Message
Yes, it is a 'tiger's sting' and it is a rattle used by itinerent doctors in old China to advertise their trade.
During the Song dynasty (960 1279) there was one such doctor named Li CiLou, who traveled deep in the mountains. One day he encountered a tiger suffering from a thorn in its mouth, an which sought his help. To help remove the thorn, CiKou put his iron rattle in the tiger's mouth and removed the thorn. Hence the name.
These objects are discussed and illustrated in "Medicine in China. Historical Artifacts and Images" by Paul Unschuld (Prestel, 2000) ISBN 3-7913-2149-8.
Note that we are now reviewing postings before posting due to the large volume of SPAM and inappropriate postings on the forum. The validation process may take up to 12 hours. |
|