Boym and Rémusat: Communication of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Rise of Western Sinology

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to Michel Boym (1612–1659) and Jean Pierre Abel Rémusat (1788–1832) and examines the research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) conducted by the two prominent sinologists. This work points out that Michel Boym introduced TCM to the West and Rémusat was the first to write a doctoral thesis on TCM. A historical overview of the translation, communication and impact of TCM in Europe at that time reveals that this communication of TCM to the West played a significant role in the rise of the study of Sinology in Europe.