• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 2013

King Sunjong was the 27th King and the last King in the Joseon Dynasty. He lived an unhappy life as the prince and the King of perishing country. At the age of 22, He witness the death of his mother Queen Myeongseong by Japanese assassin. He has a weak constitution and have many diseases. He get varicella(水痘) in infancy, and suffered from smallpox(紅疫) at 6, and catched the measles(天然痘) at 12. At the age of 25, Having drunk the coffee that contained opium(阿片), he had bloody excrement(血便) and lose the 18 teeth. The Symptoms that appeared frequently at adult age are indigestion(滯症), diarrhea(泄瀉), trophedema(足部浮腫), odontopathy(齒科疾患) etc. This indigestion(滯症) and diarrhea(泄瀉) are occurred by gastroenteropathy(胃腸病). This odontopathy(齒科疾患) is the aftereffect from having 18 false teeth. We assume that this trophedema(足部浮腫) is occurred by cardiac disease(心臟病) and renal disease(腎臟病). The chronic diseases of King Sunjong are gastroenteropathy(胃腸病), renal disease(腎臟病), cardiac disease(心臟病), rheumatism. We assume that the immediate cause of his death is the aggravation of the renal disease(腎臟病) and cardiac disease(心臟病). The medical treatments for him are hardly included in "Formal Records of the Joseon Dynasty(朝鮮王朝實錄)" which is the prime governmental document. Many royal doctors in court used the traditional Korean medicine, but western doctors from Japan often treated him by medical techniques such as injection(注射), consperg(散藥), liquid medicine(水藥).