Heo Jun

Heo Jun was a Korean physician who lived during the Joseon dynasty. He was born in 1539 to an affluent military family, but he faced discrimination from his lineage members and other aristocrats because he was born to a concubine. He decided to pursue medicine after witnessing a brilliant doctor save a dying person. He became a court physician at the age of 29 and entered Naeuiwon, the royal clinic of Joseon. He was continuously promoted within the clinic and gained the trust of King Seonjo, whom he treated several times. He also accompanied the king throughout the Imjin War, in contrast to other government officers who fled to protect their own lives. He became the chief physician of Naeuiwon in 1600 and was ordered by the king to write a medical book for his citizens, who suffered from epidemics and post-war famines. He wanted to publish a book that promoted preventative care and detailed drug formulas and treatment methods that even uneducated commoners could easily comprehend and access. This book was Donguibogam, which means “Mirror of Eastern Medicine” and is considered the defining text of traditional Korean medicine. Heo Jun completed the twenty-five volumes of Donguibogam in 1610 after fifteen years of continuous effort. He spent the last years of his life educating young physicians of Naeuiwon until he died in 1615. He was posthumously conferred the title of senior first rank officer, an unprecedented feat that had long been hampered by yangban officials. He is regarded as one of the greatest physicians in Korean history and his legacy is honored by many medical institutions and museums.