The Path Analysis of Integrating Sun Simiao’s Medical Ethics Thought into the Humanistic Spirit of Medical Students / 中国医学伦理学

Medicine is the subject of studying human and its inherent humanistic attribute endows medicine with the temperature it deserves. However, with the continuous improvement of medical testing technology and treatment technology, medical workers pay more attention to diseases and ignore humanistic care, which has become an important factor in the aggravation of patients’ burden and the tension relationship between doctors and patients. There are many virtues in Chinese traditional culture. Sun Simiao’s medical ethics thought of "great doctor with professionalism and sincerity" embodies the core value of the humanistic spirit of Chinese traditional medicine. In his medical ethics thought, the moral and ethics of "great doctor with professionalism and sincerity", the medical practice attitude of "being cautious and diligent", the values of "benevolence for the world" and the professional conduct of "honesty and truth" still have strong practical significance at present. It is the good material to cultivate the humanistic spirit of medical students. This is of great value to integrate Sun Simiao’s medical ethics thought into cultivate medical students with both "professionalism" and "sincerity", practice the original intention of medical and health undertakings, and carry forward cultural self-confidence.

Doctors who saved our nation

It is generally accepted that medical doctor is a profession far from the political activities. However, there is an old saying that a great doctor cures a country while a small doctor cures a patient. This saying reveals that doctor's curing activities were not strictly limited to curing a patient's physical diseases. In fact, it is not difficult to find doctors who dedicated themselves for curing diseased countries. Sun Yat-sen, the first president and founding father of the Republic of China, was the exemplary figure of the great doctor who cured the nation. When Japanese colonized Korea, many doctors dedicated themselves to liberation activities. Some of them moved to Manchuria, China and even Mongol to continue their struggle against Japanese rule. Medical students were at the front line of the March first movement in 1919 which was a nationwide protest movement against Japanese unjustified occupation of Korea. During the Korean war, a doctor called Hyun Bong Hak saved the lives of more than 100,000 refugees by transporting them from Hungnam harbor to Koje island. And Chang Ki Ryeo opened a free clinic in Busan to take care of the refugees gathered there. The lives of those great doctors of yesterday invite us to reflect our lives as a doctor today.

Kim Pil Soon, A Great Doctor / 의사학

Kim Pil Soon was born at Sorae Village of Hwang Hye Province, the birth place of the Protestantism in Korean. He was brought up under the strong influence of Christianity and received modern education at Pae Chae School according to the ecommendation of Rev. Underwood. In 1899, Kim Pil Soon, who had been working at Je Joong Won as an assistant and nterpreter of Dr. Sharrocks, was employed by Dr. Avison to help preparing medical textbooks and asked to participate in the medical education. He acquired medical knowledges through his work of translating various medical texts, and which enabled him to teach other medical students. He participated in the administration of the Hospital, taking charge of the provision of meals for in-patients as well as directing the construction of Severance Hospital buildings. And his experience of treating soldiers wounded during the turmoil of the forced dismission of the Korean Army by the Japanese lead him to reflect seriously on Korea's fate in peril. In addition, he became a member of Sinmin Society, a secret political association, to engage in the independence movement. In 1908, Kim Pil Soon graduated from Severance Hospital Medical School as one of the first seven graduates. On graduation, he was appointed as a professor and took the charge of school affaires in 1910. At first, he worked as a assistant physician of ward and surgery, then he took the responsibility of out-patient clinic in 1911. But suddenly, in December 1911, he exiled to China to escape from the Japanese police who was in pursuit of him on account of his involvement in the so-called 105-Person Affaire, a fabricated affaire served as a pretext for the persecution of independence movement. He continued the independence movement in the form of an ideal village movement and training the Independence Army. In 1919, however, he was poisoned to death in a mysterious way. Kim Pil Soon dedicated himself to the independence movement that demands personal sacrifice: giving up his prospective career as a doctor, professor, and hospital administrator. He no longer remained as a ordinary clinician who treats only diseased persons, but transformed himself to the Great Doctor, a time-old ideal type of doctor in the East Asian countries who treats and cures the diseased nation, by dedicating himself to the independence movement.