Abstract
The Summary Handbook of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (鍼灸要覽) (SHAM) was written by an unknown folk healer who learned acupuncture about 100 years ago in Korea. The book discusses 79 acupoints and includes a table of contents, a text, and a pair of acupoint charts. The acupoints in the book are classed under two headings, 49 acupoints of 14 meridians and 33 acupoints. A number of the acupoints such as Gichoong (氣忠), Eumheobong (陰虛峰), Goowa (口卧), Cheonryang (天良) did not fit the then existing meridian system and were newly uncovered by the authors. The book also discusses needle insertion depth in a way that is quite different from how insertion depth is understood by clinicians today. Books such as SHAM that record new acupoints and treatments are rare among Korea's existing medical and clinical books and can be said to be very important in terms of medical history.