Abstract

This paper reconsiders the role of humane studies focused on the treatment of human pain by comparing ‘Shen-nong’( ), Chinese god of medicine, with Asklepios, a Greek god of medicine and healing, finally to find the common and different concepts of health and healing between China and the west. It is true that thanks to the rapid development of science and technology, modern medical science has obtained excellent results in treating diseases. However, though it removed some diseases, it failed to treat patients(pain). This is because modern scientific medicine has understood diseases and human body only as quantified substance. Hence, recently, a series of trials began to appear in order to newly understand the meaning of diseases, health and treatment regardless of East and West. In the mythological period, the treatment with humanities which Shen-nong and Asklepios practiced clearly emphasized the meaning of humanities in the treatment of human diseases and the cure for pain. In current world where the apparition called crisis of humanities overspreads the whole society, examination of the treatment features aided by humanities in the mythological period will provide with the opportunity to reconsider the curative role of humanities. And this approach will contribute significantly to opening a new horizon of humanities for the 21th century without being confined to limitations of modern medical science related to human true well-being.

Myth, Medicine, Greece, China, (Shen-nong), Asklepios, Health, Cure