Asia House and The Wellcome Trust are presenting an exciting new exhibition on the subject of well-being. 'Asia:Body Mind Spirit' explores Asia's holistic approach to medicine, which advocates a balanced relationship of body, mind and spirit. On show will be more than 200 objects including exquisite manuscripts, rare anatomical charts, important medical texts, unusual paintings and a range of related medical artifacts. These will be primarily drawn from the Wellcome Library's extensive collection of Asian Art, much of which has never been exhibited before.

'Asia:Body Mind Spirit' shows how medicine is an integral part of the social history of Asia and inseparable from the cultural and spiritual milieu in which it developed. The exhibition is divided into various themes: Body in Balance, Living in Balance, Harmony with the Environment, Harmony with the World Beyond and Migrating Medicine.

Body in Balance concentrates on the great medical traditions of Asia. This section will include valuable material from Islam and the Near East, whose contribution to medical science is of paramount importance. Exhibits include a rare Nepalese Ayurvedic painting of the human body depicting channels and organs annotated in Sanskrit; an early 18th century Japanese scroll on acupuncture showing Chinese influence, and a dramatic Japanese block print, 1861, showing the first breast cancer operation using anesthesia.

Living in Balance shows how living in harmony within the wider physical, social and cultural sphere is crucial to maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Highlights from this section include a photograph, c.1860, by John Thomson of a Manchu lady having her hair dressed, and a Japanese woodblock print by Kuniyoshi, 1853, depicting Hua To, the legendary Chinese surgeon, operating on the wounded arm of the war hero, Huan Keng, who is playing go to distract his attention from the pain.

Asia abounds in holy sites and places of pilgrimage, the landscape is considered sacred and architecture is viewed as a divine science. Thus buildings are constructed using divine geometric proportions together with the use of geomancy. The latter stresses the importance of living in Harmony with the Environment. The science of Feng Shui is used to increase the flow of beneficial energy and to promote well-being. British visions of Asia's sacred sites and places of pilgrimage will be exhibited.

The fourth theme, Harmony with the World Beyond is divided into two sections; living in balance with the tangible world, and in harmony with the unseen spiritual world. The first focuses on the use of amulets to ward off misfortune and disease and the role that cosmology, astrology and astronomy play in relation to health and well-being. Objects displayed will include an unusual Batak amulet to protect against poison and a folio from a rare 14th century Persian horoscope showing the influence of planets on health.

Spiritual practice is an integral part of all the great Asian medical traditions and the second section of Harmony with the world beyond is devoted to the religions with which they are so intimately linked. Highlights include a fascinating Burmese illustrated text on the life of the Buddha; manuscript illustrations from the Hindu Ramayana and Bhagvadgita; and an outstanding Jain Kalpa Sutra dated 1503 depicting Mahavira, founder of the Jain religion, preaching to the Universe. There is also a Tibetan protector chapel, recreated as a special exhibit.

The final part of the exhibition will focus on Migrating Medicine, the interchange of ideas between east and west, which have helped nurture and advance medical theories in both hemispheres. It will also illustrate how this dialogue continues to be of particular relevance today, as the great medical traditions of Asia are becoming mainstream in the west.

Katriana Hazell, Cultural Director of Asia House said "The exhibition will show beautiful and rare examples of art throughout Asia from the lands of the Mediterranean in the west to those of the Pacific in the east."