The Formation of the Military Medical System of the Korean People's Army and the Military Medical Officer / 의사학

The military medical system of the Korean People's Army (KPA) first appeared in August 1946 when a central military hospita was established at the headquarters. Inside the KPA, the military medical and veteran services were first established in February 1948. The military medical officers of the KPA were those who were initially engaged in North Korea's health care sector. Most of the early military medical officers were those who had been trained in the Japanese medical system before liberation and were surgeons. After the establishment of the government in September 1948, Lee Dongwha rapidly introduced the medical system of the Soviet army into the KPA. The KPA military medical system was a mix of Soviet, Japanese and Chinese military medical systems. The medical section of the KPA was similar to that of the Japanese army, and the medical section of the lower army was similar to that of the Soviet army. The stretcher platoon of the KPA were similar to those of the Japanese and Chinese armies. The KPA mainly used Japanese medical equipment at the beginning, and after the establishment of the North Korean regime in September 1948, they were gradually replaced with Soviet products. The military medical office of the KPA were equipped with treatment rooms, laboratories, hospitals, pharmacy, and inpatient rooms. The military medical office purchased medical journals and specimens for medical research and set up a separate research fund. In addition, the military medical office was equipped with a laboratory for medical experiments and raised laboratory animals. The KPA military medical system was specialized in the fields of infectious disease prevention and preventive medicine. At the time, infectious disease in North Korea was mainly caused by bacteria and viruses in unsanitary living environments. The KPA set up a special anti-infectious disease department in consideration of the soldiers living in the collective facilities. The second characteristic of the KPA military medical system is preventive medicine. Since early 1946, North Korea has been interested in preventive medicine and has established various medical facilities and personnel. In line with this history of preventive medicine, the preventive department was installed in the KPA military medical system.

Life and Works of Heo Yeng-suk, the First Female Medical Practitioner in Modern Korea / 의사학

Heo Yongsuk (1897-1975) was the second female medical doctor to study Western medicine in a foreign country, the second female journalist, and the one of the representative 'new modern woman' in Korea. She is unfamiliar, however, to Korean people. Few historians of medicine and few researchers of the history of literature recall her for her own achievements, instead remembering her as a wife who saved her husband, Yi Gwangsu (1892~1950), the great novelist, from his dreadful tuberculosis. Removing her from the shadow of Yi Gwangsu, this paper tries to uncover her life and her contribution to Korean society during the Japanese colonial period. As a pioneer, she went to Japan to study medicine in 1914 for the purpose of breaking down the long-established custom of female patients, who abhorred showing their bodies to male doctors. After acquiring her license, she opened in Korea for women and children, though this clinic had a brief span of only two years owing to her devotion to caring for her husband as his disease worsened. She became a reporter in place of her husband for about two years. However, with her efforts, she gave women a considerable amount of useful medical information. She wrote many enlightening articles to awaken Korean women's 'nationalistic spirit' against Japanese colonial oppression. She is worthy of a favorable evaluation as the second female reporter and the first who specialized in medicine in the history of newspapers in Korea. As a 'new modern woman,' she presented her own thinking about the best role model for married females, by saying, "Be good mother and good wife in the family household, it is the best way to strengthen Korean race." When she became pregnant, she resigned her job as a reporter. She exerted herself by bringing up her children and nursing her sick husband, gaining fame as the representative of the conservative women's movement. Medical knowledge was always behind her various activities. She can be evaluated successfully as a medical doctor; after studying newly developed medical theory and skills for about two years in Japan, she established first the specialized hospital for delivery in 1937 and had great success. As a successful female doctor, she projected a positive image of a new modern woman who was loyal to her family household, unlike many famous modern females who pursued women's liberation during the Japanese colonial period.

