Life and Activities of Chu Hyun Chik / 의사학

Chu Hyun Chik was one of those who graduated first from Jejungwon Medical School in 1908, and had carried on an independence movement as well as religious, educational, and social movement both as a doctor and a Christian. He opened the Inje Hospital in Sunchon, North Pyeongan Province in 1909, and was put in prison on charges of being involved in Incident of '105 People' as he joined in Sinminhoe in which christians(Christians) from Gwanseo showed their initiative. With 3.1 Movement as a momentum, he started to raise funds for an independence movement mainly in North Pyongan Province, as a councilor of the Ministry of Finance of Shanghai Provisional Government of Korea. After he moved into Andong, Manchuria, he continued to support the spread of an independence movement by connecting Shanghai Provisional Government of Korea with the country. In October, 1919, he came to Sanghai as an exile and lead diverse activities as a member of Shin Han young man party and one of the leading men of Korean Christendom, especially related to An Chang Ho and christians around him and joining in Hungsadan. In 1925 when he returned home, he opened the Dongje Hospital and devoted himself to the developments of religious, educational, and social movement as a president of YMCA, Sunchon and an executive of a branch of Suyang Donguhoe in Sunch'?n. By Incident of Suyang Donguhoe he was put in prison, resisting Japanese Imperialism and died in 1942.

The First Textbook of Anatomy in Korea / 대한해부학회지

The first hospital to practice western medicine in Korea, Chejungwon, was opened on April 10, 1885. Then on March 29, 1886, Chejungwon Medical School, Korea's first school to teach western medicine, opened. While anatomy was taught at that time by missionary doctors, there was no Korean translation of an Anatomy textbook. Therefore, Dr. O.R. Avison, who reopened and took charge of Chejungwon Medical School on November 1, 1893, began translating the popular "Gray's Anatomy" with the aid of Korean assistants. Although the text was translated twice, it was not published due one of the manuscripts having gone missing and the other having been lost in a fire. It wasn't until 1906 when the first "Textbook of Anatomy" was translated and published in 3 volumes by Dr. Avison and Mr. Pil Soon Kim (the first graduate of Chejungwon Medical School in 1908). This translation was not based on Gray's Anatomy, but rather on Imada Tsukane's "Practical Anatomy", which had been written in Japanese. During a previous translation, Dr. Avison and Mr. Kim referred to many Chinese and Japanese textbooks, especially for choosing the proper medical terms expressed in Chinese characters. With a basic understanding of how medical terms were expressed in Chinese characters, they decided to translate Imada's textbook. The translation was completed within several months. When comparing the translated textbook with Imada's original one, several pictures were deleted or replaced with others by the translators. Also, much of the narrative was reinforced in detail and new subtitles were used throughout the text. By modifying its contents, they evidently wanted to make this new translation more complete than Imada's original. The text was republished in 1909, but could not be maintained or updated in successive editions due to the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910.

Suh Yang Park, who Became a Doctor as a Son of a Butcher / 의사학

Dr. Suh Yang Park was born in 1885 as a son of a butcher, which was the lowest class at that time in Korea. However, contact with western missionaries, including Dr. O. R. Avison, provided him with an understanding of western civilization. After entering Chejungwon Medical School in 1900, Dr. Park learned basic sciences, basic medical sciences like anatomy and physiology, and other Western medical specialties such as internal medicine and surgery. He graduated from medical school in 1908 and received Government Certificate from Home Office, the first in Korea in this field, which granted the right to practice medicine. His certificate number was 4th overall. As both a doctor and a talented musician, Dr. Park actively participated in the social enlightenment movement. He was quite progressive in his time, having surpassed the social limitations as a son of a butcher, as well as actively propagating his knowledge of Western civilization onto others. After graduation, he had served as a professor at the school he graduated from, until he went into exile in Manchuria in 1917 due to the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. There, he opened a hospital and provided medical treatment for Koreans. He also established a school for young Koreans, inspiring them with a sense of nationalism. Also, Dr. Park was an active member of various Independence Movement Organizations in Manchuria. Then in 1932, at the time when Japan took control of Manchuria, his school was closed down. As a result, Dr. Park couldn't help but stop his anti-Japanese activities. In 1936, he returned to his homeland and passed away in 1940, just five years before the liberation of Korea from Japanese occupation.

