It has taken almost two years of challenging efforts to present the eighth volume of AyurVijnana with the focus on traditional Mongolian medicine.

This issue was inspired by my visit to Ulaanbaatar, in the autumn of 2000, at the invitation of Jambal Khatanbaatar, Honoured Physician of Mongolia and Social Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mongolia. My stay was hosted by the Traditional Mongolian Centre for Liver Diseases - which is directed by Khatanbaatar - located in the outskirts of the capital. The contact had been established through the kind courtesy of the Mongolian Ambassador to India, O. Nyamdavaa. The Ambassador had visited ITTM in May 2000, being a close friend of Lama Chimpa, Trustee of ITTM, and his son Amur Sanathu, Second Secretary & HOC of the Indian Embassy in Mongolia.

In the midst of the bright autumn days in Mongolia that I fondly remember, I met a number of outstanding physicians and scholars. Many of these professionals kindly contributed to this issue. Over the long period of editing and strengthening the dialogue with new friends in Mongolia, further contacts were established with scholars of Mongolian studies in Japan and the USA, whose contributions added new dimensions to this volume.

The medical traditions preserved in Mongolia, which only in 1990 ushered in multi-party democracy, and Inner Mongolia - an autonomous region and part of China since 1947- give evidence of an extremely rich indigenous heritage. Awareness of its potential contributions to the understanding of human health and illness has also increased in recent years in the West.

Within the short span of the last ten years, several hospitals and institutions involved in the research, practice and promotion of traditional medicine have surfaced in Ulaanbaatar. Most of them are represented in this issue through articles by their senior scholars and physicians. Their contributions cover a wide range of scholarly interest, including papers on academic and social-historical topics, critical appreciation of works by certain Mongolian scholars, interviews with professionals in the field, as well as rare documentation of personal experience during the time when Mongolian medicine had to be practised clandestinely.

The range of information presented in this issue has been kept as wide as possible, considering the inherent dynamism of the Tibetan and Mongolian medical systems, as well as Ayurveda, in which both are rooted. These traditions have been continuously evolving, as are the cultures and societies in which they are embedded, giving rise to tremendous challenges in their study.

AyurVijnana does not purport to be a 'scientific' journal in the way Western biomedicine still claims to hold priority over other existing medical systems. This volume is meant to be a modest contribution to the study of traditional Mongolian medicine. In fact, over most of the last century, English publications on this topic have been few and far between.

Although medical historians and anthropologists are increasingly veering towards acceptance of 'plurality' in medical systems (1), an exclusivist tendency still remains among a number of scholars and practitioners of traditional medicine. Often we encounter a limited perception of each of the systems, being propagated as either 'Ayurveda', 'Tibetan Medicine' or 'Mongolian Medicine', sometimes with strong nationalist notions. Today, it is rare to find scholars versed in the three languages, Sanskrit - Tibetan - Mongolian, necessary to understand those medical systems in their much wider context of the complex Central and South Asian history. After all, these three traditions drew their basic understanding of the five elements and three humours from the same sources. Moreover, Tibetans and Mongolians have a considerable amount of medical literature in common, the oldest of which are based on ancient Ayurvedic texts.(2)

Nevertheless, each people added to the corpus of medical knowledge, drawing from their own indigenous materia medica and medical requirements, and carved out new characteristics which are typical to their own tradition and deserve recognition in their own right. Indigenous traditions in Mongolia existed even before the arrival of Buddhism and Tibetan medicine (see pp. 28 and 79 ), as they did in Tibet before the introduction of Buddhist and medical teachings from India.

