Tan Yunxian

Tan Yunxian (1461–1554) was a female physician during the Ming Dynasty in China.

Tan’s grandmother was actually the daughter of a physician. One reason for Tan’s grandfather to marry her grandmother was to learn medicine himself. Two of her grandparent’s sons were able to pass the examinations (jinshi) and they became officials, one of these sons was Tan’s father. Due to the fondness her grandparents had for her, which evidence shows was directly related to her intellect, her grandparents passed on their medical knowledge to her. Tan Yunxian later married and raised four children, and practiced medicine on women. Tan lived a longer life than most, she died at the hearty age of 93.

Medical background

The medical practice of Tan Yunxian was contained to women. Although she did begin practicing medicine by treating her own children, and having her grandmother confirm her diagnoses. Records of Tan’s book reveal cases of thirty-one of the patients that she treated. The women which she worked with usually had chronic complaints, instead of critical illnesses. In Ming China, many of the women had “women’s complaints,” or, menstrual irregularities, repeated miscarriages, barrenness, and postpartum fatigue. Other patients had illnesses that either sex could contract, such as, coughing, insomnia, rashes, swellings, diarrhea or nausea.

Tan, similar to other literati doctors, often prescribed herbal medications to her patients. Tan also practiced moxibustion. This was the burning of moxa, or dried Artemisia, at specified points on the body, which was similar to acupuncture. This process, stimulated the circulation of qi. Since the physician applying the moxa was to physically touch the patient, this was not a process that male doctors could perform on women. Tan also served many working women in her practice. Various accounts show Tan’s conclusions of how these women often overworked themselves, thus bringing on various symptoms.

Although Tan Yunxian was able to practice medicine in gynecology, pediatrics and obstetrics, their practice in other fields was limited. Tan was only able to practice medicine in the country among her friends or acquaintances. Even after she completed the book Sayings of a Female Doctor, she was not able to publish it. In fact, she had to ask her son to have printing blocks cut for her.

Status of Female Physicians in Ming China

Quite different from the male counterparts to the female doctor of ancient China, women did not hone their skills from masters nor did they have the purpose or goal in mind to set up their own clinics after their apprenticeship. For females, family training was the standard mode of education. While women were quite skilled in their medical techniques, they rarely made any theoretical additions to the field. Unlike the male doctors of the times, women received medical training, with the intent to assist the males in their family by doing some “supporting work.”