HERBERT CODDINGTON’S SPIRITUALITY AND MEDICAL WORK

ABSTRACT

Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945, but the war continued when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. After the war until the early 1970s, many people in South Korea suffered from hunger because there was not enough food;in particular, many sick people wandered around the streets and lived as beggars and social outcasts. At that time, Dr. Herbert Codington, a medical missionary sent from the Southern Presbyterian denomination in the United States, contributed greatly to the fight against tuberculosis and other diseases in South Korea. At the heart of his Christian spirituality was a strong affirmation of Jesus’ message that a person needs to be both spiritually and physically healthy in order to lead a whole, meaningful life. To this end, he preached the Gospel, while at the same time receiving minimal medical treatment himself and offering free treatment to poor Korean patients. His ideas about medical treatment at the time shocked Korean society, yet today, the South Korean government is still following his medical practices in many ways. This study will show that his medical ideas are very efficient in helping to deal with huge epidemics, such as Covid-19. © 2022, Ecozone, OAIMDD. All rights reserved.