Paul D Choy A Life for Learning / 의사학

Paul D. Choy was born on February 26th. 1896. He spent his childhood in Japan and America, and he returned to Korea when he turned twenty one years old. He graduated from Severance Union Medical College in 1921. After graduating the college, he went to Peking Union Medical College to study parasitology. He came back to Korea after one year as the first parasitologist in Korea. On returning, he took the charge of the clinical laboratory of Severance Hospital. Before long he made another journey for study to Canada. He spent two years in Toronto University studying pathology. After studying pathology, he challenged a new field of medicine. It was medical jurisprudence. He stayed two years in Japan in order to earn his doctorate in medical jurisprudence in Tohoku Imperial College. This time he returned as the first specialist in medical jurisprudence in Korea. His field of study was not confined to medical field. He had deep interest in current situation in Manchuria and Mongol, and wrote a book on this matter. His interest also extended to the history of ancient Korean people. He made extensive studies on this subject, which resulted in publishing a huge work on the origin of Korean people and its ancient history. He was a true pioneer of medicine in Korea and his life was characterized by endless quest for learning.

Normal Serum Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Concentrations of Korean people According to Age

BACKGROUND: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor(MIF) was discovered in 1960s as a T-cell cytokine which inhibited random migration of macrophages. MIF is a multifunctional protein acting as cytokine, hormone, or enzyme. It plays a pivotal role in innate and adaptive immune responses and early phase of inflammatory response, as well as cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumor progression. Many inflammatory diseases and cancers show increased activity and serum concentration. The purpose of this study was to measure the normal serum MIF concentration of Korean people to be utilized as base data for future MIF research. METHODS: Sera of 20 healthy adults from each groups of 20's to 60's(total 100 persons) who visited the Health Promotion center of Inha university Hospital were collected. The MIF concentration in each serum was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). RESULTS: The average serum MIF concentration was 1.49 ng/ml(ranging from 0 to 3.33), and there was no significant difference between age groups. CONCLUSION: The normal serum MIF concentration of Korean people is 1.49 ng/ml, and seems to be unchanged with aging.

Range of Motion of Cervical Spine in Normal Korean People / 대한척추외과학회지

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study is to evaluate the cervical range of motion through the analysis of the plain films of the cer-vical spine. OBJECTIVE: To provide criteria validity for the cervical lordosis, range of motion and segmental motion of each segment using normal Korean adults, as guide lines for the radiographic diagnosis and treatment of cervical diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and four healthy Korean adults were examined. Roentgenographic lateral views were taken in neutral, active flexion and extension positions. Measurement of the range of motion and segmental motion of the cer-vical spine, using the technique of Penning and Bakke, were independently made by two observers. RESULTS: The mean angle of the lordosis and the range of motion were 19.8degrees+/-8.4degrees and 63.1degrees+/-11.2degrees respectively, and the range of motion of each segment were 10.3degrees+/-2.9degrees, 9.2degrees+/-3.0degrees, 13.5degrees+/-7.2degrees 15.1degrees+/-4.3degrees, 15.6degrees+/-4.4degrees and 13.0degrees+/-5.0degrees and C1-2, C2-3, C3-4, C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7, respectively. There were no differences in the lordotic angle between the ages and genders. The range of motion decreased with increasing age, but there was no difference between genders. The segmental motion was no different between genders, but decreased significantly with increasing age on segments C1-2, C5-6 and C6-7. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were found in the range of cervical motion of each segment and the lordotic angle of the Korean population compared with those of other populations. The range of cervical motion also decreased with increasing age. These data provide guidelines in the dynamics of cervical spine and for the roentgenographic diagnosis and treatment of cervi-cal diseases.

Partial Unilateral Lentiginosis:Clinicopathologic Review of 13 Cases

BACKGROUND: Partial unilateral lentiginosis (PUL) is a rare pigmentary disorder characterized by grouped multiple lentigines on otherwise normal skin that histologically have the typical features of lentigo. This entity has been only rarely reported in the Korean population. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical and histopathologic characteristics, association with other disorders, and differential diagnosis of PUL. METHODS: We reviewed our experiences of thirteen cases of PUL which had been collected in our dermatology clinic during the 6-year period between 1993 and 1998. RESULTS: Twelve patients were female and one was male. In 3 patients the lesions appeared after the age of 20 years. Ten patients had the lesions on the upper part of the body, the neck being the most common location. No bias was shown in terms of the side of the body affected. Cafe-au-lait macules (one to three) were found in six patients, axillary freckles were observed in two. Histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens commonly showed hyperpigmentation of the basal layer, elongation of rete ridges, and an increased number of melanocytes. There ,was no evidence of associated disorders or family history. CONCLUSION: Based on this data, we confirmed that PUL is a benign, idiopathic lentiginosis with no commonly associated abnormalities. Furthermore, we believed that PUL is not uncommon in Korean people.

