Understanding Poison: Study of a Word Du from the Perspective of Comparative History

This article investigates the word Du () in premodern Chinese medicine and culture. It highlights the paradoxical meaning of the word that served as a foundation for the therapeutic use of poisons in traditional Chinese medicine. The article then situates the study in a comparative framework. By comparing the Chinese notion of Du with the Greek concept of pharmakon, it demonstrates significant similarities on the medical use of poisons in the two cultures. It further identifies a striking difference: While the European pharmacy started to separate poisons from medicines in the medieval era, poisons remained an integral part of healing repertoire throughout imperial China. The article ends with offering some cultural explanations for this divergence, and more broadly, a distinct worldview as revealed by the intimate relationship between poisons and medicines in traditional Chinese pharmacy.