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Mythical 16th-century disease critters

japandisease.jpg

Over at Pink Tentacle you can check out a collection of bizarre-looking illustrations from a 16th Century book of Japanese medicine. They look, surprisingly, not much different from the type of cartoon viruses, bacteria, and parasites I might have drawn in my schoolbooks as a kid.

Long ago in Japan, human illness was commonly believed to be the work of tiny malevolent creatures inside the body. Harikikigaki, a book of medical knowledge written in 1568 by a now-unknown resident of Osaka, introduces 63 of these creepy-crawlies and describes how to fight them with acupuncture and herbal remedies. The Kyushu National Museum, which owns the original copy of Harikikgaki, claims the book played an important role in spreading traditional Chinese medicine in Japan.

  • http://www.chromesdiseasez.com chromes disease

    Isn’t it cute how people come up with these types of things? This is why I love history. Things change over time and when people don’t know something, they come up with something and since there’s no way to prove otherwise, not much else can be said. I love seeing old pictures!