Among the early scholars to investigate Oriental medicine from a broad perspective, was the German Tibetologist and Mongolist Wilhelm Alexander Unkrig (1883-1956). He mastered the three Oriental languages and wrote a very useful summary on what was known of Tibetan and Mongolian medicine until the 1950s in Europe. Unkrig himself preferred to call his field of research 'Lamaistische Heilkunde' (Lamaist Science of Healing), drawing from Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian literature in his study. These early contributions to the Western understanding of Oriental medical studies, in a wider sense, should not be underestimated, considering that the medical cultures of India, Tibet and Mongolia were almost unheard of in Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

Unkrig's paper - last published in 1953 and 1968 - is presented in its English translation at the beginning of this issue (3)  to make the reader aware of a very early work of European scholarship in Oriental medicine. Unkrig applied his profound linguistic knowledge to understand the historical context of medical systems that developed in India, Tibet and Mongolia over centuries.

The articles of this issue are presented in five parts, involving the areas of medical literature and history, biographies of physicians, recent research, clinical practice and education. In Part I, on Mongolian Medical Literature, D. Tseren-sodnom presents 'Some Sources of Ancient Mongolian Medicine', drawing attention to the indigenous traditions of Mongolian nomad medical cultures before the second arrival of Buddhism and Tibetan medicine in the 16th century AD (p.28).

H. G. Schwarz introduces the collection of Tibetan and Mongolian medical texts at the library of the Western Washington University (p.31). Thanks to him and ITTM volunteer efforts, the catalogue of 266 entries is now available online on the ITTM at

http://www.ittm.org/projects/tibmongbiblio

Three Short Biographies of Mongolian Physicians, in Part II, give insight into three extraordinary lives: Jambal Dorje, the famous Mongolian pharmacologist, who collated a major Tibetan-Mongolian materia medica, lived during the 19th century (p.34). Ts. Haidav, whose contribution to Mongolian medicine has been summarised by Yu. Mungh-Amgalan and G. Tsend-Ayush, was a pioneer who promoted and preserved traditional medicine under difficult conditions in Mongolia throughout the communist era (p.40). Lastly, P. Banzragch shares his life experience over a period of seventy years, spanning an early pre-communist Tibetan-Buddhist education, followed by a Western medical career as a cardiologist. In the later part of his life, after meeting the mysterious personality, Lama Lobsang, he began a serious study and practice of Tibetan medicine (p.45).

The two Research Papers by Mongolian physicians, presented in Part III of the issue, have one approach in common. Both authors studied Western as well as traditional medicine in Mongolia and have applied their modern research methods to verify the effectiveness of their indigenous drugs and raw materials. The papers are concise summaries of doctoral theses. Their brief presentations intend to inform the readers about the kind of research conducted by Mongolian physicians. The originals are written in Mongolian and interested scholars may contact the authors directly for further information (see author's address list on page 108). The collection of their specialised material is also meant to point out the various facets in which the tradition is presented in Mongolia itself. J. Khatanbaatar summarises his research on traditional Mongolian drugs for liver disorders (p.55). B. Boldsaikhan introduces modern research methods, such as artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic, to the study of 'hot and cold' diseases in traditional Mongolian medicine (p.58).

Part IV, explores Mongolian Medical Practice, from various perspectives. The article on the Traditional Mongolian Centre for Liver Diseases in Ulaanbaatar addresses the modern pluralistic approach where innovations include various alternative therapies in combination with biomedicine. The introduction of Vipassana meditation for doctors and patients, funded by the Centre, is  certainly remarkable (p.65). The interview with D. Adyakhuu on pharmacological aspects of traditional Mongolian medicine (p.75) is followed by a  case study of treating juvenile chronic aggressive hepatitis C, documented by  B. Tegshdelger (p.78).

B. Saijirahu presents an indigenous shamanic dance therapy, known as Andai, used to treat women's psychosomatic problems. This tradition is prevalent in Eastern Inner Mongolia and has hardly been studied (p.81). Harnuud Sodnomdarjaa from Inner Mongolia focuses on the traditional roots of Ayurvedic medicine. In his article, originally written in classical Mongolian, he stresses the preventive health care approach in Ayurveda and advocates that Mongolian medicine should pay more attention to 'prevention' rather than 'treatment' (p.84).

