< Issue No. 3 (2007)Article
La médecine au service du pouvoir angkorien: Universités monastiques, transmission du savoir et formation médicale sous le règne de Jayavarman VII (1181-1220 A.D.)
Chhem, Rethy K., University of Western Ontario
Abstract
This article provides a review of the ancient education system of Angkor under King Jayavarman VII (1180-1220 AD) with a special emphasis on medical education and practices. A review of the religious foundation of monastic universities and hospitals will be followed by an analysis of the royal patronage of educational and medical institutions. The structure and functions of universities and hospitals as they pertain to the training of physicians will be reviewed using epigraphic and archeological sources along with some iconographic evidence (statues and bas-relief). Sources from Cambodia and other ancient Buddhist kingdoms will be explored to discover the medical educational and curricular practices of ancient Angkor. This study may offer new insights on the religious and medical strategies adopted by Jayavarman VII to fight the diseases and epidemics that ravaged his kingdom.