty (1122-255 BC), although there are slight regional variations. The Chinese, more than any other people, are obsessed with the dead.48 There is a fear of the dead. There is a continuing relationship between the dead and the living. Rituals demonstrate, resolve and change situations. Money, goods and food are 'dispatched' to the deceased. In return, from ancestors, the living expect luck, wealth, moral order, fertility and health. If punishment is meted out this is accepted. Feng shui plays its part. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1992 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/qf85tx75x We are fortunate to have such an able person to look after our finances and I would like to place on record the Society's appreciation for all the work he does. Membership as a whole continues to fluctuate, with many leaving and new members joining and we hope in the long run they will at least be equal if not more for the latter than the former. Last year I reported to you that there were 533 local members (492 in Hong Kong Island, 65 in Kowloon, and 39 in the New Territories) and around 80 overseas members. This year our efficient Assistant Secretary, Mrs. Sharon Bruce tells me that there are 593 local members (241 single, 176 joint, 104 life, 8 student members, 4 institute) and around 102 overseas members. There has therefore on the surface been a decline in local members, but I am reliably informed that this is due to the stronger weeding out of those who have not paid their subscription rather than any other reason. However we do always welcome new members and in these days of uncertainty it is important that we keep up the good publicity we have and obtain new members. For $300 per annum membership is a bargain, particularly when you bear in mind it includes the journal. Before leaving the subject of membership, however, I would like to report to you that the Governor of Hong Kong, Mr. Chris Patten has graciously agreed to become the Society's patron and thereby continue a tradition of the Society ever since it was re-established in 1959. We naturally hope that when life is calmer for him he will be able to attend one of our functions in an informal way. And how are we kept together and informed? This is by the newsletter which is very competently produced by Mrs. Anita Wilson and we owe her and Mrs. Sharon Bruce who helps to distribute it a great vote of thanks. You will notice in this report that I have referred to several aspects of the Society's past, but I would not like you to think that we do not give some thought to the future, something as Gladstone said we cannot fight against. There are some wonderful metaphors going around in Hong Kong at present such as the second stove, the second kitchen, but I believe we are more interested in the through train, or perhaps I should say a stable kitchen. This Society will I hope be able in its own small way contribute to a stable yet enterprising kitchen; but in order to do this we will need the support of all members, and to continue to stimulate an active interest in Hong Kong's history and heritage (a task as Professor xii ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1998 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794 6 laughter to one person and a mere smile to another. Indeed to a third person, the joke may fall completely flat. People often do not agree about what they find funny. Why? Much is physiological and beyond the scope of this paper. Some people take the view that life is not funny and you need to be a philosopher to extract fun from it. Nevertheless, few men or women will confess to a total lack of humour. As Frank Moore Colby (1865-1925) the United States editor wrote: Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig. How many of them will own up to a lack of humour? The British statesman, William Gladstone (1809-98), is one of the few who was said by his critics to have been entirely lacking in humour (Muir, 1990; XXXII). Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) the French novelist wrote: Total absence of humour renders life impossible (one could add, this applies for both Chinese and Westerners). Nevertheless humour is probably not unique to the human race and many canine lovers will tell you can sometimes spot a grin on the face of a dog. Western senses of humour The brand of humour common in the United States, where people are not afraid to ‘debunk' anyone or anything, is, according to one middle-aged American woman living in Hong Kong, not always the most subtle. It can vary considerably compared to the humour, often based on behaviour or appearance, found in Britain where irony is frequently used and words portray the opposite of what is actually meant. Of course an Englishman may be unable to laugh at a Chinese joke because he has insufficient command of the language. For instance, a European and a Cantonese were arguing how America was discovered. The European said Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492, together with soldiers and missionaries. Columbus landed, kissed the ground, and declared the name of the new land 'America'. The Chinese disagreed saying that Fa-Xian (AD 337-422), a Buddhist monk, landed there in a Chinese junk. As he walked up the ================================================================================