The Birth of Ilza Veith’s The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal MedicineOA

Ilza Veith is renowned for her 1949 publication The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine,the pioneering English translation of the ancient Chinese medical classic Huang Di Nei Jing(《黄帝内经》The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic).This article explores the birth of Veith’s translation,drawing on archives from the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives at Johns Hopkins University and Yale University Library.Sponsored by Mrs.Theresa Lindau,Ilza Veith began her translation work by editing J.W.Lindau’s manuscripts.Later,with support from the Rockefeller Foundation,she continued the translation by pursuing a Ph.D.in the History of Medicine.The insights and efforts of Henry E.Sigerist and Edward H.Hume facilitated the birth of Ilza Veith’s translation of Huang Di Nei Jing.As a landmark in the history of traditional Chinese medicine in the West,Veith’s work was the converging result of the development of medical history and Asian studies in the United States during the first half of the 20th century.