The Monkey and the Inkpot: natural history and its transformations in early modern ChinaHarvard University Press, Feb 15, 2010 - 250 pages 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). 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. |
Contents
A Curious Instinct A Taste for Ink | 1 |
Birth of a Naturalist | 12 |
Anatomy of a Naturalist | 33 |
Here Be Dragons A Readers Guide to the Bencao gangmu | 50 |
Elements of Change | 69 |
Sprouts of Change | 83 |
Bodies of Change | 96 |
Creatures of Change | 111 |
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Common terms and phrases
According animals appearance authors beasts Bencao gangmu birds body bone bugs called Cambridge century China Chinese chong cited claims classic Clothing collection color commentary Contents creatures described discussion doctor dragon drugs early modern earth edition Erya especially example fire Five flesh helped human identify illustrations imperial important included indicated jing juan kind knowledge language late Ming later learning Li Shizhen Li’s literature living look major materia medica material means medicine Ming mirrors natural history natural objects natural world naturalist notes objects observation particular period person phases plants poem poison practice preface prescriptions Press processes qualities reader reading records refer scholars Science shaped Shizhen Song sources stone stories substance Tang term texts things tion tradition transformation translated treated understanding University University Press Wang