A study on the Introduction and Use of Cold Damage Diseases-related Literature in the Early Joseon Dynasty: Focusing on Publishing, Citation, and Textbooks

Park, Hun Pyeong

Abstract

The status or role of Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases) in Joseon is quite different compared to neighboring China and Japan. This is a unique aspect that distinguishes Joseon's medicine from other East Asian countries at that time. Prior studies have conducted research on non-professional books of Shanghan Lun; however, this study aims to analyze the transmission and utilization of professional books of Shanghan Lun. In the citations of medical books in the first half of Joseon period, the domestic introduction of professional books of Shanghan Lun used at the time occurred mostly from the mid-thirteenth century to the first half of the fifteenth century. In particular, the version of professional books of Shanghan Lun quoted in Euibangyoochui (Classified Collection of Medical Prescriptions) were centered on the Yuan edition. In other words, the acceptance of the theory of Cold Damage Diseases was based on the Yuan's medicine. Professional books of Shanghan Lun, which were published separately during the compilation or publication of Euibangyoochui, were intentionally selected. It is important to identify their characteristics. First of all, Shanghan Leishu (Classified Book of Cold Damage) was used as a textbook of Cold Damage in the first half of Joseon dynasty because the author of this book, Yang Shizhen and his practice acted as the basic text. The nature of Shanghan Leishu, which pursued the integration of "several symptoms of internal medicine" and "Cold Damage" instead of pursuing independent medicine of Cold Damage with different internal medicines, may have had some influence in forming the uniqueness of Joseon's medicine of Cold Damage. Shanghanfu (Harm Caused by Cold: A Poem) was an introduction for easy access to formal Cold Damage's content. Shanghanfu is presumed to be a medical book made out of prose poems, the core of Shanghanzhizhangtu. Non-professional books of Shanghanlun have also been cited in the first half of Joseon period's medical texts in relation to Cold Damage. However, these books were not used as textbooks in medical bureaucracy's education. The exclusion of major Cold Damage-related texts from the medical bureaucracy's education may have hampered the development of Joseon's Cold Damage medicine.