The introduction of Western medicine into Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries: The role of Jesuit missionaries

Abstract

Based on combining two main research methods of Historical Science (historical method and logical method) along with other research methods (systematization, analysis, synthesis, statistics, comparative, etc.), this article studies the premise and motivation for the introduction of Western medicine into Vietnam, specific manifestations of this process in the royal court of Vietnamese monarchies as well as in the daily lives of the population, thereby clarifying the role of Jesuit missionaries in facilitating the entry of Western medicine into Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries. Materials used mainly in the article included the scholarly contributions of Vietnamese and international researchers regarding the process of Western medical assimilation as well as the interaction between Western  and traditional Vietnamese medicine during this period, especially the original historical materials recorded by Jesuit missionaries active in this country in the 17th and 18th centuries such as writings, reports, letters, etc. The article aims to contribute to the study of the East-West cultural exchange history in Vietnam in general and the history of the introduction and development of Western medicine into this country in particular in this period.