Doctor publishes English book on traditional medicine

• By Su Meng-chuan
  and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Taiwanese doctor Peter Karl Mayer (馬培德) has published an English-language book on traditional Chinese medicine, titled Ancient Channels in Chinese Medicine (中醫古典經絡), to promote the field overseas.

Mayer, who hails from Germany and obtained Taiwanese citizenship six years ago, said he has long been interested in acupuncture.

He came to Taiwan to learn about acupuncture, eventually receiving a degree in traditional Chinese medicine and a license to practice as a traditional medicine doctor at the China Medical University in Taiwan.

Photo courtesy of China Medical University

More doctors are integrating the ancient art of acupuncture into standard therapies, and it is generating renewed interest among academics, with more people conducting research into the mechanics and efficacy of it, Mayer said yesterday.

There are still many unknowns about the ancient practice, such as how the so-called meridians are connected to the intestines and limbs, and they can only be discovered by closely understanding the terminology used in classic traditional Chinese medicine texts, he said.

The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor (黃帝內經) has long been considered one of the foundational texts for traditional Chinese medicine, and it is key for acupuncture theory and practice, he said.

However, the accurate translation of the meridian systems narrated in such classical texts is rare, and this comprises a significant obstacle for traditional Chinese medicine practitioners whose mother tongue is not Mandarin Chinese, he said.

Many modern traditional Chinese medicinal texts are based on contemporary understanding of the meridian system, seldom reflecting on the historical changes in terminology over the centuries, he added.

Mayer said he compiled a text incorporating his clinical experience, knowledge of the subject matter and unique perspective as a foreign Chinese medicine practitioner to discuss the perspectives of the ancient times and the modern era, and how they are connected.

The book provides a precise English translation of the meridians’ descriptions, he said.

Mayer said that by placing classical descriptions and modern understandings side by side, he hopes to enable readers to follow more clearly how modern-day terminology has evolved over the years and to gain a more in-depth understanding of the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor.