Elephant Army and Elephant Doctor in Ancient Vietnam
Large number of elephants have been used for warfare,ceremonial guards and military service in the ancient dynasty of Vietnam During the reign of Le Thanh Tong,the system of using elephants has been quite complete,and the elephant administration(official elephant management system in ancient Vietnam)was clearly established till Nguyen Dynasty.The numerous artificially reared elephant herds also faced problems of injuries and diseases,so the dynasty set up elephant doctors to ensure the use of elephants.Though the official historical documents recorded the use of elephants,they never record the treatment of elephant diseases,only the Duong Vu Bia Ky which written in 1770 mentioned the relevant personnel of Medical Elephant Academy participated in the construction of Duong Vu Temple,so that recorded their names and positions.Nguyen Dynasty had a huge elephant army,established an elephant medical system,then recorded it in the official revision of Kham dinh Dai Nam hoi diensu le.At the end of 19th century,Vietnam descended to a French colony,and the army was no longer equipped with war elephants,which were only used by the court and in social service.As the society and environment changes,the number of elephants in Vietnam has decreased,and elephants no longer undertake diverse social tasks.Elephant army and elephant doctor finally both disappeared.
万方数据
维普
