The 17th century Medical Service and Acupuncture & Moxibustion Technique in the period of Joseon Dynasty viewed through 'Chimgugyeongheombang'

All this while, 'Chimgugyeongheombang' has been rated as the level of Im Heo's personal writing. However, Huh, m, in his introduction of 'Chimgugyeongheombang' made it clear that his purpose of publishing this book was to criticize the doctors of the day who were tied down by one or two curative methods, and at the same time, ultimately to improve the quality of national medical service by enlightening them. It seems that such incompetent doctors' engagement in medical service at that time was attributable to insufficient medical education system unlike today as against much social demand for acupuncture & moxibustion therapy. Im Heo, in an effort to enlighten the medical practitioners of the day, put emphasis on an eclectic method, and contained the theories on internal organs and meridian on a systematic basis. In addition, he made his updated medical skills known to medical circles by integrating and wrapping up the Acupuncture & Moxibustion techniques at that time. Lastly, he tried to provide the optimized information for clinical trials in his own language by using a preposterous writing style and form. In such a context, 'Chimgugyeongheombang' is not a special medical book gripped with a sentence, or a simple medical formula with an emphasis on empiricism, but rather it might be proper to say that his 'Chimgugyeongheombang' was a serious attempt to embrace all the merits of both parties.

『침구경험방』을 통해 본 17세기 조선 의료와 침구기법