The life of Dr. John William Heron, the second superintendent of Chejungwon / 의사학

The purpose of this paper is to overview the life of John W. Heron, M. D. who was the first appointed medical missionary to Korea by the Presbyterian Church USA. Although he was a competent doctor as well as a devoted missionary, he is not well-known yet, because he died early after 5 years' service in Korea. Dr. Heron was born in Derbyshire, England on June 15, 1856. His father, Rev. E. S. Heron, was a Scotch Minister of Congregational Church. His family emigrated to America in 1870 when he was fourteen years old and settled in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1881, he was admitted to the University of Tennessee Medical School and graduated with highest honors in 1883. After training in New York University Hospital, he refused the offer of professorship from the University of Tennessee to become a medical missionary to Korea. He arrived in Seoul on June 21, 1885 and began to work in Royal Government Hospital, Chejungwon, the predecessor of Severance Hospital. In 1887, he became the superintendent of the Hospital following Dr. Horace N. Allen. He also worked for the Royal family and sometimes traveled to the rural areas to care for the patients. He started Chejungwon Church which later became Namdaemoon Presbyterian Church. In 1887, Dr. Heron worked as a member of the Bible translation committee and in 1889, he was elected as the chairman of the Public Committee of the Presbyterian Churches. In 1890, he established 'The Korean Religious Tract Society (Chosunsyungkyoseohoi) with Underwood and Ohlinger. The society published and replenished Christian books, periodical magazines and booklets. In the Summer of 1890, Dr. Heron did his best to take care of the sick suffering from an epidemic dysentery and himself got infected because of the terrible overwork. He passed away on July 26th, 1890. On his deathbed, he told his soldier and native friends around him as follow: "Jesus loves you. He gave His life for you. Stand by Him!" The martyrdom of Dr. Heron should be remembered in the Korean history of mission, because he was the first victim among the foreign missionaries who had lived and worked in Seoul for Korean mission. Dr. Heron's mind of love, service and devotion should be remembered by the medical doctors working today in caring for the patients suffering from physical and spiritual illnesses.

Modernization Process of the Medical Education in Korea / 의사학

In Korea, there had been the public educational system of the traditional medicine since Shilla Kingdom, and Koryo government had the selection system of the medical doctors for the public services from the reign of King Kwangjong (AD 958). These traditional system had been maintained until King Kojong of Chosun Kingdom (AD 1885), when the traditional hospital with medical school Hye-Min-Seo was replaced by Che-Jung-Won, the first modern hospital in Korea, where the Western medical service for people and practical medical education were performed by western missionary doctors. But the medical education in Che-Jung-Won did not last long because people and government at that time did not recognize the value of the Western medicine and some medical missionaries had personal difficulties. After the reformation of 1894 when the health administration and service based upon Western medicine were planned, the government of Chosun Kingdom needed the personnel who could practice the Western medicine. So government began by establishing the short-term (three month) Training School for the personnel of the smallpox vaccination in 1897, and founded the first public medical school named Eui-Hak-Kyo of three-year course for educating the medical students in 1899. Although medical subjects were taught by Japanese lecturers in the beginning year of the school, Korean medical doctors (of whom Kim Ik-nam was the first), graduates from the medical schools in Japan actively participated in the teaching the Korean students from the next year. But with the 1905 'Protectorate Treaty', Eui-Hak-Kyo was renamed Tae-Han-Eui-Won Eui-Yook-Bu with the authority running the school under the Japanese hands. From then almost all the processes of modernization in medicine were controlled by Japanese. On the other hand, the first private medical school named Che-Jung-Won Eui-Hak-Kyo began to be run by Dr OR Avison, an medical missionary of the US Northern Presbyterian Church from the year 1899. After the 1910 annexation of Korea by Imperial Japan, the system and the contents of the medical education were reorganized according to those in Japan. So the modernization of medicine and medical education in Korea was not for Korea and Korean people but for the convenience of Imperial Japanese administration. The March First Movement of 1919 made the Japanese policy changed. In 1925 Japanese government established the Kyongsung Imperial University Medical School whose faculty were mainly composed of the professors of the Kyongsung Medical College , and which was also for the Japanese ruling, not for Korean people. As the Kyongsung Imperial University Medical School was founded, the Kyongsung Medical College became independent from the government-general hospital and several Korean doctors were installed as the professors of the school. After the 1931 war between Japan and China, Pyongyang and Taegu Medical Colleges in 1933 and Kwangju and Hamheung Medical Colleges in 1944 were founded, but which are thought to be also for the militaristic Japanese administration, not for the improvement of the medical education in Korea. In colonial Korea there were two private medical schools. One was Severence Union Medical School, the other was Kyongsung Women's Medical College for women whose faculty were mainly composed of Korean although which was operated by the Japanese master. The former, the late self of private Che-Jung-Won, was one whose educational and administrative staff were composed of the western missionary and Korean doctors and so whose administration and education were relatively freely performed from the Japanese government.

