Due to technological advances and the establishment of evidence-based medicine, radiological examinations are playing a crucial role in modern medicine, as a result of which they have been steadily increasing, and the rate of increase has intensified in the 2000s. Although this is a global phenomenon, the increase of radiological examinations in Korea is also high due to the introduction of the National Health Insurance Coverage Expansion Policy, so-called Moon Jae-in Care, for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. For accurate and rapid diagnosis of diseases, it is necessary for doctors to order appropriate radiological studies. However, the increase in radiological examination has created many problems, such as increased medical costs, decreased diagnostic accuracy due to radiologist burnout, and increased patient exposure to radiation. To reduce unnecessary imaging studies, a number of measures could be deployed including the development of clinical guidelines to select appropriate radiological examinations for each clinical situation.
Diagnosis ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Moon ; National Health Programs ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVES: There was also an observation about the “sleep” in the Greek era, which is called the primordial current of modern medicine, which is interpreted as a phenomenon organized by God and appears in various forms in Greek mythology. METHODS: We used the words ‘Greek mythology,’ ‘Sleep,’ ‘God of Sleep,’ ‘Greece,’ and ‘myth’ in English and Korean on Google site for information on sleep in Greek mythology. RESULTS: In Greek mythology, stories appeared about the sleeping god Hypnos, his wife Pasithea, and the dream gods Oneiroi, to explain the mystery of sleep. The various ideas of ancient Greeks' sleep are reflected in legends about Ceyx and Alcyone, Psyche, Endymion, Ariadne, Argos, and Polyphemus. CONCLUSIONS: The images of sleep in Greek mythology that have continued for decades include observations and experiences of mankind. This can be interpreted from a medical point of view as the important significance of sleep on humans.
Dreams ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Mythology ; Spouses

No abstract available.
History, Modern 1601- ; Korea ; Smallpox ; Vaccination

This paper focuses on the criticism of tuberculosis statistics published by the Japanese Government-general in colonial Korea and a research on the reality of tuberculosis prevalence by medical doctors from the Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at Keijo Imperial University (DHPMK). Recent studies have shown that colonial statistics shape the image of colonial subjects and justify the control to them. Following this perspective, this paper explores the process of producing the statistical knowledge of tuberculosis by medical scientists from DHPMK. Their goal was to find out the resistance to tuberculosis as biological characteristics of Korean race/ethnicity. In order to do so, they demonstrated the existence of errors in tuberculosis statistics by the Korean colonial government and devised a statistical method to correct them based on the conviction that the Western modern medicine was superior than Korean traditional medicine as well as the racist bias against Korean. By analyzing how the statistical concepts reflected these prejudices, this paper argues that the statistical knowledge of tuberculosis created images that Japanese people was healthier and stronger than the Korean people and justified the colonial government's control over Korean.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Disease Resistance ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Korea ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Methods ; Population Characteristics ; Prejudice ; Prevalence ; Preventive Medicine ; Tuberculosis

Precision medicine stands for 4Ps - precise, preventive, participatory, and personal; in which “precision” is important because the current modern medicine starts from “trial and error,” and “one does not fit all”. Current targeted therapies for cancer have changed treatment approaches and led the precision medicine; however, clinical use of liquid biopsy, using blood or other liquid specimens to characterize circulating tumor cells (CTC) or tumor genes instead of biopsies of tumor tissues, still awaits availability of more information regarding non-invasive cancer detection and characterization, prediction of treatment response, monitoring the disease course and relapse possibilities, identification of mechanisms of drug resistance, and newer pathogenesis. In this review, we will introduce the basic concept of CTC, circulating cell free DNA, and exosomes and their possible application for gastric cancer relevant with Helicobacter pylori infection.
Biopsy* ; DNA ; Drug Resistance ; Exosomes ; Helicobacter Infections* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Helicobacter* ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Precision Medicine ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms*

