Dietary Measures for the Prevention of Malaria in Chinese History

10.6641/PICCFC.13.2013.13.15

Erhard Rosner

Ling biaoshishuo ； proper diet ； malaria

2013 中華飲食文化國際學術研討會論文集

第13屆（2013 / 10 / 20）

309 - 324

英文

It is a well-known fact that Chinese guide books for a healthy life frequently recommend dietary restrictions as a means of avoiding the threats of malaria and other severe diseases of the South and Southwest. Their considerations on the proper diet for people living in a hostile environment fit well into the whole framework of Chinese traditional preventive medicine. The present paper is based on an in-depth analysis of a much-quoted text, the Ling biao shi shuo 岺表十說 (Ten rules for life in the regions south of the passes), first drawn up in the Song period and which has been constantly reproduced and commented upon in the subsequent centuries. It could be shown that the precautions to be taken as proposed in this manual contain, at first glance, only some elementary rules of dietary behaviour. However, the underlying aim of finally surmounting the obstacles of regional diseases is rooted within the basic concepts of Chinese civilisation.