ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Acupuncture Practices in 19th-Century French Hospitals

• In Event: Science, Knowledge, and Technology in Modern China: Vernacularization and Global Diffusion

English Abstract

In the early 19th century, "hospital medicine" rose to prominence in Europe. Meanwhile, acupuncture was introduced into hospital practices by native French scholars, which sparked the first wave of upsurge in French acupuncture practice in Paris — the core hub of "hospital medicine" at that time. Prior to this period, acupuncture in France had merely been restricted to textual and theoretical discussions, as well as sporadic applications by individual physicians in their private clinics, failing to gain a foothold in formal medical institutions.Jules Cloquet (1790 - 1883), an eminent French anatomist and surgeon, was the pivotal figure who drove this transformative process. His acupuncture practices carried out at Hôtel-Dieu de Paris and Hôpital Saint-Louis covered multiple crucial aspects, including the development of acupuncture needles, innovations in needling manipulation techniques, exploration of acupuncture indications, and experimental research on the underlying principles of acupuncture. These remarkable efforts not only greatly enriched the understanding of acupuncture in France and even across Europe but also indirectly propelled the invention of electroacupuncture in France.Focusing on Jules Cloquet’s relevant acupuncture practices as its core research focus, this paper explores the key figures, methodological approaches, academic impacts, and social evaluations involved in the application of acupuncture in French hospitals in the early 19th century. It thereby aims to provide a valuable case reference for the dissemination and application of acupuncture in a cross-cultural context.

Author

• Shujian Zhang, Acupuncture Institute, CACMS