Yonsei Dermatology celebrated its centennial in 2017, marking 100 years since Kung Sun Oh established the first Department of Dermatology and Urology in Korea in 1917. Following the footsteps of Kung Sun Oh, a pioneer of Korean dermatology, its members united and worked to provide the best medical service and achieve academic milestones in dermatology. Over the past hundred years, Yonsei Dermatology has played a pivotal role in the advancement of medical science and academia in Korea. The main activities of the department include medical care, education, and dermatologic research. Its research activities have encompassed a wide spectrum of dermatologic manifestations from skin immunology and pathology to introduction of newly developed treatment technologies. As Kung Sun Oh was the first Korean professor of dermatology at Severance Medical School and a passionate educator, we continue to serve his will by nurturing medical students and dermatology specialists to serve as global medical leaders. The Kung Sun Oh Memorial Lecture, first hosted in 1977, was the beginning of mutual international academic exchange in the field of dermatology in Korea. The memorial lecture has played a major role in advancing the academic status of Korean dermatological science by inviting distinguished dermatologists from around the world as guest lecturers. Yonsei Dermatology has played a key role in the history of modern medicine and dermatology in Korea over the last 100 years and continues to make an impact.
Allergy and Immunology ; Dermatology* ; Education ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Korea* ; Pathology ; Schools, Medical ; Skin ; Solar System ; Specialization ; Students, Medical ; Urology

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine the modern history of public health(PH) and suggest a way forward for PH nursing(PHN). METHODS: This paper is a review article that derives results from literature review. RESULTS: In the period of beginning (up to 1944), PHN began as the PH Department was created in the Hygiene Bureau in 1908 and tasks about nurses were legislated. PHN was limited to infectious disease tasks and performed mostly by missionaries. In the period of foundation formation (1945 to 1961), the Republic of Korea was founded, and PH policies and tasks were defined with the establishment of the central government organization and the applicable laws. In the period of foundation establishment (1962 to 1979), the Regional PH Act was amended, and as a result, PH Centers(PHCs) spread across the country. In the period of foundation expansion (1980 to 1994), the PH referral system of PHCs, PH Units, and Primary Health Care Post was established. In the period of organization in each area (1995 to 2005), PH programs reflecting changes in disease structure and public needs for the quality of life. A regional health care plan was launched. In the period of funtion expansion (2006 to present day), Centers for support health living were established. CONCLUSIONS: In the future, PH nurses need to have a macroscopic perspective that views PH through the overall PH system, and to expand from the existing healthcare concept to the national and global healthcare one.
Communicable Diseases ; Delivery of Health Care ; History, Modern 1601- ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hygiene ; Jurisprudence ; Missionaries ; Primary Health Care ; Public Health Nursing* ; Public Health* ; Quality of Life ; Referral and Consultation ; Republic of Korea