Medical Education in Pyongang(1890-1945) / 의사학

As early as the reign of King Taejo, the Chosen Dynasty started medical education in Pyongyang by establishing a medical school under "uikwa" which was an independent governmental organization of the 10 bu. Toward the end of the Dynasty, a local medical organization called "uihakwon", which was independent of the "Hyeminso" and comparatively large as a local medical organization, was established in Pyongyang under the control of "Pusa" and "Chick chang". This educational organization was staffed by one professor and had an enrollment of 16 students. Around 1894, when the Sino-Japanese War broke outs American missionaries, medical and non-medical, chose Pyongyang as the base of their missionary activities and started medical and educational work William James Hall, of the Northern Methodist Church, started medical work sometime later, Rossetta S. Hall, who accompanied her husband to Pyongyang opened a hospital for women. In the meantime, J. Hunter Wells, of the Northern Presbyterian Church, inaugurated the "Chejungwon" and launched medical service in Pyongyang. These medical activities naturally needed trained medical assistants and missionary doctors came to embrace an idea of educating regular medical doctors in Korea where there were no Korean medical doctors. This occasioned Dr. Hall and Dr. Wells to launch medical education. Their medical education which began in 1897-1899 was a pioneer work for Western medical education in Pyongyang. In 1905, Japan established the Japanese "Uisagwan" in Pyongyang and commissioned Nakamura Tomizo in charge of the organization and the medical care of Japanese residents. Nakamura opened a hospital in Pyongyang and while practicing on the one hand, conducted medical education for Korean students. At that time, he was recommended to become a member of the Tonginhae and started the Tongin Uiwon(hospital) and its attached medical school. He recruited students from private schools and provided Western medical education to them. This organization for medical education was the first medical school established by Japanese in Pyongyang. The Tongin Uiwon was sold to the Korean government in 1910 and regionalized under the name of Chahye Uiwon. This medical organization was disbanded in 1911 according to the policy for unified medical education of the Government-General in Korea which began with the annexation. The Pyongang area, due to its peculiar situation(the Japanese authorities regarded this area as one of people with strong anti-Japanese sentiment), lagged behind other areas in the benefit of all cultural facilities including medical organizations. Under the circumstances, in spite of a strong and longstanding insistence that there be established a medical school in Pyongyang the demand had not been met until 1923 when the Pyongyang Medical Training Institute was inaugurated by the Japanese. This institute was later reorganized into the Pyongyang Medical College which was operated entirely by Japanese professors until 1945 when North Korea was occupied by the Soviet Army. As aforementioned, the Pyongyang Medical College was staffed entirely Japanese professors. There were no Korean professor or no department chiefs of "political purpose". It is presumed that the graduates and under-graduates of the Pyongyang Medical College at that time were the most recalcitrant to the educational policy of Japanization. There were many graduates of this college who sought positions of academic researches elsewhere and made strenuous efforts to excel their Japanese competitors in social and academic aspects. with the results that as many as 24 of them won a degree of doctor of medical science with outstanding academic achievements. Such efforts of them resulted, after the liberation of our country, in the remarkable activities in the medical circle, both domestic and abroad, which were equal to those done by graduates of medical college, with much a longer history.

