Examination for Practitioners at the Imperial Medical Institution of the Qing Dynasty (1644~1911)

Examination for Practitioners at the Imperial Medical Institution of the Qing Dynasty (1644~1911)

Map of the Imperial Medical Institution

In the Qing Dynasty (1644~1911), the students of the Imperial Medical Institution were usually the family members of medical officials. They were admitted free from the entrance examination. After 3 years’ study, they were required to take examinations on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, such as Huang Di Nei Jing (Huangdi’ Canon of Medicine), Nan Jing (Classic of Medical Problems), Mai Jing (Pulse Classic) and Ben Cao Jing ( Shennorg's Herbal). Those who passed the examination would take another examination given by the higher authority. If they successfully passed the examination, they would be granted the title of “assistant practitioner”. If they failed in the examination, they had to continue their study for one more year and take the examination again.
Those who studied medicine at places other than the government-run schools must have a good command of the following knowledge, such as Nei Jing Zhu Shi (Annotated Canon of Medicine), Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica) and Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold-induced Diseases) . The local government would recommend the students who were good at medical theory and skills to the provincial authority. After being approved, they had the right to take part in the examination of the Imperial Medical Institution. Those who passed the examination would also be granted the title of “assistant practitioner.”
The Imperial Medical Institution specified detailed regulations for the examination, covering the range of examination and paper design, qualification assessment, duration of examination, requirement of the answer sheet and how
to read and mark the examination paper. From above we can see how strict the procedures were for the
medical examination in the Qing Dynasty (1644~1911).