Right before and after the opening of ports, Western medicine, public health, and public hygiene began to be introduced to Joseon. For general public of Joseon, however, oriental medicine was still a more familiar method of treatment, and some people even had more trust in folk remedies, superstitious treatments, and shamanic witchcraft treatments. In addition, the number of hospitals and doctors at that time was remarkably small and the cost of treatment and medicine was very high, so many people could not use the benefits of Western medicine for economic reasons.
Therefore, in a situation where traditional medicine and Western medicine coexisted, many differences were bound to occur in the medical life of those who actively accepted modernization and those who adhered to the tradition, those who had economic power and those who did not, and those who lived in places with many medical institutions and those who did not.
In this paper, we will examine the medical life of Yun Chi-ho, who actively accepted and utilized new medical changes in the modern times, through Yunchihoilgi(尹致昊日記). The medical life of Yun Chi-ho and that of the general public was quite different. Yun used a Western-style hospital, and all the doctors who treated him had studied Western medicine. In addition, he received treatment only from medical professionals with doctor's license and rarely used oriental medicine. He enjoyed his medical benefits using both his social and economic status. Even when he had a single disease, he visited doctors at various hospitals for effective treatment and used modern medical equipment such as X-rays. In addition, even when he had no health problems, he visited the hospital to receive a health checkup. This medical life of Yun Chi-ho can be explained with his various backgrounds.
Yun accepted the theory of social evolution and considered the Western-style civilization as a way of reform, so he quickly accepted and actively utilized Western medicine and public health that were regarded as the products of modern times. In addition, he embraced the ideology of enlightenment and assumed a critical attitude toward traditional Confucianism and gender discrimination, so Yun's female family members were able to freely receive treatment and surgery from male doctors or Western doctors. Because Yun was financially very rich, he actively visited doctors or hospitals without aggravating small illnesses. Furthermore, he lived in Gyeongseong(京城), where there were many good medical facilities, and the hospitals he actually used were located in Bonjeong(本町), Myeongchijeong(明治町), Daehwajeong(大和町), and Ukjeong(旭町), which were Japanese residential areas in Gyeongseong, and Sogyeok-dong(昭格洞), Jae-dong(齋洞), Dongsung-dong(東崇洞), Jongno(鍾路), Insa-dong(仁寺洞), Ihwa-dong(梨花洞), and Nakwon-dong(樂園洞), which were rich villages at that time.
Many of about 70 diseases recorded in Yunchihoilgi belonged to the group of diseases that were the main causes of death among Koreans specified in Joseon Chongdokbu tonggyeyeonbo(朝鮮總督府統計年報). Therefore, the diseases that Yun and his family suffered from were not very different from the diseases common to people at that time. However, there was a difference in the attitude and method of treating these diseases.
However, the medical life of Yun Chi-ho described above cannot be generalized to general medical life of Joseon people in modern times. Yun enjoyed social status and wealth by cooperating with the Japanese during the Japanese colonial period, and was also the first to enjoy these medical benefits using his social status and economic power when Western medicine was first introduced to Joseon. However, by examining the overall records of the diseases and treatments specified in Yunchihoilgi, we can find out what was the highest level of treatment for common diseases at that time and how well the Western medical system was established in Joseon at that time.
In addition, in the Yunchihoilgi, there are many contents that can help us understand the medical life of not only Yun Chi-ho but also the general public at that time. Through the Yunchihoilgi, we can understand how the general public at that time perceived and accepted the Western medicine and the medical personnel who practiced it, which they preferred between the Western medicine and traditional medicine, and what level of awareness they had on hygiene and diseases.