Chinese medicine arrived in Singapore with the first immigrants who made the arduous crossing from southern China in the early 19th century. Though there are no records, it is believed that traditional healers from China and Hong Kong were among them, said Mr Lee Kim Leong, 73, a veteran acupuncturist who has written several books about the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the region.
The earliest Chinese herbal shops probably started in the 1840s, he said, fuelled by growing numbers of Chinese immigrants. These were trades that were passed down from father to son.
Since then, the practice of TCM - a vast body of knowledge built up from over 4,000 years of experience - has changed.
Instead of being passed from father to son, or master to apprentice, it is now a recognised course of study that is taught in universities and institutes of higher learning.
Acupuncture, tui na (or traditional massage) and the use of herbs make up the three main treatment methods of TCM.
In places where it is well-established such as China and Taiwan, there are specialists who address specific problems of, for example, cancer, women's conditions or children's diseases, in the same way that Western medicine has specialisations.
TCM is also gaining popularity in Western countries and research is being done on acupuncture and also on herbs which have been used for centuries to see if they can be made into new drugs.
In Singapore, TCM is also enjoying newfound recognition and respect.
Milestones in TCM in S'pore
>>Start of a chain
The well-known Eu Yan Sang chain, which is enjoying a resurgence today, began in Malaya in 1879.
>>The first TCM hospital
The oldest surviving TCM institution is the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution, established in 1867 - 48 years after Singapore was founded in 1819.
It was started by a group of wealthy Chinese merchants who saw an urgent need for more medical facilities, given the rapidly growing population at that time, said Mr Khoo Boo Liat, assistant honorary secretary of the institution's board.
It is still run today by a board of voluntary directors, most of whom, including Mr Khoo, inherited the mantle from their fathers.
Today, the institution, which sees some 600 patients a day, still provides free medical treatment for all, though patients may make donations if they wish.
Mr Khoo estimates its annual operating cost to be about $2.5 million, which is raised through donations.
>>A society of TCM practitioners
It was first formed in 1929 but the Japanese occupation in the early 1940s put paid to all TCM practice, which was revived only when the war ended.
The Singapore Chinese Physicians' Association was started in 1946 with 160 members. Now, it is the largest TCM association here, counting 1,200 practitioners as its members.
>>Free hospital
Seeing how the number of destitutes grew during the hard post-war years, the association started a free hospital similar to Thong Chai in 1952.
It is now known as the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution.
Chung Hwa sees 800 to 1,200 patients every day, and needs more than $2 million a year for operating expenses. This is collected from the token $1 registration fee paid by patients who can afford it, as well as other donations.
>>TCM college
In 1953, the association started a college to train successors, when fears of communism led to immigration restrictions on China and prevented new TCM practitioners from coming here.
Known today as the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is one of only two TCM colleges recognised by the authorities here. The other is the Institute of Chinese Medical Studies.
>>Maintaining standards
To improve standards of TCM practice, laws were enacted in 2001 to require qualified acupuncturists to be registered, followed by physicians a year later.
A statutory board, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board, was also set up in 2001 to oversee registration and training matters and regulate the conduct of practitioners.
>>Today
Singapore now has 1,846 registered TCM physicians and 1,367 acupuncturists.
A total of 1,229 practitioners are licensed as both physician and acupuncturist.
They see about 12 per cent of all outpatients in Singapore.
>>More new blood is on the way
A double-degree course in biomedical sciences and TCM first offered by the Nanyang Technological University in 2005 received so many applications that it doubled its first intake to 60 students.
