• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.59-72
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• 2015

Simyak (審藥) was a government officer to lowest, but it was appointed and dispatched directly by officials from the central government. Simyak played a role in mediating between the provincial and central health care. Therefore, understanding Simyak is necessarily required in the researches on the local health care in Joseon dynasty. Preceding researches of Simyak only have contained superficial information causing many errors. The purpose of this paper is to understand Simyak correctly through the historical literature review. The author found the following facts in this study. First, Simyak was succeeded to the government officer of Uihakgyoyou (醫學敎諭) in the previous period. Second, through the change of the name of Simyak, it can be presumed that the main task of Simyak was changed from the role in local medical education to the officer sending the herbs to the central government. Third, in the later Joseon dynasty Simyak was monopolized by some families just like any other medical officials. Fourth, Yangdowollyengui (兩都月令醫) and Tongyeongguryogwan (統營救療官) can also be put in the category of Simyak.