ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we saw how imperial interest in medicine brought it to the foreground in the eyes of the officials more than ever before. However, although medicine was on its agenda, it did not become a focal point until the middle of the eleventh century, more specifically during the reign of Emperor Renzong (1022-1063). It took an external force, a wave of epidemics, to compel Renzong’s government to implement new policy that had direct bearing on medicine. This policy resulted in the creation of a new medical environment, due to the revival of an ancient medical knowledge. This new setting was uncharted water for both physicians and officials.
