Heo Jun

Heo Jun (Korean: 허준; 1539 – October 9, 1615) was a Korean physician who served as the royal chief physician of the Naeuiwon during the reigns of King Seonjo (1597–1608) and King Gwanghaegun (1608–1623) of the Korea dynasty.^[1]

Heo Jun was born in 1539 in the Gangseo District of Seoul. He was a member of the Yangcheon Heo clan, a military family of some wealth. Because his mother was a concubine, he was classified as a chungin rather than a full member of the Yangban class, which limited his social standing and opportunities.^[2]

At that time, chungin were regarded as technicians and officials below the Yangban in society. Heo may have chosen medicine because his birth status made a career as a civil or military officer unlikely. A popular folktale tells that he apprenticed with a healer after saving a child thought to be beyond help. When his mentor rebuked him for interfering with fate, Heo left the apprenticeship.

The story goes on to say that Heo later treated a sick princess in China. On his way there, he rescued an injured tiger. The grateful tiger gave him a whetstone, acupuncture needles, and a cloth said to restore life. When he reached the palace, he found the princess transformed into a snake below the waist. That night, his former teacher appeared in a dream to show him how to heal her.^[3]

At twenty nine, Heo Jun became a court physician. Three years later he began working at Naeuiwon, the royal clinic, where his skill led to rapid advancement. In 1575 he treated King Seonjo and in 1590 he was promoted after curing the Crown Prince of smallpox.^[4][5]

During the Japanese invasions of 1592 to 1598, Heo stayed with King Seonjo when many officials fled. His loyalty and another successful treatment of the Crown Prince earned him a senior second rank in 1596.

In 1600 he was named chief physician at Naeuiwon, the palace infirmary and pharmacy. The king asked him to write a medical book for ordinary people that would cover preventive care, drug formulas, and simple treatments. Scholars view this work as an early public health manual in Joseon Korea.

After King Seonjo’s death in 1608, Heo was accused of involvement in the king’s death and sent into exile in Ulju. The next year, King Gwanghaegun restored him to office. In 1610 he completed the twenty five volumes of Donguibogam, a medical encyclopedia written over about fifteen years.^[2] He taught new physicians at Naeuiwon until he died in 1615.

Heo Jun’s writings influenced late Joseon court physicians and scholars. He combined Confucian, Taoist, and empirical methods and used Hangul to explain treatments so that commoners could understand.^[2]

Although his chungin status limited his acceptance at court, after his death he was granted the Senior First Rank Officer title in recognition of his work.^[3]

His life and methods are taught today in traditional Korean medicine programs at Kyung Hee University and Dongguk University.^[6]

The Heo Jun Museum opened in Gangseo District of Seoul in 2005. It displays his original texts and Joseon era medical artifacts. Each year it holds a festival on his contributions to Korean medicine and culture.^[7][8]

He wrote several medical texts, but his most noted achievement is Donguibogam ("Mirror of Eastern Medicine"), which is considered a defining text of traditional Korean medicine. This work spread throughout East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Vietnam, where it is regarded as a classic of Oriental medicine.

It is divided into five chapters: "Internal Medicine", "External Medicine", "Miscellaneous Diseases", "Remedies", and "Acupuncture". In "Internal Medicine", Heo describes the interdependence of the liver, lungs, kidney, heart, and spleen. "External Medicine" explains how the skin, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and bones function. "Miscellaneous Diseases" describes the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment methods for various ailments. Heo's remedies often rely on medicinal herbs and provide detailed instructions on extraction, maintenance, and consumption. The final chapter explains methods of acupuncture. In addition to providing medical knowledge, the text reflects the philosophy of seventeenth-century East Asia.

As a royal physician, Heo Jun published 10 distinct books:

1. Naeui Sunsaen An (The List of Royal Physicians, 內醫先生案, 1605)^[9]
2. Unhae Taesan Jipyo (Compilation of the Essentials on Obstetrics with Korean Translations, 諺解胎産集要, 1607)^[9]
3. Unhae Gugeupbang (Formulas for Emergencies with Korean Translations, 諺解救急方, 1608)^[9]
4. Unhae Duchang Jipyo (Compilation of the Essentials on Smallpox with Korean Translations, 諺解痘瘡集要, 1608)^[9]
5. Dongui Bogam (Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine, 東醫寶鑑, 1610)^[9]
6. Chando Banglon Magkyul Jipseong (Compilation of Formulas, Doctrines, Pulse-taking, and Rhymes Redacted and Illustrated, 纂圖方論脈訣集成, 1612)^[9]
7. Shinchan Byukonbang (Newly Compiled Formulas to Ward off Epidemics, 新纂辟瘟方, 1613)^[9]
8. Byukyeok Shinbang (Divine Formulas to Ward off Epidemics, 辟疫神方, 1613)^[9]
9. Napyak Jeungchi Bang (End-of-the Year Medicines, 臘藥症治方)^[9]
10. Yukdae Uihak Sungshi (Names of Physicians Throughout History, 歷代醫學姓氏)^[9]

These books were used in academic and administrative contexts within the palace, and by those studying medicine at the time.

Although Heo Jun worked extensively with the royal family, he emphasized making treatment methods accessible and comprehensible to common people. While common medical knowledge and most court physicians focused on the rarity and cost of ingredients, he advocated for the use of natural herb remedies that were easily attainable by commoners in Korea. Furthermore, he wrote the names of the herbs using simple hangul letters instead of the more difficult hanja (Chinese characters), which most commoners did not understand.^[10][11] Donguibogam was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2009.

• Grandfather
  • Heo Gon (허곤; 許琨) (경상도우수사)
• Father
  • Heo Ryun (허륜)
• Mother
  • Lady Kim of the Yeonggwang Kim clan (영광 김씨)
• Brothers
  • Older half-brother: Heo Ok (허옥; 許沃)
  • Younger half-brother: Heo Jing (허징; 許徵) (b. 1549)
• Wife
  • Lady Kim of the Andong Kim clan (정경부인 안동 김씨)
• Son
  • Heo Gyeom (허겸; 許謙) (파릉군; 巴陵君)

• Portrayed by Kim Mu-saeng in the 1975 MBC TV series Jibnyeom.
• Portrayed by Lee Soon-jae in the 1976 film Jibnyeom.^[12]
• Portrayed by Seo In-seok in the 1991 MBC TV series Dongui Bogam.
• Portrayed by Jun Kwang-ryul in the 1999–2000 MBC TV series Hur Jun.^[13]
• Portrayed by Kim Joo-hyuk and Kang Han-byeol in the 2013 MBC TV series Hur Jun, the Original Story.^{[14][15][16][17]}
• Portrayed by Yoon Shi-yoon and Kim Kap-soo in the 2016 JTBC TV series Mirror of the Witch.
• Portrayed by Um Hyo-sup in the 2017 tvN TV series Live Up to Your Name.^[18]

• The novel Dongui Bogam by Lee Eun-seong was published in 1990 and became a bestseller.

• Heojun Museum
• Dongui Bogam
• UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme

^[1]

^[2]