Newsletter No. 522

07 # 5 2 2 | 0 4 . 0 9 . 2 0 1 8 夏日涼涼 Keeping a Cool Head 文物館位於百萬大道之上，每逢七八月，酷暑如蒸，外出午飯時真會覺得自己像鐵板上的 肉，幾乎要滋滋作響。如此時節，如果像古人一樣，在脖子下墊一件瓷枕睡個小覺，你說有 多透心涼呢？ 硬梆梆的瓷枕會受歡迎似乎很難想像。但瓷枕創燒於隋，宋元以降，產地遍及南北，作為 夏日消暑利器，確實風靡一時。北宋張耒有詩云「鞏人作枕堅且青，故人贈我消炎蒸，持之 入室涼風生，腦寒發冷泥丸驚」，是不是看了也覺得功效顯著？明清之時，其他製枕材料興 起，瓷枕這才功成身退。不過，瓷枕背後的工藝傳統與文化內涵卻仍為帝王所珍視。清乾隆 皇帝便曾親自降旨，將一件「均釉涼枕」送交刻詩。台北國立故宮博物院藏一件鈞窯天青釉 紫斑如意枕底刻御題詩，末句作「通靈旁孔透，怡神平底置。我自宵衣人，幾曾此安寐」，說 明瓷枕曾蒙御前偏愛。 至於本文所介紹的這件青花瓷枕，則是明代正統至天順年間景德鎮御窯所製，點出明英宗 或代宗在位期間，宮廷對瓷枕仍有需求。然則為何這件瓷枕看來飽歷風霜？這是因為它是 御窯的失敗品，沒有上奉朝廷，當然也不能流入民間，必須打破了埋在御器廠內。 但可別小看了失敗品。正統、景泰、天順三朝是明代歷史上的特殊時期。二十八年間，因「土 木堡之變」而生的種種政治角力，導致帝位頻繁更迭、政局動盪混亂。特殊歷史背景下，御 窯瓷器的生產狀況亦顯得撲朔迷離。此時期御窯瓷器不落正規年款，令傳世品的斷代及深 入研究舉步維艱，也讓此三朝被陶瓷史學者冠以「空白期」之稱。 2014年，景德鎮陶瓷考古研究所在珠山北麓發現大批瓷器碎片，從考古地層判斷屬正統至 天順時期。雖然破損，但仍可見此時期的瓷器既有厚重巨作，又不乏輕盈巧製，細緻雕琢， 精美裝飾，力證此時期的御窯生產不僅未有停滯，更持續進行着實驗與探索，充滿活力。換 言之，正是因為找到這些失敗品，我們對空白期的認知才不再空白—所以說，一時一地的 缺陷與失敗，換個空間，或許有新的重大意義也未可知呢！ 此瓷枕及其他景德鎮御窯博物館藏最新考古發現將於文物館「填空補白II：考古新發現明 正統、景泰、天順御窯瓷器」展覽展出，展期為9月1日至12月16日。這些器物也許並不完 美，卻盛載了時光之美。 「糖」禍 如果地球是一百人的村落，1980年，有五人患上糖尿病；今天，有九人患病。醫學昌明，物 質豐饒，但糖尿病患者佔人口比例卻幾近倍增。 很多病症都只侵襲身體某個部位，但糖尿病影響範圍大而深，所有血管密集的器官都受其 害，眼、四肢和腎臟等，甚至引發記憶力衰退、抑鬱症。中大醫學院內科及藥物治療學系內 分泌及糖尿科主任 馬青雲 教授指出：「香港近半洗腎病人都是由糖尿病引起。」 人均壽命增長，老齡引發的疾病愈趨普遍，但有些疾病則見年輕化，糖尿病正是其一。香港 五名糖尿病人有一人是四十歲以下已經發病。習慣影響生命，上班族常常外出用膳，難免攝 取過量鹽糖；工時長，四肢不勤，糖尿病便伺機掩至。 馬教授舉一病例：「有位不足三十歲的病人患上早發性糖尿病，後來見身體沒有大礙便不再 覆診服藥，兩年後視力模糊才求診，赫然發現腎功能僅餘兩成，餘生都得洗腎。」 孕婦也是高危群體。懷孕期間，荷爾蒙分泌改變，增加胰島素抗阻，血糖水平驟增，便導 致妊娠糖尿病。五、六名孕婦中，便有一人患病。以前人們認為妊娠糖尿病只會影響孕婦本 身，但中大醫學院的一項追蹤研究顯示，患有妊娠糖尿病的母親所誕下的子女，在七歲時血 糖過高或超重的機會遠高於同齡兒童。 「糖尿病是無聲殺手。」馬教授揮手作刀劈狀說。當病徵浮現時，患者得終身與病相伴。莎 翁的《請君入甕》有句名言，大意是：「飲食過度有傷胃口，毫無節制放縱，最終叫人失去自 由。」正好是糖尿病的寫照。唯生活有度，方可遠離「糖」禍。 If the world were a village of 100 people, five villagers would have had diabetes in 1980. Today, nine. Despite advances in medicine and improved access to health care, the percentage of population with diabetes has nearly doubled. Many diseases attack a particular part of the body, but diabetes can give rise to a wide range of complications. Organs with many blood vessels, e.g., eyes, limbs and kidneys, are vulnerable to the complications of diabetes. In addition to physical damage, diabetes may cause memory decline and depression. ‘Half of the patients on dialysis have diabetes,’ said Prof. Ronald Ma , Head of Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine. People are living longer throughout the world, and more people are affected by age-related diseases than ever before. Meanwhile, some diseases are becoming more common among young adults. Diabetes is a case in point. One out of every five diabetics in Hong Kong is diagnosed before turning 40. Lifestyle determines destiny. Office workers eat out a lot and inevitably take in excessive sodium and sugar. Long working hours and lack of exercise also bring on a higher chance of developing diabetes. Professor Ma took one of his patients’ case as an example: ‘He was on the right side of 30 when he was diagnosed with early-onset diabetes. When he felt better, he stopped returning for consultation or taking medicine. He was admitted to hospital two years later because of blurred vision, only to find that his kidney function was down to 20% and he will require dialysis for the rest of his life.’ Pregnant women are just as susceptible to diabetes. Due to hormonal changes, they are likely to develop insulin resistance resulting in higher glucose levels, a condition known as Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). More than one in six pregnant women would develop GDM. People used to believe that GDM affects only mothers-to-be. However, a study published by the Faculty of Medicine in 2017 showed that children born to mothers with GDM would have a much higher risk of hyperglycaemia and overweight than other children of the same age. ‘Diabetes is a silent killer,’ said Professor Ma with a chopping gesture, for diabetics have to live with the disease for the rest of their lives. In Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure , when Claudio is asked why he is under restraint, he replies, ‘From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty: as surfeit is the father of much fast, so every scope by the immoderate use turns to restraint.’ Claudio’s words also speak to diabetes: temperance keeps diabetes away. M. Mak The Many Faces of Diabetes 雅 共 賞 / ART iculation 醫醫筆寫 / D octors ’ N ote