This study researches the transformative impact of Do Jinwoo (都鎭羽)’s Dongseo euihak yo-eui (Essential Explanation of Eastern and Western Medicine, 東西醫學要義). From a perspective of identity formation, using Dongseo uihak yo-eui, this paper examines how the teaching of Korean medicine, which had been traditionally handed down in the Korean Peninsula, came to form its own identity during Japanese colonial rule in Korea.
During this time Korean medicine came to face an unprecedented crisis as Western medical influences sought to undermine traditional Korean medicine. As a reaction to this, Korean medicine underwent a transformation by accepting the strenghts of Western medicine; while resisting the suppression of the colonizing Japanese. Do Jinwoo’s Dongseo euihak yo-eui is a central piece of literature that aptly portrays the turbulence of the time. It demonstrates the role of personnel involved in Korean medicine, whose status was demoted to ‘Uisaeng (醫生)’, should play in the medical system, despite Western medicine’s inability to hold extensive influence with the general public at the time.
Dongseo euihak yo-eui is significant as it epitomically suggested the existing knowledge of Korean medicine in line with the unified system. It quoted not only the knowledge included in medical books, such as Donguibogam (東醫寶鑑) and Uihak ipmun (醫學入門), which had been widely read form old times, but recent knowledge of Korean medicine including Lee Je ma’s Dongui suse bowon (Longevity and life preservation in Eastern medicine, 東醫壽世保元). Additionally, classification of Korean medicine-designated disease names corresponding to each category of Western disease names and listing the sequence of disease symptoms from a practical aspect are also unprecedented characteristics of Dongseo euihak yo-eui.
This book should be regarded as a prototype of ‘Modernized Korean medicine’. Regrettabley, Korean medicine during this period lost its influence to Western medicine, only to become an outsider. This is due to Korean medicine’s failing to take the adequate time and opportunity in transforming itself spontaneously and independently. Thus, the issues of establishing a relationship between East & West medicine; and between the present orthodox Korean medicine education and the clinical education of Korean medicine have not been implemented in school as yet; still remain as an important task that should be addressed even today. Through Do Jinwoo’s Dongseo euihak yo-eui, this paper will demonstrate how Korean medicine was transformed in Korea and the ramifications of that transformation.