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The historical evolution of Chinese physiology textbooks

FENG Yan¹, ZHAI Xiao¹, WANG Xin¹, YANG Feng¹, ZHU Liang², SUN Guo-Chao², WANG Ning³, ZHANG Jun⁴, XIAO Jing⁵, LIU Wei-Wei¹, GUAN You-Fei^3,*

¹Library, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China；²College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China；³Advanced Institute for Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China；⁴Department of Medical Education, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China；⁵Institute of Medical Education (Center for Faculty Development), Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China

Abstract

This article systematically reviews the characteristics and trends of the writing, editing, publication and promotion of physiology textbooks in China from the late 19th century to the present, focusing on the introduction, development and innovation of Chinese physiology textbooks. The development of physiology textbooks in China is divided into four main stages: the introduction and initial development of physiology textbooks from the late 19th century to 1925; the localization and diversification of textbooks from 1926 to 1949, after the establishment of the Chinese Physiological Society; the exploratory phase of textbook construction after the founding of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1976; the formation and innovation of the textbook development process from 1977 to the present, following the restoration of the college entrance examination. For each phase, the article not only records the historical development of physiology textbooks, but also analyzes the evolution of their content, writing styles and the interaction with the social and political contexts. The article summarizes the characteristics and experiences of all these four phases. Special attention is given to the comprehensive statistical analysis of physiology textbooks published since the restoration of the college entrance examination and Economic Reform and Opening-up in 1977, revealing the changes in the number, publication trends and academic features of textbooks during this period. Finally, the article presets the future development of physiology textbooks in China, proposing that textbook writing should integrate aspects such as ideological and political education, medical humanities, basic and clinical medicine, health education, scientific research and international exchange and collaboration. The article also advocates for the application of new technologies and methods, such as artificial intelligence, virtual teaching models and knowledge graphs, to support "personalized learning". This research provides a systematic reference for the study of the history of medical education and offers theoretical support for the future innovation of physiology textbook in China.

Key words: Physiology; textbook development; historical evolution; China

Received: 　　Accepted:

Corresponding author: 管又飞　　E-mail:

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2025.0004

Citing This Article：

FENG Yan, ZHAI Xiao, WANG Xin, YANG Feng, ZHU Liang, SUN Guo-Chao, WANG Ning, ZHANG Jun, XIAO Jing, LIU Wei-Wei, GUAN You-Fei. The historical evolution of Chinese physiology textbooks. Acta Physiol Sin 2025; 77 (1): 1-12 (in Chinese with English abstract).