A Study on the Position of the Mastoid Antrum of Korean People in the Temporal Bone CT / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Computed tomography of the temporal bone can provide otologists precise informations regarding the middle ear diseases. In this study, we aimed to measure the distance of mastoid antrum using the temporal bone CT for predicting the distance of mastoid depth during the mastoid surgery. MAERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed normal ears of 88 patients who visited the Department of Otolaryngology, Chonnam University Hospital during the period between Aug. 1996 and Aug. 1997. These patients demonstrated unilateral chronic otitis media, temporal bone fracture, and traumatic facial nerve palsy. RESULTS: The mean distance of mastoid antrum was 11.45mm. The distance of mastoid antrum according to age distribution showed 7.75 mm in 0-4 year old group, 10.35 mm in 5-9 year old group, 10.71 mm in 10-14 year old group, 11.50 mm in 15-19 year old group, and 11.93 mm in over 20 year old group. The distance also differed between males and females, with 2.84 mm for male and 11.24 mm for female. CONCLUSION: For the group under 20 years old, the distance of mastoid antrum increased as the patient's age became older. Especially, the group who were between 5 to 9 years old showed marked increase in the distance, and the distance did not differ between male and female. The distance of the mastoid antrum of the Korean adults was 10.1-13.7 mm and it represents some difference when compared with that of Westerners.

Prevalence of Sinus Abnormality Observed in the Cranial Computed Tomograms Taken to Evaluate Head Injury Patients / 대한이비인후과학회지

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate and approximate the prevalence of paranasal sinusitis in the Korean general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The initial sample group included 586 patients referred for cranial computed tomography (CT) for the evaluation of head injuries and post-traumatic headache. Of 586 subjects, 73 patients showing cranial fracture lines on CT were excluded from the statistics. The subject population was made up of 316 (61.6%) men and 197 (38.4%) women. The sample group had the age range of 1-83years (median age: 27years). Any mucosal thickening of sinuses on CT was regarded as radiologic sinus abnormality. The degree of opacification in each sinus group was classified either as mild (the opacification of less than a third of a sinus cavity), moderate (a third to two thirds), or severe (more than two thirds). RESULTS: Radiologic abnormality in one or more sinuses were found in 186 (36.3%) of the 513 subjects. The male predominence was noted since 43.4% was the male population as opposed to 24.9% (p<0.001) of the female population. Children (40.9%) were more frequently involved than adults (34.6%); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Sample groups were identified according to three different degrees of abnormality, such as mild (15.4%), moderate (11.3%) and severe (9.6%). Ethmoid sinus (26.7%) was most commonly involved, followed by the maxillary sinus (22.8%), sphenoid sinus (9.0%), and frontal sinus (6.9%). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that there is a high prevalence (36.3%) of radiologic abnormalities of the paranasal sinus in the general Korean population. The authors suggest to correlate the radiologic findings with the clinical symptoms and signs when deciding on the final diagnosis and treatment of sinusitis.

A Study on the Vertebral Body and Intervertebral Disk Indices of the Normal Korean People (A Preliminary Report) / 대한정형외과학회잡지

The vertical and sagittal diameter of the vertebral body from the 12th thoracic to the 4th lumbar spine was measured by the true lateral roentgenogram. The material consisted of 110 normal Koreans ranging from the age of newborns up to adolescents, in which the vertebral body index (Ivb = v/s) and the intervertebral disk index (id = d/v) of each spine were measured and its interrelationship with normal growth rate was evaluated. The authors obtained the following results. 1. The vertebral body index showed gradual decrease with the advance of the age. It was significantly high in the group Ⅰ compared with other groups. 2. The difference between the boy and the girl was more significant at the 12th thoracic and 1st lumbar vertebral body than the othervertebrae in the group V. 3. Among children of more than 120 cm in height and older than 12 years of age, girls had a higher index of vertebral body than boys, the latter show a less pronounced vertical growth of the body. 4. The intervertebral disk index began to decrease after the 1st month of life possibly because of the accelerated vertical growth of the body from that period. 5. Of all the age groups, the intervertebral disk index showed a higher value in boys than in girls.