First Korean-Language Anatomy Textbook Designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage

Published by Jejungwon
Pure Korean Medical Terms Such as "Yeomtong" and "Baptong"

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on May 14 that the Korean-language medical textbook "Anatomy," published by Jejungwon, has been designated as a National Registered Cultural Heritage.

This is the first Korean-language anatomy textbook published by Jejungwon, the modern Western-style medical institution in Korea. It was used at the medical school of what is now Severance Hospital and at various missionary medical institutions. As a document showing the state of medical education in the early days of Western medicine’s introduction to Korea, it symbolizes the starting point of modern medical education in the country.

The textbook consists of three volumes. Volume 1 covers the basic structure of the human body, such as the skeleton and muscles; Volume 2 explains the functions of major organs, including the heart, lungs, and digestive system; and Volume 3 deals with the nervous system and sensory organs. Instead of using Chinese characters or foreign terms, medical terminology was explained in pure Korean words such as "Yeomtong" (heart) and "Baptong" (stomach).

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "This work demonstrates the process by which modern medical knowledge was translated into and popularized in the Korean language," adding, "It also holds significant value in the history of the Korean language, as it reflects the orthography and phonological changes of Hangul in the early 20th century."

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