acupuncture model (and box with calligraphic writing), unknown maker from China

Pierced by a series of holes that indicate the appropriate placement for needles, this bronze model was used to train acupuncture practitioners. Acupuncture is a treatment involving thin needles being inserted into the skin on different areas of the body. A staple of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture was first recorded in Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) produced around 100 BCE in China. The practice of acupuncture was standardized during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and had been adopted in the West by the 17th century. Though its popularity has fluctuated and its efficacy has been hotly debated over the centuries, it remains one of the most prominent forms of “alternative” medicine throughout the world.