The Temperature of Medicine
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Summary
Editor's review
Academician Han Qide builds the book's narrative framework from his unique dual identity—a top-tier medical scientist and a profound humanistic thinker. At its core, the book explores a fundamental question: as technology advances rapidly, has medicine lost the warmth and holistic care originally directed at the "person" while pursuing precision and efficiency? Drawing on extensive clinical examples, historical review, and data comparison, the author sharply identifies a "technological supremacy" tendency and a "crisis of the absent person" in contemporary medical practice. He calls on medicine to return to its humanistic essence and recover its original mission: "to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always."
The value of reading this book lies in its profound critical and constructive nature. It does not stop at simple criticism of the status quo but systematically analyzes the humanistic dilemmas facing the modern medical system in research, education, and clinical practice, and proposes insightful directions for improvement. For medical practitioners, it is a wake-up call, reminding us to retain empathy for and respect toward patients' suffering while mastering advanced technology; for general readers, it is a window that helps us understand medicine's limits and possibilities and build a more rational view of health and doctor-patient relationships. The Commercial Press edition ensures textual rigor and authority, allowing the power of these ideas to be presented clearly and completely.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Practitioners, researchers, and students in medicine and public health seeking a balance between professional and humanistic concerns
- Humanities and social science readers interested in medical sociology, medical ethics, and health policy
- General readers concerned about their own health who hope to build a more rational understanding of the medical system
- Educators, especially those seeking teaching references for medical humanities and bioethics courses
Not a good fit for
- Practical-minded readers expecting specific disease treatment plans or health guides
- Casual readers seeking light reading or novel-like narrative
Reading tips
- It is advisable to read the author's preface and the first chapter first to grasp the book's core questions and argumentative tone.
- As you read, reflect on your own medical experiences or medical events in the news to appreciate the real-world relevance of the book's views.
- For chapters involving many specialized medical concepts, do not insist on understanding everything at once; mark them and deepen your understanding through later discussion or supplementary materials.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 医学的温度（代序）
- 医学是什么
- 一、医学的简史
- 二、医学的属性
- 传染病的历史告诉我们
- 一、人类传染病的历史
- 二、人类与传染病做斗争的历史
- 三、与传染病做斗争的历史启示
- 20世纪现代医学进展
- 对控制疾病危险因素的考量
- 对癌症早发现、早诊断、早治疗方针的考量
- 对精准医学的几点思考
- 一、精准医学时代已经到来了吗？
- 二、精准医学到底能不能实现？
- 三、同样推行精准医学，美国和中国有什么差别？
- 四、从价值理性出发，精准医学发展会带来怎样的结果？
- 五、精准医学带来其他伦理问题
- 审视医学技术的发展方向
- 一、医学技术发展方向颠倒
- 二、重视从战略层面研判医学技术发展的方向和重点
- 三、客观认识资本在医学技术发展中的作用
- 四、加强技术评估工作，提高制定临床指南的水平
- 我对循证医学的看法
- 对现代医学的几点反思
- 一、疾病不再是病人的主观不适，而是仪器测量的结果
- 二、疾病不是非黑即白的事实，而是可以人为改变的规定
- 三、科学并非完全客观中立，医疗服务不能作为商品交易
- 四、敬畏自然天人合一，树立豁达的疾病观和生死观
- 五、结语：回归以病人为中心的价值医疗
- 现代医学与中医应该和而不同
- 加强医学史学习和研究
- 始于医者仁心的叙事医学
- 感悟死亡
- 死亡如此多情
- 中国临床医学工作者肩负的重任
- 我们中国医生
- 北医的品格与使命
- 医学教师的第一课
- 一、做一个好的教师
- 二、做一个好的人
- 三、做一个好的知识分子
- 附录 幸福就是为别人做事
FAQ
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About the author
Han Qide is represented in this Chinese book database by two works, commonly classified under medicine. Publicly available information about his life is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented, so this introduction focuses mainly on the works themselves. His book Facing Illness: Studies in the History of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Medicine examines the development of medicine in modern and contemporary China, discussing disease, medical care, and social change, and reflecting a sustained interest in medical history. The Temperature of Medicine approaches medical practice from a humanistic perspective, stressing that medicine concerns not only technology and diagnosis but also care for and understanding of people who are suffering. Together, the two works show a writing orientation that connects medical history with medical humanism, and they may be useful to readers interested in the history of medicine, medical humanities, and modern Chinese healthcare.
