Three-volume 1906 'Anatomy' textbook to gain 'Cultural Heritage' status

A 1906 Korean-language anatomy textbook, published by modern medical institution Jejungwon, is set to become State-Registered Cultural Heritage, the Korea Heritage Service announced Thursday.

The service issued a preliminary notice to register the three-volume “Anatomy” series, the first anatomy textbook written in Korean currently held in the National Hangeul Museum’s collection. Jejungwon is Korea's first modern education school for western medicine. 

Measuring 22.6 centimeters (8.6 inches) by 16.0 centimeters, the series was widely used at Severance Medical School and other missionary-run medical institutions in the early 20th century.

The Korean anatomy book was based on “ Practical Anatomy” (1888) written by Japanese anatomist Imada Tsukanu of Tokyo University, according to an explanation by the National Hangeul Museum. Around 1906 — four years before official colonial rule began, Japan was tightening its grip on Korea.

The Japanese book was later translated into Korean by medical student Kim Pil-sun (1878-1919) and proofread and edited by Oliver Avison (1860-1956), a professor at Jejungwon. Kim later became a physician and an independence activist.

The first volume of the Korean book explains the body’s basic structure and principles of movement, focusing on the skeleton and muscles. The second covers the functions and physiological roles of major organs, including the heart, lungs and digestive system. The third volume provides a comprehensive overview of biological reactions centering on nerve systems and sensory organs.

One of the textbook’s defining features is its use of native Korean expressions for medical terminology instead of directly adopting kanji (Japanese ideograms) or foreign loanwords.

For instance, the textbook uses native Korean terms such as “ yeomtong” for the heart, which in the modern day is used only to refer to the heart of an animal, and “ baptong” for the stomach, which has since become and outdated term entirely.

The book offers a rare glimpse into how modern medical knowledge was translated into Korean and disseminated to the public, while showing the orthographic and phonological changes in the Korean language in the early 20th century.

“Anatomy” also adds explanations absent from the original Japanese text it draws from.

“The book offers insight into the early establishment of modern Western medicine in Korea while also carrying considerable scholarly and historical significance in the evolution of the Korean language and linguistics,” a Korea Heritage Service official said.

During a 30-day notice period starting Thursday, the National Heritage Service is set to receive public and academic assessments and opinions. Later, the Cultural Heritage Committee under the service will hold a deliberation on whether to list the publication as a national heritage.

Also on Thursday, a complex of ancient tombs in South Jeolla’s Hampyeong County became a state-designated cultural heritage site by the service. It is the first state-designated historic site in the county.

The archaeological site showcases the history of the ancient Mahan confederacy along the Yeongsan River basin, according to the heritage agency. The Mahan confederacy is believed to have lasted from the 3rd century B.C. to the 6th century A.D., according to the South Jeolla cultural heritage research institute.

The tomb complex is considered one of the representative Mahan burial sites. The tombs are assumed to have been built between the third century A.D. and the early fifth century. Prior excavations uncovered 14 trapezoid-shaped tombs of varying sizes, along with artifacts and traces of human life.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KANG HYE-RAN [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]