Ototoxicity is the pharmacological adverse reaction affecting the inner ear or auditory nerve, characterized by cochlear or vestibular dysfunction. The panorama of drug-induced hearing loss has widened over last few decades. Although ototoxic medications play an imperative role in modern medicine, they have the capacity to cause harm and lead to significant morbidity. Evidence has shown early detection of toxicity through prospective ototoxicity monitoring allows for consideration of treatment modifications to minimize or prevent permanent hearing loss and balance impairment. Although many ototoxicity monitoring protocols exist, their practicality is questionable due to several factors. Even though the existing protocols have proven to be effective, certain lacunae in practice have been encountered due to discrepancies among recommended protocols. Implementation of these protocols is mostly held back due to the incapacitated status of the patient. The choice of early ototoxicity identification techniques is still debatable due to variables such as high degree of sensitivity, specificity and reliability, less time consumption and less labour-intensive to the patient. Hence, the diagnosis and effective treatment of ototoxicity is challenging, even today. A stringent protocol with more practicality encompassing all elements aimed at profiling the effects of ototoxicity is greatly needed. This review describes an efficient application of ototoxicity monitoring and treatment protocol as an attempt to reduce the challenges in diagnosis and management of ototoxicity.
Clinical Protocols ; Cochlear Nerve ; Diagnosis ; Ear, Inner ; Hearing Loss ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The Korean Empire, its state sovereignty threatened by the Empire of Japan, joined the Geneva Conventions in 1903 for the purpose of neutral diplomacy and established the imperial Korean Red Cross Hospital in 1905. This hospital was a result of the effort of the Korean Empire to seek a new medical system based on the Western medicine. However, after the Russo-Japanese War, Japan interfered straightforwardly in the domestic affairs of Korea and eventually abolished the Korean Red Cross Hospital in 1907 to create Daehan Hospital under Japanese colonial rule. With newly-found historical records, this study investigates the whole process of the Korean Red Cross Hospital, which has remained unknown so far, despite its importance. From the very beginning, the Korean Red Cross Hospital was under strong influence of the Empire of Japan. The site for the hospital was chosen by a Japanese army doctor, Junryō Yoshimoto, and the construction was supervised by Rokurō Katsumata, who also later on are involved in the construction of Daehan Hospital. Moreover, all the main positions for medical treatments were held by Japanese practitioners such as Gorō Tatami and Kaneko Yano. Nevertheless, the Korean government had to shoulder the all operating costs. The office of the Korean Red Cross was relocated away from the Korean Red Cross Hospital, and the government of the Korean Empire was not willing to burden the expenses of the Hospital. Moreover, the list of employees of the Korean Red Cross and that of the Korean Red Cross Hospital were drawn up separately: the former is left only in Korea and the latter in Japan. These facts suggest that those two institutes were managed dualistically unlike any other nation, implying that this may have been a means to support the Daehan Hospital project. According to the statistics, health care services in the Korean Red Cross Hospital seems to have been carried out successfully. There had been an increase in the number of patients, and the ratio of female patients was relatively high (26.4%). Only Western medications were prescribed and surgical operations with anesthesia were performed routinely. The approach to Western medicine in Korea was changing during that period. The rise and fall of the Korean Red Cross Hospital represent the urgent situation of the Korean Empire as well as the imperialistic methodology of the Empire of Japan to use medicine as a tool for colonization. Although the transition process of medical policy by the Japanese Resident-General of Korea still remains to be fully elucidated, this paper contributes to a better understanding of the history of modern medicine in Korea.
Academies and Institutes ; Anesthesia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Colon ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diplomacy ; Female ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Red Cross* ; Shoulder ; Social Change

Although the management of benign pigmented skin tumors are mainly conducted by dermatologists, some Korean traditional doctors provide care. We aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of the medicinal knowledge of pigmented benign skin tumors that is recorded in the Korean traditional medicinal literature, in the context of modern medicine. We defined benign pigmented skin tumors as macules, papules, or nodules with homogeneous surfaces and coloration patterns, that are round or oval in shape, exhibit regular outlines, and have relatively sharp borders. We investigated textbooks and articles in the Korean traditional medicinal field to analyze descriptions of clinical classification, pathophysiology, histologic knowledge, and treatment method. We compared them with modern medicinal facts. In Korean traditional medicine, clinical classification of pigmented skin tumors is simple and did not include histologic natures. Unique theories, such as Yin-Yang and Qi, were applied to pathophysiologic understanding of these diseases. Interestingly, oral medications were used beside surgical methods. We could not find any comment about skin tumors with worrisome clinical features that warrant excision in Korean traditional medicinal literature. There is still a gap between traditional medicine and modern medicine regarding pigmented skin tumors. Traditional Korean medicinal knowledge about benign pigmented skin tumors seemed to be insufficient in the context of modern medicinal standards.
Classification ; Diagnosis ; History, Modern 1601- ; Medicine, Korean Traditional* ; Medicine, Traditional ; Melanoma ; Methods ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Qi ; Skin* ; Yin-Yang