Sun Weihang, School of History and Culture, Northeast Normal University
In human history, after major disasters, rumors often abound. Panic and rumors, as the "by-products" of the epidemic, play a role in the development of the epidemic, and "watermelon pathogenesis" is a typical example.
Cholera is a potent intestinal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae, which can cause rapid dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, severe muscle spasms, and eventually death from acute organ failure. During the Light Years of Jiaqing Province in the Qing Dynasty, there was a cholera outbreak with a wide range, a high frequency of outbreaks, and a strong lethality. But people at that time did not understand cholera, and many rumors were generated.
Chinese medicine believes that watermelon has the effect of clearing heat, relieving heat, quenching thirst, diuresis, etc., and is a commonly used food-based medicinal material. Song Dynasty Hong hao's "Song Mo Memoirs", Yuan Dynasty Zhu Zhenheng's "Danxi Heart Method", Ku Sihui's "Drinking and Eating Zhengyi", Ming Dynasty Wang Ying's "Food Materia Medica" and other medical books have recorded this. Watermelon has also been used as a medicinal material for the treatment of cholera (generally referring to cholera and true cholera), Wang Shixiong praised watermelon in the "Theory of Cholera in Residence", which has an auxiliary therapeutic effect on patients with high fever and thirst, and Chen Qiu's "Chaos Rescue Soup" recorded in the "Plague Cholera Answers", the prescription contains "watermelon two coins".
Amazingly, in the panic caused by the cholera epidemic, the public has linked cholera to watermelon, and even similar rumors have been there since the beginning of the epidemic in the first year of Daoguang. According to Wang Shixiong's description: "It is said that those who eat watermelon die, so watermelon is very cheap." It can be seen that the people at that time were convinced of it, so that the price of watermelon was greatly reduced. Later, "watermelon pathogenesis" became more and more concrete in the spread. Some people say that watermelons produce worms (pronounced yóu yán) and scorpions, and some people say that every watermelon contains poison.
In addition, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the "Ta Kung Pao" also repeatedly reported the rumor that "watermelon causes disease": "Today the streets are talking about street discussions, salty melon watermelon is the cause of the epidemic, and those who are cautious and sick do not eat." Due to the prevalence of epidemics among Westerners this year, it is strictly forbidden to sell all kinds of fruits in Shanghai to prevent infection, and there are many microorganisms in the lid. ”
In the Republic of China period, "watermelon pathogenesis" still appeared in various medical propaganda. For example, in The Introduction to Cholera, there is a health department drawing of a cut watermelon scattered with flies, which reads: "Show that the flies are gathered on top of the cut watermelon." It can be seen that the concept of "watermelon causing disease" is widely spread, and even affects health and epidemic prevention institutions.
At that time, vendors needed to sprinkle water to maintain humidity when selling fruit, and the water quality was poorly clean, such as brushing toilets in river water, discharging sewage, washing clothes and mixing people and animals, resulting in a large number of germs lurking in the water. Watermelons come into close contact with these unsanitary water sources, creating the illusion of "watermelon causing disease". In addition, Chinese medicine believes that watermelon is cold, unclean, excessive consumption or symptomatic accidental eating may cause disease.
Compared with the above objective factors, subjective factors are more important for the generation of rumors. First of all, watermelon is widely known and eaten by the public, and compared with the "epidemic ghost asking for life" and other statements, "watermelon disease" is closer to life, which is the basis for the widespread spread of rumors. Secondly, at that time, many literati doctors spread the word "watermelon disease". Third, the rise of newspaper media in the late Qing Dynasty further expanded the speed and breadth of rumors. In the face of the unknown and severe epidemic, what is more fragile than life is the human heart, and in this context, ordinary people will naturally have fear. Rumors and panic interact to form a "psychological epidemic" outside of the cholera epidemic. Watermelon from "curing diseases" to "causing diseases" is only one of the rumors in the cholera epidemic in the Qing Dynasty, and I hope that we can take this as a warning and actively disseminate scientific health knowledge in order to effectively prevent the "psychological epidemic" while fighting off the epidemic. ▲