• The Korean Nurse
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.86-98
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• 1994

We have examined the development and conceptual definition of shamanism and divination through significant characteristics of various illnesses. However, the terrminology has been inconsistent and its real conceptual meaning is not well defined. Divination is a historically dominant religious practice which represents the core of Korean folk culture. Despite prevalent prejudice toward its primitive nature, we cannot deny its profound relationship to our unconscious, especially our reliance on its religious role whenever we face crisis or conflict. It is therefore appropriate to use the term divination in this context. Shamanism originated as humanity's oldest mode of communication with divine - a religion, The shaman is not a sorceress but a priestess, a healer, a spritual guide, a leader, a mystic, traditionally having a different significance from that of the contemporary diviner or "shaman". The traditional concept of illness has been profoundly altered to serve new functions: while the shamanistic view is based upon spiritual abduction, divination on the other hand invokes concepts of spiritual invasion phenomena such as spirit intrusion, taboo violations, soul loss, object instrusion, deviations from the appropriate spiritual path besiegement, and curess or predestination (the idea that the sufferer is born with his fate), We should therefore try to understand divination from a more holistic point of view, rather than attempting to fit it into the standrd medical illness. We must recognize divination as a phenomenon within our culture, since most people have a mixed conception of illness arising from a combination of divinational and modem concepts, Since divination's humanistic approach is ingrained in our people, to irresponsibly ignore the spiritual aspects of treatment would exert a negative influence on our culture, Especially now, while attraction is focused on Korean culture and its influence on every aspect of our livies, it is important for nurses to expand our horizons in order to create a way of nursing more suitable to Korean culture. Increased importance is now being given to the opinions of patients themselves about their own illness and health, so nurses should seek to understand how patients accept their illness and what particular kinds of help they expect to receive. Consequently, an understanding of traditional divinations will enable us to utilize these characteristics on the job in order to enhance nursing care.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.341-354
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• 2013

Objective : The main idea of this article is to investigate the shamanistic medical activities through the traditional Chinese classics in the Zhou Dynasty. The ancient shaman played a bridge role between human beings and supernatural things like ghosts. Even though he didn't have the super power, the ancients believed that he could take care of all kinds of illness. Therefore, it can be said that the medicine of the Zhou Dynasty was still under the shamanism although it had already started to be specialized and professionalized. Method : This article is going to look into the detailed aspects of the shamanistic medical activities, for example, divination of illness, Zhuyou(祝由), shamanistic preventive medicine, and so on, through the traditional Chinese classics of Zhou Dynasty. Result : The medical knowledge of that time stayed in the early stage, so it was simple and raw. Also it had scientific and unscientific characters in itself at the same time. That's why it could be included in the shamanism. And about the shamanistic medical activities seen on underground written attestations, they will be offered through another article of mine, entitled A Research of Shamanistic Medical Activities on Underground Written Attestations in the Zhou Dynasty(兩周出土文獻所見之醫療巫術考察), which is being written now. Conclusion : From beginning of the Eastern Zhou period, the medicine gradually got to be specialized. And then specialized medical treatments and shamanistic medical activities began to be divided as the different two occupations. However, it is an unchangeable truth that the ancient shaman played an important role in the Chinese traditional medicine. Therefore, it can be said that he was in the very special position in the Chinese traditional medicine.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.143-162
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• 1998

This is a study for the construction of nursing care based upon the Korean attitude toward medicine. Factors which were investigated include the source of nursing care, the reason for choosing care, the type of heath care chosen, the accessability of caregivers, and the desired location of death. The population examined in this study consisted of 517 adults distributed in six large cities and 191 adults from five rural communities. Data was analyzed using frequency, percent, Cronbach alpha, $X^2$ - test, t - test, F - test and scheffe post hoc contrast with an SAS program. The results of this study are summarized as follows: 1. Among sources of nursing care used, first rank rated-pharmacy(54.4), private hospital(18.2), general hospital(8.4), folk remedies in house (5.0), chinese hospital(2.8), prayer(2.8) and others(8.4), and the reasons for choosing nursing care rated 'the easiest method' (63.6), 'the best method'(15.7), 'reliable'(10.8) and 'lower cost burden'(4.6) in order of preference. 2. The type of nursing care chosen rated western medicine(6.80), chinese medicine(6.15), folk remedies(5.46), faith remedies(3.51) and divination remedies (1.41). There were significant differences in the effect recognition degree to various kinds of medicine. 3. The difference of the type of nursing care chosen according to general characteristics showed that urban residents were higher than rural community residents(t=2.15, p=0.0320) in western medicine, and urban residents, women, and singles were higher than rural community residents(t=2.04, p=0.0414), men (t= -2.89, p=0.0039), and married(t=2.50, p= 0.0126) on folk remedies. With repect to age and education those 21-30, under 20 and 31-40, graduated from college and graduate school were higher than above 51, above 61 (F = 7.76, p = 0.0001), graduated from elementary school(F=4.39, p=0.0006) on folk remedies. In other categories, rural community residents, women, younger people. Christians were higher than urban residents ( t = -2.73, p=0.0305), men(t= -4.15, p=0.0001), older people (F=2.48, p=0.0307), Catholic, Buddhist, or atheist (F= 70.18, p=0.0001) on faith remedies. Those graduated from high school and Buddhist were higher than unschooled, graduated from middle school(F=3.18, p= 0.0075), atheist, Catholic or Christian(F=18.32, p=0.0001) on divination redemies. There were significant differences concerning age and education level. 4. The accessibility of caregivers rated 'caregivers should be nearby if the patients need them' (50.0), 'caregivers must be there all day (24 hours)' (39.6), 'caregivers must be there at night only'(5.0), 'caregivers must be there during the day only'(2.6), 'caregivers always should visit during visiting hours' 0.4), 'caregivers don't need to be there at all' (1.2). The frist rank of suitable caregivers were rated as spouse(66.6), mother(24.2), daughter (3.6), daughter-in-law(1.9), and the reasons of thinking thus were rated as 'the most comfortable' (81.5), 'people should correctly with regards to family they'(7.1), 'the easiest' (5.4), 'take good care of the patient' (5.1) and 'lower cost burden' (0.4). 5. The desired location of death rated as the following: his/her house (91. 6) to the hospital(8. 4). A person going to encounter death in the hospital wanted his house(78.5) over the hospital(21.5), and a person dieing in the hospital prefered his house(52.9) over the hospital(47.1) as a funeral ceremony place. The following suggestions are made based on the above results. 1. A sampling method that enhances the re presentativeness should be used in regional and/or national related research and replicated to confirm the result of this study. 2. This study should be used to understand the Korean view of medical centers and to meet the expectations of patients in Korean nursing. 3. Research on the Korean traditional view of humans and expectations of the sick, health and illness, and health behavior, the perception of dying, the decision to heal, and the view of general medicine should continue to be conducted continuosly so that Korean nursing theory can be advanced on these concepts.