Medical Education in Taegu(1980-1991) / 의사학

In Taegu, the Yaknyongshi was established as early as the 9th year of King Hyojong(1658) of the Chosen Dynasty, and in the 10th year of King Hyojong(1659) the 'Tonguibogam' was published as a Yongyongbon edition by the Kyongsang Provincial Government In fact, it may not be an exaggeration to say that Taegu was the base of the traditional medicine in Korea. In the meantime the general public began to become aware of the importance of Western medicine when Dr. Woodbridge O Johnson of the Northern Presbyterian Church introduced Western medicine by opening the 'Miguk Yakpang'(American dispensary) and began to teach Western medicine to Korean youths. At that time, while constructing the Kyong for a war against Russia, Japanese began to establish hospitals in several major cities and towns along the railway line and mobilized Tonginhae doctors. However, those medical facilities were solely for the benefit of Japanese people residing in Korea and had nothing to do with ordinary Koreans. The attached medical school of the Taegu Tonginuiwon failed, contrary to expectation, to turn out even a single Korean medical doctor. This hospital was later reorganized into Taegu Chahyeuiwon and was soon closed according to the policy of educational unification of the Government General Korea. The keen interest in the Western medicine shown by the people of Taegu resulted from the long history of this area as a base of Oriental medicine. More than 10 years after the abolition of the institute far Western medicine in Pyongyang a Western medical training center was inaugurated as a night school in January 1923 by the Chahyeuiwon and the school began to be operated under the name of the Pyongyang Provincial Medical Training Institute. In July 1923, in Taegu, the Taegu Medical Training Institute was inaugurated in the compound of the Chahyeuiwon as a night school in imitation of the institute in Pyongyang. In march 1924, this institute, following the example of that in Pyongyang was renamed the Taegu Provincial Medical Training Institute with the promulgation of a decree of Kyongsangbukdo regarding the regulation on the Taegu Medical Training Institute. Thanks to the strong demand by the population of the Kyongsanbukdo, fund-raising and other campaigns by Koreans and Japanese, and active efforts by the local governmental authorities, the Taegu Provincial Medical Training Institute was approved as an institute of a semimedical college level by the Government-General in Korea with the promulgation of the regulations on the Kyongsangbuk-do Medical Training Institute in May 1929. In March 1930, both the Taegu Provincial Medical Training Institute and Pyongyang Provincial Medical Training Institute were designated as "Uihakkyo(medical school)" by the Government-General in Korea. By this designation, the graduates of the schools were given a medical license permitting them to practice medicine in korea. That is to say, the graduates enjoyed the same privilege to exercise professional right within Korea as those of other medical colleges. Three years later, on March 4 1933, the regulations on public schools in Korea were revised and, on March 6, the establishment of medical colleges were permitted. Thus, in Kyongsangbukdo, the regulations on the Taegu Medical College were proclaimed in the form of a decree of the provincial government and, in accordance with the regulations, professors were nominated and students were recruited. In the meantime, with the timely completion of construction of the college building in August 1933, the college moved to the new compound in November of the same year. Thus, the Taegu Medical College, equipped with new facilities, emerged and satisfied the long-cherished desire of the people in this area. Unlike the Pyongyang Medical College, the Taegu Medical College had some Korean teaching staff members. They were: Pak Jae-Hwan(professor) ; Seo Sung-Hae, Chung He-Taek, Lee Myeng-Hun, Kwon Kil-Chae, Choe Duk-Saeng, Pae Chong-Ho, Lee Chil-Hui(assistant professor) ; and Cha Ham-Su, Kee Yong-Suk(instructors). They taught and conducted research in various departments of clinical and basic medicine. However, there were few Korean graduates of the Taegu Medical College who continued study and research at their alma mater. It is known that Korean graduates of this medical college did their study and research mostly at medical colleges in Japan or at the Medical Department of the Kyongsuong Imperial University. The author wishes to pay his tribute of sincere praise to the painstaking efforts and diligence of the small number of graduates of this medical college who, in spite of the haughtiness and prejudice by the Japanese, conducted study and research that later led to the foundation of the Kyongbuk University Medical College.