Historical tales of Joseon’s greatest medical encyclopedia, DongUiBoGam

*What is DongUiBoGam? DongUiBoGam (동의보감), or ‘The Principles and Practices of Eastern Medicine’, was written by the Royal physicianHeo Jun (1546-1615) following the orders of King Seonjo. Completed in the 2nd year (1610) and first printed in the 5th year (1613) of King Gwanghaegun, it is a refined medical encyclopedia which combined medical reference books from both Korea and China.

DongUiBoGam's Significance First, when judged from a scientific point of view which considers practicality as foremost important, it is deemed all-inclusive of the medical knowledge known at that time.

Second, it listed the names of 637 medicinal ingredients in Hangul, the Korean characters, so that the commoners could easily use those medicinal ingredients found native in Korea.

Third, it referenced over 180 ancient and modern medical texts to date and summed up their key points to make very practical use for medical education of active physicians and research.

Fourth, Heo Jun stipulated Korean medicine as independent from Chinese medicine. Heo Jun referred Korean medicine as Dongui (동의), meaning 'Eastern Medicine'. This is not solely due to the geographical location of Koreabut it can also be translated a declaration of independence of Korean medicine from the Chinese medicine.

Fifth, it has contributed to the globalization of traditional Korean medicine abroad, having been published many times in China, Japan, Taiwan and abroad.