Since the middle of the sixth century, when Buddhist monks from China formally introduced acupunc... more Since the middle of the sixth century, when Buddhist monks from China formally introduced acupuncture to Japan, dozens of practitioners have contributed to the progress and development of Japanese acupuncture. The most well-known of these, a blind acupuncturist named Waichi Sugiyama (1610-1694), invented a hollow guide tube called the shinkan, which allowed for needles to be inserted more precisely while producing less pain. In addition to the shinkan, Sugiyama pioneered new techniques in abdominal palpation and diagnosis, and established the world’s first acupuncture school for the blind. These developments revolutionized the practice in Japan, and are still widely in use today. Sugiyama’s contributions are so great, in fact, that many scholars refer to him as the “father” of Japanese acupuncture.
Another practitioner who helped to advance the practice of acupuncture in Japan, but who has received considerably less attention, is Isai Misono. Born a half-century before Sugiyama, Misono perfected and popularized a system of diagnosis and treatment known as dashin, which combined careful examination of a patient’s abdominal area with stimulation of points using needles and a small wooden hammer. Misono also promulgated the use of gold and silver needles, resulting in the more precise and less painful method of needle insertion characteristic of Japanese acupuncture. Many of the practices Misono devised are still in use today. Because of these contributions, Misono deserves to be recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of acupuncture in Japan.
A variety of primary sources show that while acupuncture has been practiced in South Carolina by ... more A variety of primary sources show that while acupuncture has been practiced in South Carolina by non-physicians only since the 1970s, its full history in the state begins much earlier. The historical evidence makes clear that acupuncture was once an established and highly respected therapy used by medical doctors across South Carolina to treat a wide range of patient ailments. An analysis of sources such as case studies and essays published in nineteenth-century medical journals along with medical school syllabi, lecture notes, doctoral dissertations, and other materials reveals that prior to the Civil War, several South Carolinian physicians knew of and utilized acupuncture in their practices, and faculty at the state’s first medical college taught acupuncture techniques to students. Combined, these items illustrate a rich, complex history regarding the early uses of acupuncture in the United States—the beginnings of a healing practice that have gone largely unnoticed in the historical literature and merit further scholarly attention.
A collection of Practice Guidelines published in AFP is available at http://www.aafp.org/afp/prac... more A collection of Practice Guidelines published in AFP is available at http://www.aafp.org/afp/practguide. ▲ Downloaded from the American Family Physician website at www.aafp.org/afp.
While many people credit James Reston's 1971 account in the New York Times with the introduction ... more While many people credit James Reston's 1971 account in the New York Times with the introduction of acupuncture to the United States, it actually has been used continuously in this country for nearly two centuries. One of the first practitioners of acupuncture was Franklin Bache, a Philadelphia physician. In 1825, Bache performed the first rudimentary trials of acupuncture on American soil, treating more than a dozen prisoners suffering from chronic pain, neuralgia, rheumatism, and other disorders. The results of his work were published in a prestigious medical journal the following year, making Bache one of the first, if not the first, American to document his experiences using acupuncture on a clinical basis.
After a promising start in the early part of the nineteenth century, the practice of acupuncture ... more After a promising start in the early part of the nineteenth century, the practice of acupuncture all but disappeared in the United States between 1860 and 1870. A small number of Chinese medicine practitioners helped to keep acupuncture alive in some parts of the country during this time. Among the earliest was Ah Fong Chuck, who emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and practiced in Idaho for nearly six decades. A classically trained physician and skilled herbalist who also had extensive training in acupuncture, Ah Fong won the legal right to practice medicine in 1901, making him arguably the first "licensed" acupuncturist in American history.
