• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2021

Li Gao left a great mark in the history of Chinese medicine by founding Piwei (脾胃) theory. When explaining Li Gao's medical ideology, researchers explain that his medical ideology was created by curing hunger during wartime and treating diseases of people who suffered from battle field trauma. However, Li Gao also suffered from battlefield trauma for his experience of the Mongol siege of Kaifeng (開封城) from 1232 to 1233. It is the hypothesis of this study that Li Gao himself would have suffered posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and this study reexamines the process more closely from the viewpoint of PTSD and posttraumatic growth (PTG). The conclusion of this study is that his achievement in medical history is a result of his PTG. Li Gao's narrative of Piwei (脾胃) theory contains elements that seek revenge against the Mongol soldiers, and Li Gao achieved extraordinary PTG by overcoming the trauma of the siege of Kaifeng step by step.