The perspective on humans in a view of Oriental Medicines - discussion based mainly on Dongeuibogam -

한의학적(韓醫學的) 인간관(人間觀) -『동의보감(東醫寶鑑)』을 중심으로-

Medical Science in general is a study dedicated to human. It is important to understand how human is being seen in medical science. The difference of this perspective among various medical science in different parts of the world shows the difference in ways of understanding human, and furthermore, difference in ways of understanding diseases. On the other side, Oriental Medicines tends to perceive human as a whole. Heo Joon's perspective on human is elaborated in his book, Dongeuibogam. The foundation of this perspective is found is the Thesis of Four Generals and Five Constants, Neijing. There are many discussions in the Thesis of Four Generals and Five Constants, which include the thesis of correspondence between nature and human: which define the relationship between human and nature in terms of four generals and five constants, and the thesis of xing and color: which offers the tool of making diagnosis on Four Generals and Five Constants, since xing and color designates the result of Four Generals and Five Constants. Other methods are also merely ways of expressing Four Generals and Five Constants in different angle. After all, the perspective of human shown by Heo Joon can be explained in one word as the thesis of Four Generals and Five Constants, and the principles of its theory, which are the thesis of correspondence between nature and human and the thesis of xing and color are also nothing more than a tool of underatanding Four Generals and Five Constants more efficiently.