Acupuncture has been practiced in the United States more or less continuously since the early nin... more Acupuncture has been practiced in the United States more or less continuously since the early nineteenth century. Evidence strongly suggests that American physicians were the first health care professionals to practice acupuncture in the U.S. Although most physicians who used acupuncture lived in New York and Philadelphia, the procedure quickly spread to the South and Midwest as well, with some physicians using related therapies such as moxa. Physicians employed acupuncture for a wide range of ailments, including rheumatism, neuralgia, and various types of musculoskeletal pain, and reported various degrees of success among diverse groups of patients. By the late 1850s, however, the use of acupuncture had declined considerably, due largely to concerns about the pain it caused and an inability to explain how and why acupuncture worked. Despite these concerns, some American physicians continued to utilize acupuncture in practice, and to recommend it for certain conditions.
On April 20, 1973, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan signed into law Senate Bill 448, also known a... more On April 20, 1973, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan signed into law Senate Bill 448, also known as the Chinese Medicine Act, making Nevada the first state in the United States to recognize traditional Chinese medicine (including acupuncture) as a learned profession and to allow for the practice of acupuncture by non-physician licensed acupuncturists.
Waichi Sugiyama, a blind acupuncturist who lived and practiced in seventeenth-century Japan, is g... more Waichi Sugiyama, a blind acupuncturist who lived and practiced in seventeenth-century Japan, is generally referred to as the "father of Japanese acupuncture." He is credited with inventing the shinkan, a type of hollow tube used to aid in the insertion of acupuncture needles. The shinkan transformed the practice of acupuncture in Japan, and is still widely used by sighted and non-sighted practitioners today. Sugiyama also was highly skilled in the areas of abdominal diagnosis and palpation, and during his lifetime established more than 40 schools of acupuncture for the blind.
Since the middle of the sixth century, when Buddhist monks from China formally introduced acupunc... more Since the middle of the sixth century, when Buddhist monks from China formally introduced acupuncture to Japan, dozens of practitioners have contributed to the progress and development of Japanese acupuncture. The most well-known of these, a blind acupuncturist named Waichi Sugiyama (1610-1694), invented a hollow guide tube called the shinkan, which allowed for needles to be inserted more precisely while producing less pain. In addition to the shinkan, Sugiyama pioneered new techniques in abdominal palpation and diagnosis, and established the world’s first acupuncture school for the blind. These developments revolutionized the practice in Japan, and are still widely in use today. Sugiyama’s contributions are so great, in fact, that many scholars refer to him as the “father” of Japanese acupuncture.
Another practitioner who helped to advance the practice of acupuncture in Japan, but who has received considerably less attention, is Isai Misono. Born a half-century before Sugiyama, Misono perfected and popularized a system of diagnosis and treatment known as dashin, which combined careful examination of a patient’s abdominal area with stimulation of points using needles and a small wooden hammer. Misono also promulgated the use of gold and silver needles, resulting in the more precise and less painful method of needle insertion characteristic of Japanese acupuncture. Many of the practices Misono devised are still in use today. Because of these contributions, Misono deserves to be recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of acupuncture in Japan.
A variety of primary sources show that while acupuncture has been practiced in South Carolina by ... more A variety of primary sources show that while acupuncture has been practiced in South Carolina by non-physicians only since the 1970s, its full history in the state begins much earlier. The historical evidence makes clear that acupuncture was once an established and highly respected therapy used by medical doctors across South Carolina to treat a wide range of patient ailments. An analysis of sources such as case studies and essays published in nineteenth-century medical journals along with medical school syllabi, lecture notes, doctoral dissertations, and other materials reveals that prior to the Civil War, several South Carolinian physicians knew of and utilized acupuncture in their practices, and faculty at the state’s first medical college taught acupuncture techniques to students. Combined, these items illustrate a rich, complex history regarding the early uses of acupuncture in the United States—the beginnings of a healing practice that have gone largely unnoticed in the historical literature and merit further scholarly attention.
A collection of Practice Guidelines published in AFP is available at http://www.aafp.org/afp/prac... more A collection of Practice Guidelines published in AFP is available at http://www.aafp.org/afp/practguide. ▲ Downloaded from the American Family Physician website at www.aafp.org/afp.
