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Ancient Medicine and Modern Art
Acupuncture has been utilized as medical therapy for humans in China
since the Shang dynasty (16th - 11th centuries BC)
when bronze needles, which conducted bioelectric forces, were first made.
Legend has it that the efficacy of acupuncture on horses was discovered when
an enemy's arrow healed a lame war horse.
Around 650 BC, a veterinarian named Sun-Yang wrote a treatise on treating
animals with acupuncture. In the 20th century Western physicians became
intrigued with reports of surgeries being conducted with nothing but
acupuncture for analgesia. Consequently, a flurry of research was conducted throughout
the 70's, 80's and 90's to systemize acupoints, elucidate
mechanisms of action, and understand traditional Chinese medical theory.
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