The Character and Meaning of the Reorganization of the Medical Institutions in the Early Chosun Dynasty. 2020

Kyung-Rok Lee
Associate Research Professor, Division of Medical History, Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine.

In this article, I first explored the process and its characteristics of the reorganization of the medical institution in the early Chosun Dynasty. In the early Chosun Dynasty, medical institutions of Naeuiwon, Jeonuigam, Hyeminseo, Hwalinseo, Jesaengwon were operated. From the examining the history, members, and roles of these institutions, it can be said that Chosun was aimed at Minbon Thought(For the people) of Neo-Confucianism and a one-sided centralized system. To understand the meaning of the change process of these medical institutions, we should pay attention to the social structure and ruling ideology of the late Koryo period. In other words, the autonomy and publicness of the people expanded in the land system of Koryo, while on the other hand, it became important to overcome the inefficiency of Buddhism, which was a dominant ideology. The movement to reflect the strengthened status of the people into the public national system by taking the Neo-Confucianism as the dominant ideology has been strengthened, and the medical rights of all the people have been guaranteed. But it did not mean that the Minbon Thought(For the people) of NeoConfucianism put the people first. The reason why the medical institution was organized in the order of Naeuiwon → Jeonuigam → Hyeminseo → Hwalinseo was because the theory of essence and end of Neo-Confucianism was projected. At the same time, this hierarchical structure was also coincided with the statusclass structure of Chosun, which peaked at the royal family as the highest ruling class. For this reason, the status of the medical institutions for the people, Hyeminseo and Hwalinseo was low.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007723 Korea Former kingdom, located on Korea Peninsula between Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea on east coast of Asia. In 1948, the kingdom ceased and two independent countries were formed, divided by the 38th parallel.
D006268 Health Facilities Institutions which provide medical or health-related services. Facilities, Health,Facility, Health,Health Facility
D049668 History, 15th Century Time period from 1401 through 1500 of the common era. 15th Century History,15th Cent. History (Medicine),15th Cent. History of Medicine,15th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 15th Century,History of Medicine, 15th Cent.,History, Fifteenth Century,Medical History, 15th Cent.,Medicine, 15th Cent.,15th Cent. Histories (Medicine),15th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 15th (Medicine),Cent. History, 15th (Medicine),Century Histories, 15th,Century Histories, Fifteenth,Century History, 15th,Century History, Fifteenth,Fifteenth Century Histories,Fifteenth Century History,Histories, 15th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 15th Century,Histories, Fifteenth Century,History, 15th Cent. (Medicine)
D049691 History, Medieval The period of history from the year 500 through 1450 of the common era. Medieval History,History of Medicine, Medieval,History of Medicine, Renaissance,Medicine, Medieval History,Medicine, Renaissance,Medieval History (Medicine),Renaissance Medicine,Histories, Medieval (Medicine),History Medicine, Medieval,History, Medieval (Medicine),Medieval Histories (Medicine),Medieval History Medicine

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