
The Monkey and the Inkpot
Natural History and Its Transformations in Early Modern China
Carla Nappi(Author)
Harvard University Press
Published on 1. October 2009
Book
Hardback
250 pages
978-0-674-03529-4 (ISBN)
Description
This is the story of a Chinese doctor, his book, and the creatures that danced within its pages. The Monkey and the Inkpot introduces natural history in sixteenth-century China through the iconic Bencao gangmu (Systematic materia medica) of Li Shizhen (1518-1593).
The encyclopedic Bencao gangmu is widely lauded as a classic embodiment of pre-modern Chinese medical thought. In the first book-length study in English of Li's text, Carla Nappi reveals a "cabinet of curiosities" of gems, beasts, and oddities whose author was devoted to using natural history to guide the application of natural and artificial objects as medical drugs. Nappi examines the making of facts and weighing of evidence in a massive collection where tales of wildmen and dragons were recorded alongside recipes for ginseng and peonies.
Nappi challenges the idea of a monolithic tradition of Chinese herbal medicine by showing the importance of debate and disagreement in early modern scholarly and medical culture. The Monkey and the Inkpot also illuminates the modern fate of a book that continues to shape alternative healing practices, global pharmaceutical markets, and Chinese culture.
The encyclopedic Bencao gangmu is widely lauded as a classic embodiment of pre-modern Chinese medical thought. In the first book-length study in English of Li's text, Carla Nappi reveals a "cabinet of curiosities" of gems, beasts, and oddities whose author was devoted to using natural history to guide the application of natural and artificial objects as medical drugs. Nappi examines the making of facts and weighing of evidence in a massive collection where tales of wildmen and dragons were recorded alongside recipes for ginseng and peonies.
Nappi challenges the idea of a monolithic tradition of Chinese herbal medicine by showing the importance of debate and disagreement in early modern scholarly and medical culture. The Monkey and the Inkpot also illuminates the modern fate of a book that continues to shape alternative healing practices, global pharmaceutical markets, and Chinese culture.
Reviews / Votes
Carla Nappi takes us into one of the greatest Chinese encyclopedias of the natural world and its medicinal properties, the Bencao gangmu, which inspired the vision of the Chinese encyclopedia that haunts the pages of Borges and Foucault. Nappi draws us into the Bencao's complexities, and into the fertile and restless mind of its creator, Li Shizhen. Nappi opens the door on Li's cabinet of wonders. -- Paula Findlen, Stanford University This first book-length treatment of the [Bencao Gangmu] in English contains a great deal of interest and is undoubtedly a major contribution to its field. -- Steve Moore * Fortean Times * A fascinating, informative study for readers interested in the history of medicine or natural knowledge in China. -- J. W. Dauben * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student
Illustrations
11 line illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-03529-4 (9780674035294)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2010
Harvard University Press
€133.99
Available for download
Person
Carla Nappi is Assistant Professor of History at the University of British Columbia.
Content
* List of Illustrations * Ex-Voto * Note on Conversions * Prologue: A Curious Instinct, A Taste for Ink * Conception: Birth of a Naturalist * Generation: Anatomy of a Naturalist INTERLUDE: Here Be Dragons: A Reader's Guide to the Bencao gangmu * Transformation: Elements of Change * Transformation: Sprouts of Change * Transformation: Bodies of Change * Transformation: Creatures of Change * Conclusion. Rot and Rebirth: The Afterlife and Reincarnation of a Naturalist * Appendix A. Li Shizhen, Lidai zhujia bencao [Bencao works through the ages] * Appendix B. Contents of the Bencao gangmu [Systematic materia medica] * Notes * Glossary of Chinese Characters * Index