Hyeminseo () was the medical authority of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. The officers were in charge of the treatment of commoners and medicine. In 1392, the year of the foundation of Joseon, the organ was established to succeed the Hyemingoguk (), the former medical institution of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

. In 1414, its name became Hyeminguk (), and then finally changed to the name Hyeminseo in 1466 under the reign of

Sejo of Joseon Sejo of Joseon (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (Korean: 이유; Hanja: 李瑈), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (Korean: 수양대군; Hanja: 首陽大君), was the seventh ruler of the Joseon dynasty of K ...

. It was abolished in 1882. The officers were in charge of producing medicines, teaching disciplines, researching

Korean medicine Traditional Korean medicine (known in North Korea as Koryo medicine) refers to the forms of traditional medicine practiced in Korea. History Korean medicine traditions originated in ancient and prehistoric times and can be traced back as far a ...

. Generally, four people were put to as the disciplines. Bureaucrats of Hyeminseo were also appointed through the ''

gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese clas ...

'' recruitment examination. Hyeminseo aimed to benefit the people but its coverage was limited to commoners living in Hanyang (now

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

). There was another medical authority called Hwalinseo (). Collectively, the two were referred to as Yanguisa ({{korean, labels=no, hangul=양의사, hanja=兩醫司, lit="the two medical authorities").

Notes

Horse Doctor Cho Seung-woo leaves Hyeminseo

Academy of Korean Studies
1392 establishments in Asia 1882 disestablishments in Asia 1882 in Korea Government health agencies Health in Korea Goryeo Joseon dynasty