《东医宝鉴》：珍贵的医书
《东医宝鉴》被誉为韩国的文化经典 韩国国立图书馆
四个世纪以来，韩国的医学百科全书《东医宝鉴》一直是思想家和艺术家们灵感的源泉。这部25卷的著作包含了丰富的医学知识和哲学，还有一些不同寻常的药方。
“把白狗胆、葛藤和少量肉桂晾干并研磨成粉，与蜂蜜混合。将混合后的糊状物揉成球。此方将让你隐身。青狗胆甚至更有效。”
我国传统医学的所有做法在《东医宝鉴》中都有记载，而且《东医宝鉴》也是它们的源头。在2009年9月3日举行的关于这本奇书的国际科学大会上，首尔大学哲学教授Hwang Kyeong-sik在发言的开头如是说。在韩国国立图书馆举行的这次大会标志着《东医宝鉴》问世四百周年，这部著作刚刚列入教科文组织《世界记忆名录》，是列入这一著名名录的第一部医学著作。
这部著作由宫廷御医许浚（1546-1615年）奉朝鲜宣祖之命编纂。经过16年的不懈努力，这部25卷旷世巨著、医学百科全书终于问世，王朝的更替和日本的入侵都没有使它中断。几个世纪以来，它不断启发着思想家和艺术家们。
《东医宝鉴》是韩国文化经典之一。除在医学界的价值外，它还展示了十七世纪初东亚的哲学观。这部百科全书所传递的基本理念是，保持能量平衡——就像大自然那样，就有可能保持身体健康。实际上，它的头一章探讨了宇宙，它把身体的运转比作宇宙的运行。
由于“深生态学”的成功，这一原则至今仍为人们所接受并继续传播。深生态学认为人类是地球生态系统的一个组成部分。其源缘可以追溯到道家及其无为和非存在的概念。许浚相信一切疾病皆因不平衡而生。对他来说，最有效的治疗是冥想，而不是药物。
脉搏，天之能量
整个亚洲代代相传的传统药方百科全书 韩国国立图书馆
尽管《东医宝鉴》具有哲学意义，但如果不能用于治病，其价值仍然有限。这部百科全书使用东方哲学的教诲，发现、分类并列出了当时已知的全部药物和医疗方法。在药典、针灸和艾灸的章节中，许浚详细描述了适当的治疗方法。他精确描述了一年四季什么时间采集什么植物、如何处理以及有效期有多长。
在内科卷中，许浚描述了五脏的相互作用。Kyeonghui大学东方医学研究员金南一解释说：“肝、肺、肾、心、脾是相互作用的，特定器官与其他脏器的关系不同，其功能也就不同。《东医宝鉴》阐明了这一原理。”
外科部分叙述了保持体形体态和运动能力的五个要素：皮肤、肌肉、血管、筋和骨。这里解释说，脉搏代表上天的能量。在东方医学中，脉搏非常重要。“把脉”长期以来就是“诊断”之意。《东医宝鉴》精确地列出了不同的把脉方法和脉象的不同解释。
许浚用11卷的篇幅描述了各种疾病的成因和症状，以及治疗方法。其中包括一种怪病，被称为“yukjing”：“患者不停地想吃肉，倍受折磨，如果不吃到呕吐，患者就会死去。”
更奇特的是“药方大全”一章中的一个药方，它告诉你怎样隐身：“把白狗胆、葛藤和少量肉桂晾干并研磨成粉，与蜂蜜混合。将混合后的糊状物揉成球。此方将让你隐身。青狗胆甚至更有效。”
“《东医宝鉴》是一部旷世专著，其中的大部分原理在成书四个世纪之后仍然有效”，东方医学执业者协会新闻官李相峰这样写道（《朝鲜日报》2009年8月29日）。他还补充说：“许浚大师决心把韩国所有常见的药方无一例外地全都编入书中”，这似乎是在解释为何会有一些让我们感到十分古怪的药方出现。李相峰还建议把神奇的隐身术理解为实践心法的一种方式。
在这部百科全书中，许浚确实收录了在整个亚洲，尤其是中国代代相传的传统药方，但他也大胆地写下了自己的从医信念和经验。这部著作的名称本身就体现了他的自由主义精神：从字面上讲，“东医宝鉴”是指东方医学的一部宝典：客观而独立。
触手可及的财富
原版《东医宝鉴》保存在韩国国立图书馆 韩国国立图书馆
许浚的智慧和医术，以及他丰富多彩的人生，启发了韩国一代又一代艺术家。李恩成题为“东医宝鉴”的小说大获成功，由它改编的电视连续剧也深受欢迎。“这与大多数人对行医的理解不同。大多数医生为自己的医术骄傲，因为自己能解除患者的痛苦，但令人遗憾的是，很少有医生会把自己采用的治疗方法记录下来，以指导后辈。”李恩成在小说中这样写道。
收藏着原版《东医宝鉴》的韩国国立图书馆正在将此书译成带有注释的现代韩文版本。2009年9月1日至25日，他们举办了一次题为“《东医宝鉴》图文展”的展览。图书馆馆长Mo Taek-min说：“我们围绕着《东医宝鉴》原版，展出了176件文学和艺术作品。《东医宝鉴》于1613年问世，现已列入教科文组织《世界记忆名录》。”
但是，《东医宝鉴》的宝贵之处并不在于他被陈列在国立图书馆的展柜里，在二十一世纪，它还让我们能够了解十七世纪初东方的世界观、当时人们的日常生活和亚洲常见的药物。这部著作架起了沟通古今的桥梁。我们常常忽略触手可及的奇迹，幸好，这一个没有被我们错过。
Yeon Kyung，韩国记者
教科文《信使》
2009 - 第9期
Donguibogam : precious book of medicine
