• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.105-112
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• 2022

Dongje school (同濟學校), alternately Dongje medical school, is generally recognized as the first modern school for Korean medicine. However, there is very limited information concerning its establishment, duration period, governance, location, and contents for teaching. We found several points which are different from popular opinions through investigating news articles of those days and maps. Dongje school has established on June 1, 1906 and the time of its discontinuance is not clear. The school was founded with the cooperation of three former government officials of the Korean Empire, Eungse Lee (李應世), Piljoo Kang (姜弼周), and Dongho Cho (趙東浩) and many people donated fund for supporting Dongje school. However, there is no evidence of national or royal expenditures for operating the school. Dongje school has been established in 76-6, Seohak hill (西學峴), Yeogyeong-bang (餘慶坊), West county (西署), Seoul and moved to Naesum-si (內贍寺) located in Bongsangsi front village (奉常寺前門洞), Indal-bang (仁達坊), West county, at September 1906. The curriculum of the school comprehends several disciplines including literature in Korean and Chinese, mathematics, foreign language, physics, and Western medicine, as well as Korean medicine. Particularly at that time, they thought both of women and men. To elucidate the issue of the governance of Dongje school regarding the national or royal establishment, more information and extensive studies should be needed.