An interesting contribution by Sas Carey describes an expedition into the Mongolian Gobi Desert in 2001 on her quest to discover traditional medical practices (p.86). Reaching the county of Manlai, a 12  hour drive from Ulaanbaatar, Carey realises in an interview with a pediatrician that the hospital uses mainly biomedicine and wants to develop its laboratory rather than introduce traditional medicine. However, in the nearby region, she explores and documents traditional healing arts which are still practised by nomadic bone setters. (4)

Part V of this issue deals with the Education of Traditional Mongolian Physicians in contemporary Mongolia. The preservation of traditional Mongolian medical studies is underway in different parts of the country,  especially in the capital, where, for example, D. Tserensodnom is working on the establishment of the Centre of Traditional Mongolian Medical Studies and a museum seeking international support (p.93).

A presentation of the five-year education programme at the Manba Datsan reflects a traditional teaching approach. The activities and history of the Manba Datsan are described by D. Natsagdorj, the Khamba Lama (p.95). An interview with G. Odontsetseg reveals that students at the Manba Datsan memorise the entire 'Four Medical Tantras' known as Gyushi - the standard 11th century medical text - in both the Tibetan and Mongolian languages. Once qualified, they also have to undergo regular examinations to renew their working license every five years (p.99). Modern approaches, such as the three-year course for MDs that was introduced in the article on the Traditional Mongolian Centre for Liver Diseases (p.66), are also embraced, creating a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation within Mongolian medical studies.

The fact that Mongolian medicine has been introduced to Western students for the first time in a two-week course at the University of Vermont, USA, in 2001 (p.103), raises many questions: To what extent can such a complex tradition that requires three to five years of intensive studies be taught to Westerners without translated teaching material available? Will Mongolian medicine meet the same pitfalls that Tibetan medicine already faces in the West, being taught in weekend workshops, but with few opportunities for non-Tibetans to become qualified in the field? Should there be an international agreement or a kind of standardisation about the possible levels of involvement in traditional medical education? Will courses remain on the introductory level, or will professional training be available at one point of time? I hope that this publication will inspire readers to discuss these issues.

The International Conference on Traditional Mongolian Medicine, held in Hohhot, in August 2001, was another milestone in bringing traditional Mongolian medicine to an international focus (p.105). The editors give a brief summary on a small selection of the 395 conference presentations, which reflect the multitude of topics that traditional Mongolian medicine has addressed in recent years.

Preparing this issue has been a rewarding experience, including the linguistic problems of working with Mongolian authors through interpreters or in direct communication. Unfortunately, not all the articles that reached us could be included in this volume. We are grateful to the co-sponsors for covering two-thirds of the publication costs, and we thank our readers for voluntary contributions to cover the remaining expenses.

I sincerely wish to thank all authors, translators, technical and editorial colleagues and advisors for their patient voluntary efforts towards presenting this wealth of information in a creative and purposeful manner. These efforts will undoubtedly help to bring traditional Mongolian medicine a step further towards a global dialogue and international exchange. May this publication open new doors for Mongolian scholars and physicians to introduce their work and views to the West, and for both to find new ways to explore together what they have to offer and aspire to share.

Barbara Gerke

Editor
Kalimpong, July 2002
 

 NOTES

(1) Ernst W. (ed.) 2002: Plural Medicine, Tradition and Modernity, 1800-2000. London and New York: Routledge.
(2) e.g. The Ashtanga Hrydaya Samhita by Vagbhata.
(3) We are grateful to the publishers, Origo Verlag, Zürich, for their kind permission to print Unkrig's paper in its English translation in AyurVijnana.
(4) At the time of printing, Sas Carey is on her way to the Manlai sum hospital, in the Mongolian Gobi desert, to set up a laboratory with the help of a laboratory technician. The equipment and transportation has been donated by hospitals, doctors and individuals from the Northeastern United States. She will further research and film the traditional medical practice of bone setters.