For four centuries, the Korean medical encyclopaedia known as Donguibogam has been a source of inspiration for thinkers and artists alike. Its 25 volumes contain a colossal amount of medical knowledge and philosophy along with some unusual prescriptions.
“Dry and reduce to a powder the gall bladder of a white dog, a kudzu vine stalk and pinch of cinnamon. Mix all of these together with some honey. Roll the paste into balls. This preparation makes you invisible. The gall bladder of a blue dog is even more effective.”
All the traditional medical practices of our country are cited in the Donguibogam and it is also their source. This is how Hwang Kyeong-sik, professor of philosophy at the University of Seoul, began his presentation at an international scientific conference devoted to this exceptional book, held on 3 September 2009. The conference, at Korea’s National Library, marked the 400th anniversary of the Donguibogam, which had just been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. It is the first medical text to appear on this prestigious list.
It was compiled by a court physician, Heo Jun (1546-1615), on orders from the king, Seonjo de Joseon. It took 16 years of continuous effort, not even disrupted by a change of reign or the Japanese invasion. Thus was born a genuine medical encyclopaedia in 25 volumes, which has continued to inspire thinkers and artists alike over the centuries.
The Donguibogam is one of the classics of Korean culture. Apart from its value for the medical world, it also offers a philosophical vision of Eastern Asia at the beginning of the 17th century. The underlying message of the encyclopaedia is that it is possible to keep a body in good health by maintaining its energies – which are like those found in nature – in balance. Indeed, it starts with a chapter on cosmology, where the workings of the body are compared to those of the universe.
This principle is still accepted today and continues to spread, thanks to the success of “deep ecology”, which considers humanity to be an integral part of the planetary ecosystem. It can trace its origins to Taoism and the concepts of not-acting and not-being. Hoe Jun was convinced that all illnesses arose from an imbalance. For him, the most effective remedy was meditation, not medication.
