Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the ‘great leap forward’ in Maoist China

The present study looks into the much-neglected history of neurasthenia in Maoist China in relation to the development of psy sciences. It begins with an examination of the various factors that transformed neurasthenia into a major health issue from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. It then investigates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHistory of psychiatry Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 443 - 456
Main Author Wang, Wen-Ji
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2019
Subjects
China
Communism - history
History of medicine and histology
History, 20th Century
Humans
Neurasthenia - history
Neurasthenia - therapy
Psychiatry - history
Psychology - history
Therapeutic Human Experimentation - history
China
Maoist China
neurasthenia
Communism
psychiatry
psychology
Pavlov
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Summary:The present study looks into the much-neglected history of neurasthenia in Maoist China in relation to the development of psy sciences. It begins with an examination of the various factors that transformed neurasthenia into a major health issue from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. It then investigates a distinctive culture of therapeutic experiment of neurasthenia during this period, with emphasis on the ways in which psy scientists and medical practitioners manoeuvred in a highly politicized environment. The study concludes with a discussion of the legacy of these neurasthenia studies – in particular, the experiment with the famous ‘speedy and synthetic therapy’ – and of the implications the present study may have for future historical study of psychiatry and science.
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ISSN:0957-154X
1740-2360
DOI:10.1177/0957154X19859204