While many people credit James Reston's 1971 account in the New York Times with the introduction ... more While many people credit James Reston's 1971 account in the New York Times with the introduction of acupuncture to the United States, it actually has been used continuously in this country for nearly two centuries. One of the first practitioners of acupuncture was Franklin Bache, a Philadelphia physician. In 1825, Bache performed the first rudimentary trials of acupuncture on American soil, treating more than a dozen prisoners suffering from chronic pain, neuralgia, rheumatism, and other disorders. The results of his work were published in a prestigious medical journal the following year, making Bache one of the first, if not the first, American to document his experiences using acupuncture on a clinical basis.
After a promising start in the early part of the nineteenth century, the practice of acupuncture ... more After a promising start in the early part of the nineteenth century, the practice of acupuncture all but disappeared in the United States between 1860 and 1870. A small number of Chinese medicine practitioners helped to keep acupuncture alive in some parts of the country during this time. Among the earliest was Ah Fong Chuck, who emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and practiced in Idaho for nearly six decades. A classically trained physician and skilled herbalist who also had extensive training in acupuncture, Ah Fong won the legal right to practice medicine in 1901, making him arguably the first "licensed" acupuncturist in American history.
Acupuncture has been practiced in the United States more or less continuously since the early nin... more Acupuncture has been practiced in the United States more or less continuously since the early nineteenth century. Evidence strongly suggests that American physicians were the first health care professionals to practice acupuncture in the U.S. Although most physicians who used acupuncture lived in New York and Philadelphia, the procedure quickly spread to the South and Midwest as well, with some physicians using related therapies such as moxa. Physicians employed acupuncture for a wide range of ailments, including rheumatism, neuralgia, and various types of musculoskeletal pain, and reported various degrees of success among diverse groups of patients. By the late 1850s, however, the use of acupuncture had declined considerably, due largely to concerns about the pain it caused and an inability to explain how and why acupuncture worked. Despite these concerns, some American physicians continued to utilize acupuncture in practice, and to recommend it for certain conditions.
On April 20, 1973, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan signed into law Senate Bill 448, also known a... more On April 20, 1973, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan signed into law Senate Bill 448, also known as the Chinese Medicine Act, making Nevada the first state in the United States to recognize traditional Chinese medicine (including acupuncture) as a learned profession and to allow for the practice of acupuncture by non-physician licensed acupuncturists.
Waichi Sugiyama, a blind acupuncturist who lived and practiced in seventeenth-century Japan, is g... more Waichi Sugiyama, a blind acupuncturist who lived and practiced in seventeenth-century Japan, is generally referred to as the "father of Japanese acupuncture." He is credited with inventing the shinkan, a type of hollow tube used to aid in the insertion of acupuncture needles. The shinkan transformed the practice of acupuncture in Japan, and is still widely used by sighted and non-sighted practitioners today. Sugiyama also was highly skilled in the areas of abdominal diagnosis and palpation, and during his lifetime established more than 40 schools of acupuncture for the blind.
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Another practitioner who helped to advance the practice of acupuncture in Japan, but who has received considerably less attention, is Isai Misono. Born a half-century before Sugiyama, Misono perfected and popularized a system of diagnosis and treatment known as dashin, which combined careful examination of a patient’s abdominal area with stimulation of points using needles and a small wooden hammer. Misono also promulgated the use of gold and silver needles, resulting in the more precise and less painful method of needle insertion characteristic of Japanese acupuncture. Many of the practices Misono devised are still in use today. Because of these contributions, Misono deserves to be recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of acupuncture in Japan.
Another practitioner who helped to advance the practice of acupuncture in Japan, but who has received considerably less attention, is Isai Misono. Born a half-century before Sugiyama, Misono perfected and popularized a system of diagnosis and treatment known as dashin, which combined careful examination of a patient’s abdominal area with stimulation of points using needles and a small wooden hammer. Misono also promulgated the use of gold and silver needles, resulting in the more precise and less painful method of needle insertion characteristic of Japanese acupuncture. Many of the practices Misono devised are still in use today. Because of these contributions, Misono deserves to be recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of acupuncture in Japan.