From prehistoric times to the present
Historical awareness of the changes that Korean medicine has undergone

This book covers various issues in Korean medicine from prehistoric times to the present, covering not only Oriental medicine, pharmaceuticals, midwifery, and Western medicine, but also unlicensed medical practice.
Additionally, I wanted to include the history of North Korean medicine as part of the history of Korean medicine.
In addition, based on the historical awareness that the history of Korean medicine is not only a matter of the past but also a matter of the present, we sought to encompass various historical facts and phenomena.

Recently, there has been a growing call for strengthening medical humanities education in medical schools.
This need stems from a reflection on the fact that the current medical school education emphasizes only the scientific aspects of medicine.
In other words, many problems are occurring as medical professionals who have been educated only in the science of medicine engage in social activities without properly recognizing the stark reality that medical care is carried out within the context of human relationships between patients and doctors, and furthermore, within the context of the society surrounding them.

Many of the healthcare issues currently facing Korean society can be resolved by improving the values ​​and systems of society as a whole. However, there are also many areas that can be improved by having medical professionals, who play a key role in healthcare activities, clearly recognize the medical reality of Korean society, the academic identity of medicine, and the professional identity of medical professionals.
This recognition of reality and the establishment of an academic and professional identity cannot be achieved simply by presenting an ideal model and demanding that it be emulated.
To achieve this, a historical understanding of the current medical situation in Korean society and the processes through which the medical professionals working within it have developed to what they are today must be established.
In that sense, the importance of medical education is great.

Of course, it is not that there was no medical history education in medical schools during that time.
Almost all medical schools include a course in the history of medicine in their curriculum, whether it exists as a separate subject called "History of Medicine" or in some other form.
However, most of what is taught in medical schools today is the history of Western medicine, and the history of Korean medicine is limited to the history of the introduction of Western medicine into Korean medicine.
As long as medical history education focuses on the history of Western medicine, there are few opportunities to learn about the history of Korean medicine, which is necessary to address the medical realities facing Korean society.

For example, even regarding the issue of unifying Western and Oriental medicine, it is difficult to obtain a balanced perspective with only the introductory lectures on Oriental medicine currently being offered at some medical schools.
Only when we properly understand the history of traditional medicine, which was the mainstream medicine in our society before the adoption of Western medicine, and the historical transformation it has undergone since the modern era, can we begin to understand the framework within which this issue should be addressed.
Furthermore, without a proper understanding of the historical process of change that Korean medicine has undergone in the turbulent times of Korean society, from the Japanese colonial period and liberation, the Korean War and post-war recovery, through the period of rapid economic growth, and continuing to the present, it will be difficult to understand the root of the medical problems facing Korean society today, nor will it be possible to expect fundamental solutions to them.

This book was written by leading and senior scholars in the medical field.
Professor Yeo In-seok was in charge of the introduction and the history of modern medicine (introduction, chapter 13), Director Lee Hyeon-suk was in charge of the history of prehistoric to Goryeo medicine (chapters 1-3), Professor Kim Seong-su was in charge of the history of Joseon medicine (chapters 4-6), Professor Shin Gyu-hwan was in charge of the history of modern and contemporary medicine (chapters 7-12), and Dr. Kim Yeong-su was in charge of the history of North Korean medicine (chapters 14).