Chinese Medical Illustrations

Explore the Wellcome Collection’s set of Chinese medical illustrations dating from 618-907 (The Tang Period) to the 1700s. They depict human illnesses, such as paediatric pox or smallpox, their diagnosis and treatment as well as famous medical figures like Shen Nong, a patron deity of Chinese medicine. The dataset illustrations also acknowledge the important medical role of animals and plants. Examples include the peacock, which was used to lower fever and remove poison, and the zelkova tree, which was known to treat seasonal headaches, heat poison and much more.