[War & Business] Donguibogam and Smallpox

[Image source=Culture Heritage Administration website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] "Among Joseon's books, almost none were published in China, but only Donguibogam (東醫寶鑑) was widely spread."

This is part of the content from Yeolha Ilgi, written by Park Ji-won, a famous Silhak scholar of Joseon, who accompanied a delegation dispatched to Beijing in 1780. At that time, Donguibogam was found in every bookstore in Beijing, and the complete set of 25 volumes, which cost more than 1 million Korean won in today's money, was sold like hotcakes. It is said that after the Qing dynasty delegation earnestly requested Donguibogam in 1661, the entire manuscript was sent from Joseon and spread throughout China.

The popularity of Donguibogam was tremendous not only in China but also in Japan. The delegations from Tsushima Island, which handled diplomacy with Joseon, began to request copies of Donguibogam immediately after its compilation in 1613. After persistent requests over 50 years, they finally succeeded in receiving copies in 1663.

The reason why China and Japan wanted Donguibogam so much was that it was the only medical book at the time that detailed records of major epidemics, which were prevalent not only in East Asia but worldwide, and their treatments. Donguibogam compiled all kinds of treatment methods and symptoms for the worst epidemics threatening humanity at the time, such as smallpox, scarlet fever, and cholera.

Especially, Heo Jun, who authored Donguibogam, personally treated and cured King Gwanghaegun of smallpox in 1590, which made the book even more valuable. At that time, smallpox was a pandemic threatening not only the three East Asian countries but the entire world, and in particular, Qing China was severely affected, with even members of the royal family dying one after another from smallpox.

The world's first treatment method called ‘Inoculation’?which involved inhaling pus or scabs from smallpox patients to gain immunity?was originally developed in the Ming dynasty of China. However, during the chaotic transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties, much of the medical system and records were lost. The survival of these lost medical techniques was thanks to Donguibogam. The inoculation method later spread through the Qing dynasty to India, Iran, Turkey, and in 1721, it crossed over to London via the British Embassy in Turkey. Edward Jenner, who invented the smallpox vaccine in 1796, is said to have conceived the idea of vaccination through the inoculation method previously introduced to Britain.

This precious resource that saved the world in the 18th century was an achievement born from the determination of Joseon doctors who, even with the national foundation destroyed by the Imjin War, were committed to saving every single life. Considering that Korea today, more than 400 years later, is a medical powerhouse incomparable to the past and one of the world's top 10 economies, the current situation where we are helplessly waiting for vaccines is utterly shameful. What exactly is our government lacking now?

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.