The Study of Medical Perspectives of Korean Traditional Medicine for Treating Pigmented Skin Benign Tumor / 대한피부과학회지

Although the management of benign pigmented skin tumors are mainly conducted by dermatologists, some Korean traditional doctors provide care. We aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of the medicinal knowledge of pigmented benign skin tumors that is recorded in the Korean traditional medicinal literature, in the context of modern medicine. We defined benign pigmented skin tumors as macules, papules, or nodules with homogeneous surfaces and coloration patterns, that are round or oval in shape, exhibit regular outlines, and have relatively sharp borders. We investigated textbooks and articles in the Korean traditional medicinal field to analyze descriptions of clinical classification, pathophysiology, histologic knowledge, and treatment method. We compared them with modern medicinal facts. In Korean traditional medicine, clinical classification of pigmented skin tumors is simple and did not include histologic natures. Unique theories, such as Yin-Yang and Qi, were applied to pathophysiologic understanding of these diseases. Interestingly, oral medications were used beside surgical methods. We could not find any comment about skin tumors with worrisome clinical features that warrant excision in Korean traditional medicinal literature. There is still a gap between traditional medicine and modern medicine regarding pigmented skin tumors. Traditional Korean medicinal knowledge about benign pigmented skin tumors seemed to be insufficient in the context of modern medicinal standards.

History on the Lecture of History of Medicine at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine / 의사학

This paper refers to the History on the Lecture of History of Medicine at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine since 1961 when assistant professor KIM Jyung-Myung, MD of Department of Clinical Pathology started this lecture of history of medicine to the freshman class to improve the medical morality among professors, students and physicians after the nation-wide 4 19 revolution against dictatorial government. At that time an immoral faculty and several government patronized faculties were expulsed by students on the above revolution. On the lecture dictation was used for the first time and merged to prints(KIM Jay-Sik, MD and KIM Jyung-Myung, MD), followed by published textbook(1979, revised on 1986) of Professor KIM Jyung-Myung. However our department faculties haven't entered the Korean Society for the History of Medicine until this time because of short of manpower and lack of the independent department(Department of History of Medicine). We are going to set up the Department at our Medical School in 1998 and to study about the improvement of medical education through the lecture of the history of medicine on the comparison of the current oriental and western medicine, and the unification of Korean medical system(modern medicine and Chinese medicine).