Korean J Med Hist.  1997 Dec;6(2):231-269.

The History of Urology in Korea (1910-1945)

• Kee CD

Abstract

The urological tradition of Korea dates back to the ancient period. The special urologist of Western medicine is produced in recent times. In the past there was no special discipline of urology in Eastern as well as Western medicine, which was studied as a part of internal medicine or general surgery. Therefore there was neither urology part nor special urologist in the hospitals established in Korea during the late 19th century. Japan annexed Korea in 1910 and reorganized Daehan Hospital into the Government-General Hospital, where the dermatology part was built as outpatient clinic in October 1. The Associated Medical Training Institute came to teach dermatology, so a Japanese instructor came there. After then it was changed into Kyungsung Medical College where also was dermatology instituted, but the patients of urological problems were cared in internal medicine or general surgery part. The first Korean surgeon who entered as assistant the dermatology department of the Government General Hospital is Kim Kyo-Chang, who graduated Daehan Hospital Medical School in 1911. In 1916, when the Government General Medical Training Institute was changed to Kyungsung Medical College, Choo Young-Son, a graduate of Chiba Medical College, entered the dermatology department and had worked until 1922. Then Oh Won-Son entered there as surgeon and worked during the period Watanabe, and then Hirota was the chief of the department. He was promoted assistant professor in 1926, and appointed as instructor in 1928 when Kyungsung Medical College came to be independent. He taught dermatology there until 1932 as working in his own clinic in downtown. The chief surgeon of this period was Kataoka. In 1929 Hong Jin-Ku, who entered there as assistant in 1928, was appointed as instructor but he resigned the next year. From 1933 to 1940 Kim Sung-Whan cared patients as well as taught students as instructor. There were also some assistants including Chong Chae-Wung, but they seemed to take 2 or 3 year training and open their own clinic or change the specialty. In Severance Medical School Oh Kyung-Sun, who had graduated Louisville Medical School in 1907 and had been specialized in dermatology including venereal disease, was appointed as instructor in 1913. He got a training in dermatology and venereal disease in Tokyo Imperial University Faculty of Medicine in 1916, and established the dermato-genito-urology department there the next year. He gave an American style clinical instruction and Park Chu-Poong entered there for the first time as assistant in 1919. Then a few students such as Lee Young-Jun, Lee Hak-Song, who studied in Tokyo Imperial University Faculty of Medicine, left some works in the field of dermatology and urology. Kim Ul-Sung and Yun Yu-Son worked there as instructor and about 20 surgeons got a training there. The dermatourology department of Kyungsung Imperial University Faculty of Medicine was established in 1928 and Hirota of Kyungsung Medical College was appointed as chief professor. Oh Won-Sun, who assisted Hirota, resigned as Isiwata was commissioned. Kitamura was substituted for Hirota in 1939. Koreans of this department usually left after finishing there training as assistant or vice assistant, but Choi Jae-Wi, who had entered as vice assistant in 1935, working there for 13 years, finally got a appointment of instructor. But he had to resigned the very day, and opened a clinic in downtown. There were 8 Korean assistants dismissed after only 1 year working. As mentioned above, the urology of Korea started as dermatology including venereal disease. Lee Hak-Song, a graduate of Severance Union Medical School in 1932, taking his training in the department of dermatology-urology of Tokyo Imperial University Medical School, returned home and gave patient care and student education mainly in urology field. In Kyungsung Imperial University Faculty of Medicine Choi Ja-Wi, who graduated in 1935 and entered the dermatology department, separated urological surgery from dermatology when Seoul National University College of Medicine was organized after the Liberation. The works of these two figures are very monumental in the early history of urology in Korea.

Keyword

Dermatology-Syphilology; Dermatourology; Dermatology-Urology; Urology; Lee Hak-Song; Choi Ja-Wi; History; Korea