• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.104-128
• /
• 1996

In the ancient times, the medical practice relied primarily upon human instincts and experiences at the same time, shaman's incantations were widely believed to cure diseases, the workings of evil spirits supposedly. For the period from the Old Chosun through Samhan(三韓), Chinese refugees brought a long medical knowledge and skills of the continent. New Chinese medicine, traditional practices and incantations were generally used at this time. In Samhan, however, the last was the most important, performed by a Chongoon(天君). Medicine and the medical system were arranged by the period of the Three Countries(三國時代). No definite record concerning Koguryo remains now. As for Paekje, however, history shows that they set up the system under the Chinese influence, assigning medical posts such as Euibaksa(醫博士, medical doctor), Chaeyaksa(採藥師, pharmacist), and Jukeumsa(呪禁師, medicine man) within Yakbu(藥部, department of medicine). Scientifically advanced, they sent experts to Japan, giving a tremendous influence on the development of the science in ancient Japan. After the unification of the three countries, Shilla(新羅) had theri own system after the model of Dang(唐). This system of the Unified Shilla was continued down to Koryo(高麗) and became the backbone of the future ones.

• Journal of The Association for Neo Medicine
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.253-295
• /
• 1997

It is very critical to specify certain medical personnels in defining the history of certain era. Due to the limited source of information and lack of thorough research, there still aren't enough study grounded on concrete historical investigation. Authors attempted to investigate those medicinal personnels engaged in Three Kingdoms period in terms of the activity area, relation with religion and their role in medical system and medical exchange. The sum of recorded medical personnels in Three Kingdoms period numbers 50 of which 6 belonged to Kokooryo, 18 to Baekje, 7 to Shilla and 19 to Unified Shilla. There might existed far more medical personnels who tried to alleviate the suffering of the people and were not recorded in the documents. The more earlier in times, the more medicine gets the religious tinge. This is not the exception for the period of the Three Kingdoms and those medicine men, wizard doctors and priest doctors were playing important role in healing people and processing crude drugs. The system of royal physician and medical education facility were established and doctors and pharmacists, shamanic doctor, herb collectors, Kongbong's doctor(供奉醫師), Kongbong's diviners(供奉卜師) took leads in medicine in those times. Those folkloric healers also took part in. Korea imported chinese medicine and Japan employed chinese medicine via Korea or directly from China and developed into traditional japanese medicine. In this process those who emigrated from Baekje and Kogooryo and their offsprings took an active part. Since the limited source of information of Three Kingdoms, we only can infer the me야cal environment of those times by featuring the activities of medical personnels.