[Arsenic drugs in the four medical translations in the late Qing Dynasty].

内容摘要

This paper attempts to recreate and reconstruct the process of 'translation-transformation-application' of arsenical knowledge in the late Qing Dynasty by examining the four representative medical translations: An Outline of Western Medicine (Xi Yi Lue Lun), Explanations of Western Medicine (Xi Yi Lue Shi), Universal Prescriptions (Wan Guo Yao Fang), and A Compendium of Western Drugs (Xi Yao Da Cheng). It was found that in terms of nomenclature, the early coexistence of heterogeneous vernacular names such as Xin () and Xin Shi () underwent evolution and adjustment within medical texts, eventually coexisting with chemical nomenclature such as Shen (、). This resulted in a hybrid terminology system that integrated traditional experiences with modern chemical elements. In terms of dosage forms and quantity, arsenicals expanded from a single medicinal liquor into five major categories - solution, ointments, solids, pastes, and pills. This evolution presented a trajectory from an early phase of 'extensive collection' to a later phase of 'simplified consolidation' based on chemical classification. In terms of chemistry and toxicology, the translated works helped to establish a quantifiable and verifiable framework of modern pharmacology for substances long regarded as 'poisons' initially by successively introduced experimental detection techniques (such as the Marsh test), valence-based classifications, and semi-sinicized chemical formulas. In terms of authoritative citation, translators attempted to establish a chemical basis for arsenicals, facilitating their transformation from empirical poisons into 'scientific drugs' by drawing extensively on experimental data from European and American chemists and physicians. This study argues that the transfer of Western arsenical knowledge in the late Qing Dynasty was a process of continuous communication between translators and the medical community by introducing the knowledge and local practice rather than a simple linear process of scientization. 本文以《西医略论》《西医略释》《万国药方》《西药大成》4种代表性医学译著为核心史料，重构晚清砷剂知识的“译—化—用”全过程。研究发现：命名上，由早期俗名杂陈“信”“信石”，经医学文本的沿革与调整，最终与化学命名“鉮”“信金”并置，形成兼容传统经验与现代化学元素的复合术语体系；剂型与数量上，从单一药酒扩展至药水、油膏、固体、糊剂、丸剂5大类，呈现出从早期广搜博采，向后期基于化学分类的精简归并转变；化学与毒理上，译本先后引入实验检测技术（如马尔施试验）、化合价分类与类汉字化学式，首次将“毒药”确立了可量化、可验证的近代药物学框架；权威引证上，译者通过大量援引欧美化学家、医师的实验数据，为砷剂确立起化学依据，促成其由经验毒药向“科学药物”转型。本研究以期证明，晚清西药砷剂的知识迁移并非线性科学化，而是翻译者与医学界在知识引进与本土实践中不断磨合的过程。.