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Developing a Doctorate to Teach Classical Chinese Medicine

by Z’ev Rosenberg, L. Ac., F.N.A.A.O.M.

At Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, we have been actively developing a doctorate of Oriental medicine curriculum for the last two years. My responsibility has been to produce a “Classical Chinese Medicine track.” This is based largely on the classical Chinese medical texts that are standard in post-graduate programs at Chinese medical colleges in mainland China and Taiwan. As the principal developer of the Classical Chinese Medicine track, I decided to base the curriculum on the essential texts used at Traditional Chinese Medicine colleges in China, along with medical Chinese language studies. There is an increasing amount of material available both in English and Chinese, which could be taught by local instructors such as Min Fan and myself, along with other notable professors .

A doctorate program will deepen the knowledge gained at the master’s level, which is also evolving dramatically at the present time at Pacific College. In particular, the Department of Oriental Medicine has completely revised seven courses within the Oriental Medicine series, to combine Chinese internal medicine, acupuncture and biomedicine to significantly improve the integration of these subjects, both in theory and in practice. This emphasis would continue at the doctorate level, particularly for those students who chose the Integrative Medicine track. Some of the highlights in development for the Classical Chinese Medicine track are as follows:

I. Language Studies
Ultimately, it is difficult to access the Chinese medical literature in any depth without knowledge of medical Chinese language, both simple and complex characters. Much of the modern literature and professional journals from mainland China are written in simplified characters. There are over forty clinical journals published in mainland China each month that have studies and research articles on the treatment of many conditions, most of which have not been translated into English. The lack of this journal material has meant that most Western students and practitioners have a very limited amount of data available for research papers, studies and clinical support.

Without medical Chinese, it is difficult at best to research the essential classical literature upon which our tradition is based. Much of the classical literature is, of course, written in complex characters, although many of the texts have been published in simplified characters in recent years. Medical literature from Taiwan still utilizes complex characters. The doctorate program would begin with simplified character study, with reference to complex characters as well to stimulate further studies beyond graduation. We would also aim to broaden the base of technical terminology that is becoming more essential for practice and discourse in the profession.

In recent years, a number of textbooks and dictionaries designed to teach medical Chinese have appeared, making it possible to design effective courses for the first time. These language studies would be an essential part of the Pacific College doctorate curriculum and would be required of doctoral candidates in both the Integrative Medicine track and the Classical Chinese Medicine track. Students in the evolving Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clinical Research curriculum will be responsible for less Chinese language studies and will substitute advanced research design and statistics.

II. Chinese Classics
One or two classes in each semester would be devoted to a classical text. The overall goal is to access the foundations of the Chinese medical tradition, especially the theoretical structure that makes clinical efficacy possible. Rather than be dependent on modern textbooks and formularies, the post-graduate practitioner could go directly to the source texts and apply the principles of the tradition to modern clinical settings. By strengthening the roots, the practitioner will not lose focus, no matter what environment one finds oneself in. This educational track would also help encourage research, translation and editing work so essential for the further development of the profession. Practicing Chinese medicine is largely a way of thinking, that is, it is a philosophical structure applied to clinical practice.

Texts will be chosen from both the acumoxa and internal medicine traditions. Proposed courses include the Shang Han Lun/Treatise on Cold Damage, Jin Gui Yao Lue/Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet, Pi Wei Lun/Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach, and Nan Jing/Classic of Difficulties.

Study of the classics in depth is most appropriate for the doctorate level, as they are the most advanced in-depth material in the Chinese medical canon. While they are referred to at all levels of study, in increasing levels of depth, in Taiwan and mainland China they are studied primarily at the doctorate level, with advanced degrees available for single texts such as the Shang Han Lun. At Pacific College, the classical texts are used as reference for all levels of study, and are included in such courses as Chinese Herbs and Internal Medicine (CHIM). For example, in the master’s program half of CHIM III is devoted to studies from the Shang Han Lun and Wen Bing Xue/Warm Disease Theory, as applied to the practice of internal medicine, diagnosis and choosing prescriptions. At the doctorate level, we would devote each class to a specific text, including commentaries (when available), clinical application, reading in Chinese and Pinyin, translation work and discussion. This will allow a greater level of mastery than has been possible until now in a Western Oriental medicine school.

I am proud to be a part of the development of this doctoral program, which should set the standard for the profession for years to come. I am confident that we will be able to maintain the high standards that are typical at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine as we further educational possibilities for the profession.

For the last 10 years, Z’ev Rosenberg has served as Chair of the Department of Herbology at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (San Diego). He has been in private practice since 1983 and is a consultant and product developer for K’an Herb Company. He writes for several professional Oriental medical journals, and is working on a book on immunology and Chinese medicine. In 1999, he was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, an organization of scholars and senior practitioner/teachers in the profession.