ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that even now sectarian and religious epidemics still have an important political meaning. An example of this is the vast epidemic of the I-Ho-Ch’uan sect which broke out recently with great strength in China. Supported by the government for political reasons, this epidemic shook the huge state to its foundation, attracting to the latter the armies of several European and Asian countries. Under the influence of the I-Ho-Ch’uan sect’s doctrine, developed on the basis of great hysterical and hypnotic phenomena, the representatives of that sect became convinced of their unusual power and invulnerability, in which fact lies the reason for the enormous political role played by this sect in recent Chinese events. Here is a description of the manifestation and development of that sect made by Dr. N. Voskresenskii, 1 who was able to gather information about their peculiar doctrine on the spot:
