Dongui Bogam

“Exemplar of Korean medicine”
Hangul	동의보감
Hanja	東醫寶鑑
Revised Romanization	Dong(-)ui bogam
McCune–Reischauer	Tongŭi pogam

TOC of Dongui Bogam

The Dongui Bogam (동의보감) is a Korean medical book compiled by the royal physician, Heo Jun (1546 – 1615) and was first published in 1613 during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The title literally means “Mirror of Eastern Medicine”. The book is regarded important in traditional Korean medicine.^[1]

It describes herbs that can be found on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the herbal books from Mainland China covered ingredients that showed “properties different from local medicines”, or were “not easily found locally”. ^[2] In fact, professor Hwang Kyeong0sik of University of Seoul, thinks that all the traditional medical practices of Korea are cited in the Dongui Bogam. ^[3]

In comparison to the ”Hyang-yak jipseongbang” (향약집성방), the ”Dongui Bogam” is more systematic. Its basic theory is based on the ”Naegyeong” (내경). Dongui Bogam is divided into five chapters; Naegyueong (내경) that covers the inner body, Oyang (오양), the external medicine, Japbyeong (잡병), various diseases, Tang-yak (탕약) , the medicinal effects and Chimgu (침구), the workings of acupuncture. ^[4] For Naegyueong, Heo Jun describes the interactions of five organs. “The liver, the lungs, the kidneys, the heart and the spleen all interact with one another,” explains Kim Nam-il, a researcher in oriental medicine at the University of Kyeonghui. “A given organ acts differently according to its links with the other viscera. The Dongui Bogam explains this principle clearly.” Oehyeong covers five outer body parts that enable the body to maintain its form—the skin, the muscles, the blood vessels, the tendons and the bones. Dongui bogam offered not only medical facts, but also philosophical values of Eastern Asia. Heo Jun conveyed the message that maintaining the body’s energies in balance leads to one’s good health. ^[5] The first page of the book is an anatomical map of the human body, linking human body with heaven and earth which embodies the Asian perspective of nature. ^[6]

Heo Jun started working on the ”Dongui Bogam” in the 29th year of King Seonjo’s reign (1596) as requested by the king. The book was completed in the 2nd year of King Gwanghaegun’s reign (1610) and was published by Nae-uiwon (내의원, “royal hospital”). The ”Dongui Bogam” consists of 25 volumes. It was started by Heo Jun by the king’s request but was stopped because of the second Japanese invasion of Korea in 1597. After the war, the king once more ordered Heo Jun to complete the book and this time, the King allowed about 500 books kept in the national library to investigate. From then, Heo Jun kept writing the book, but before it was completed, the king died. It was completed in the second year of his successor’s reign as the fruit of 15 years of hard work. ^[7]

In 2009, it was placed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. The addition of the book makes Korea the only Asian nation with a total of seven cultural heritages included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.^[8] The ceremony took place in Seoul at Changdeok Palace. UNESCO decided to add Dongui Bogam to the cultural heritage list due to its contribution to the development of oriental medicine. ^[9] The doctors clashed over Dongui Bogam after UNESCO officially listed it as a cultural heritage. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) downplayed the book’s importance saying that “it shouldn’t be taken as anything more than a recognition of the book’s value as a historical relic. It should not be taken as an acknowledgement of traditional medicine for its superior effectiveness.” The KMA emphasized that the Dongui Bogam was merely a cultural artifact not a science. The Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM) criticized the doctors of KMA for the lack of their appreciation of the influence of the “Mirror of Eastern Medicine” and history, saying it is necessary “to inherit and advance traditional medicine”.^[10]The original edition of Dongui Bogam is currently preserved by the Korean National Library. ^[11]