Wat Pho's ancient medical past recognised

[rooster59]

Wat Pho's ancient medical past recognised

POUNGCHOMPOO PRASERT
THE SUNDAY NATION

BANGKOK: BANGKOK'S Wat Phra Chetupon Vimol-mangklararm, or Wat Pho, is well known as being Thailand's original university, and now it is known for another first - being home to the country's first traditional medicine textbook.

Of its 1,440 stone tablets inscribed with information about the various branches of traditional knowledge, the Public Health Ministry has recognised that 380 relate to traditional medicine. They contain 1,061 traditional remedies. The remedies are regarded as the Kingdom's property, meaning people wishing to use them must obtain permission first.

Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn officially recognised the textbook on November 25 to prevent violation of intellectual property rights and incorrect disclaimers. The ministry will officially acknowledge the King Narai medicine textbook next.

Dr Suriya Wongkongkathep, chief of the Department of Thai Traditional and Complementary Medicine, said anyone wanting to use Wat Pho's traditional medicines must obtain permission from the department first.

Copyright violations would result in a lawsuit, he added.

Suriya said people wanting to use the remedies for commercial purposes would do so knowing the department would ensure some benefit was allocated to the country and they must be clearly identified as being from Wat Pho. Anyone wanting to research the remedies must also obtain permission first, he added.

Suriya said the 380 tablets contained medicine recipes and information about the causes of diseases and herbal treatments including one for new mothers and newborns.

There is also information about Thai massage, illustrations of the human body's energy lines and remedies for cancer, leprosy, abscesses and dyspepsia.

The abbot's assistant at Wat Pho, Phra Udorn Kanarak, said King Rama III had the temple's walls covered with stone inscriptions and illustrations for people's to view, and . He said the first traditional Thai medical college was founded there.

Topics of the stone inscriptions included the temple's history, stories of prominent disciples of Buddha and Thai poetry.

In 2011, Wat Pho was registered as a "Memory of the World" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Preeda Tangtrongchitr, director of Wat Pho's Thai Traditional Medical School, said a study on the inscriptions and illustrations relating the 10 energy lines in the human body found the lines linked to the central nervous system and the spinal cord. They are called Itha and Pingkla. The other lines will also be studied.

The temple's traditional Thai massage formula is known globally, with the school receiving up 5,000 students a year. About 40 per cent of them are foreigners. Its alumni comes from 135 different countries.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Wat-Phos-ancient-medical-past-recognised-30274399.html

-- The Nation 2015-12-06

[Bluespunk]

Ah the irony of all this worry about copyright theft.

[MaiChai]

How can you copyright something really old? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_Thailand

That link says 50 years from date of publication. So if those tablets were put up 200 years ago they are out of copyright?

Edited December 5, 2015 by MaiChai

[rhythmworx]

No one recognizes the scammers outside though.

[daoyai]

Interesting that the focus is on controlling the information ($) instead of researching and testing if the "remedies" have merit.

[Rocceao]

This remindes me of an episode of Black Adder, when Baldric got a cunning plan and started selling original, authentic religious artifacts, that he was making in the back room.

They are just looking to profit out of some old stones, stones that people forgot about a long time ago, when progress and science dictated that the stones and what was written on them is now obsolete.

I just found a neandathal cave painting, if anyone tries to copy it you will be up for breach of copyright laws and could be procecuted

Edited December 6, 2015 by Rocceao

[LostTourist]

Topics of the stone inscriptions included the temple's history and Thai poetry.

I can guess the verses of the Thai poetry;

" Ma tamai....Ma penarai.....Oh! tamai.....Ma tamai, Fan khong phom mai luk phom......Tamai....fan, mai son jai.....Oh! tamai.... chiwit mai sabai jai????"

Edited December 6, 2015 by LostTourist

[khaowong1]

The salve they sell for rashes, mosquito bites, etc. Is the best I've ever used. Much better than tiger balm. Put a little dab on a mosquito bite, the itching stops and the bite is gone in about an hour.