The pulse, a celestial energy
If the Donguibogam were not useful in healing the sick, its value would have remained limited despite its philosophical interest. Using the teachings of oriental philosophy, the encyclopaedia identifies, classifies and lists all the medicines and medical practices known at the time. In the chapters on pharmacopeia, acupuncture and moxibustion, Hoe Jun describes appropriate treatments in detail. He specifies exactly when during the year to collect a given plant, what to do with it and how long it remains effective.
In the volumes on internal medicine, Heo Jun describes the interactions of the five viscera. “The liver, the lungs, the kidneys, the heart and the spleen all interact with one another,” explains Kim Nam-il a researcher in oriental medicine at the University of Kyeonghui. “A given organ acts differently according to its links with the other viscera. The Donguibogam explains this principle clearly.”
The section on external medicine deals with the five body elements that enable it to maintain its form and capacity for movement: the skin, the muscles, the blood vessels, the tendons and the bones. Here it is explained that the pulse represents celestial energy. In oriental medicine, the pulse is essential. “Taking the pulse” is a time-honoured expression that means “to make a diagnosis”. The Donguibogam lists precisely the different methods of taking the pulse and the various interpretations.
Heo Jun devoted 11 volumes to the description of the causes and symptoms of illnesses, as well as the remedies. Among these is a strange illness entitled yukjing : “The patient is tormented by an insatiable hunger for meat. If he is not made to vomit, he will die.”
Even more peculiar is a formula in the chapter on Diverse Remedies , which tells us how to make ourselves invisible: “Dry and reduce to a powder the gall bladder of a white dog, a kudzu vine stalk and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix all of these together with some honey. Roll the paste into balls. This preparation makes you invisible. The gall bladder of a blue dog is even more effective.”
“The Donguibogam is an excellent treatise, and most of its principles are still valid four centuries after it was written,” writes Yi Sang-bong, communications officer for the Association of Practitioners of Oriental medicine (Joseon Ilbo, 29 August, 2009). He adds, “Master Hoe Jun was determined to compile all the popular Korean remedies, without exception,” as if to justify the appearance of some that may appear outlandish to us. Yi Sang-bong also suggests interpreting the magic formula for invisibility as a means of practising the way of the heart.
In his encyclopaedia Hoe Jun did indeed present a compilation of the traditional remedies passed down from generation to generation throughout Asia, and especially China. But he was not shy of expressing his own convictions and experiences as a doctor. The title of the work is, itself, an expression of his libertarian spirit: literally, the word Donguibogam designates a precious book on oriental medicine, objective and independent.
An accessible treasure
Heo Jun’s wisdom and art, as well as his colourful life, have inspired generations of artists in South Korea. The novel by Yi Eunseong, entitled Donguibogam, was a great success, as was its adaptation into a television soap opera. “This is not most people’s idea of what it means to be a doctor. Most doctors are proud of their art and how it relieves the sufferings of their patients, but hardly any of them write down the treatments they use for the guidance of future generations. Unfortunately,” writes Yi Eunseong in his novel.
The Korean National Library, which holds the original edition of Donguibogam, is producing an annotated translation into modern Korean. And, from 1 to 25 September 2009, it put on an exhibition entitled The Donguibogam in Words and Images . “We showed 176 works of literature and art centred on the original edition of this work, which appeared in 1613 and is now inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register,” explains Mo Taek-min, head of the Library.
But what makes the Donguibogam so precious is not just to be found in the display cabinets of the National Library. It has also given us, in the 21st century, access to the oriental worldview at the beginning of the 17th century, people’s daily lives at the time, and Asian popular medicine. The work builds a bridge from the present to the past. Often we are oblivious to readily available marvels. Fortunately, this one has not escaped our notice.
Yeon Kyung, South Korean journalist
Photo 1 : ©The National Library of Korea
Volumes of Donguibogam, considered a classic of Korean culture.
Photo 2 : ©The National Library of Korea
An encyclopaedia of traditional remedies passed down from generation to generation throughout Asia
Photo 3 : ©The National Library of Korea
The original volumes of Donguibogam are kept in the Korean National Library
Source: The Courier, 2009 - Number 9
