Heo Jun

Heo Jun was born in 1539 to an affluent military family. He was well-educated and financially secure throughout his childhood. Although he belonged to a wealthy and respected household, he is thought to have faced discrimination from his lineage members and other aristocrats (yangban) because he was born to a concubine. During the Joseon period, illegitimate children of aristocrats could not maintain their fathers' yangban or noble status and, instead, were considered chungins. Chungins, or "middle people," typically referred to technicians and administrators subordinate to yangbans. While Heo's motivation to pursue medicine is unclear, his social status as a chungin may have prevented him from becoming a civil or military officer like his father.

He was appointed as a court physician at the age of 29. At age 32, Heo entered the royal clinic of Joseon (Naeuiwon), in which he was continuously and quickly promoted. In 1575, Heo treated King Seonjo, the fourteenth king of Joseon, and rose to senior third rank government official position after curing the Crown Prince's smallpox in 1590. The Imjin War further solidified King Seonjo's trust in Heo, who accompanied the King throughout the war in contrast to other government officers who fled to protect their lives. King Seonjo rewarded Heo for his allegiance and his treatment of the diseased Crown Prince a second time by promoting him to the senior second rank in 1596. In 1600, Heo became the chief physician of Naeuiwon. During this time, King Seonjo ordered Heo to write a medical book for his subjects, who suffered from epidemics and post-war famines. He wanted to publish a book that promoted preventative care, detailed drug formulas, and treatment methods that commoners with little to no education could easily comprehend and access. King Seonjo's initiative is noted as one of the first public healthcare programs of Joseon.

In 1608, King Seonjo died. Government officials envied Heo's career, accusing him of being culpable for the King's death. Heo was exiled to the southeastern countryside Ulju, where he continued to write his book. In 1609, King Gwanghaegun, the successor to Seonjo, restored Heo to office despite many officials' disapproval. In 1610, Heo finally completed the twenty-five volumes of Donguibogam after fifteen years of writing. He spent the last years of his life educating young physicians of Naeuiwon until he died in 1615. The title of senior first rank officer was conferred posthumously—a feat that had long been hampered by yangban officials.

He wrote several medical texts, but his most significant achievement is Donguibogam, which means 'Mirror of Eastern Medicine' and is often noted as the defining text of traditional Korean medicine. The work spread to East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Vietnam, where it is often regarded as one of the classics of Oriental medicine today. It is divided into five chapters: "Internal Medicine", "External Medicine", "Miscellaneous Diseases", "Remedies", and "Acupuncture". In the first chapter, "Internal Medicine", Heo describes the interdependence of the liver, lungs, kidney, heart, and spleen. The chapter on "External Medicine" explains how the skin, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and bones allow for movement and maintenance of posture. The chapter on "Miscellaneous Diseases"' describes various diseases' symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment methods. Heo's remedies rely on medicinal herbs and plants, and he provides detailed instructions on how to extract, maintain, and consume the herbs. The last chapter explains acupuncture strategies. Donguibogam is one of the most valued treasures of Korea owing to its originality and quality. It provides valuable medical knowledge and also reflects the philosophy of seventeenth-century East Asia.

Although Heo Jun worked extensively with the royal family, he emphasized making treatment methods accessible and comprehensible to common people. Whereas common medical practice was to elevate the perceived value of treatment by using rare and expensive ingredients, he instead found natural herb remedies that were easily attainable by commoners in Korea and were just as effective. Furthermore, he wrote the names of the herbs using the simple hangul letters instead of using more difficult hanja (Chinese characters), which most commoners did not understand.^[2][3] Donguibogam was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2009.

To this day, Heo Jun is credited as a brilliant physician and a loyal and compassionate person, who strove to develop more accessible treatments for the lower class. Heo Jun's name and accomplishments are widely recognized by many Koreans today, and many Korean people still refer to Heo Jun's natural remedies found in his Dongui Bogam.

• Grandfather
  • Heo Gon (허곤; 許琨) (경상도우수사)
• Father
  • Heo Ryun (허륜)
• Mother
  • Lady Kim of the Yeonggwang Kim clan (영광 김씨)
• Brothers
  • Older half-brother: Heo Ok (허옥; 許沃)
  • Younger half-brother: Heo Jing (허징; 許徵) (b. 1549)
• Wife
  • Lady Kim of the Andong Kim clan (정경부인 안동 김씨)
• Son
  • Heo Gyeom (허겸; 許謙) (파릉군; 巴陵君)

• Portrayed by Kim Mu-saeng in the 1975 MBC TV series Jibnyeom [ko].
• Portrayed by Lee Soon-jae in the 1976 film Jibnyeom [ko].^[4]
• Portrayed by Seo In-seok in the 1991 MBC TV series Dongui Bogam.
• Portrayed by Jun Kwang-ryul in the 1999–2000 MBC TV series Hur Jun.^[5]
• Portrayed by Kim Joo-hyuk and Kang Han-byeol in the 2013 MBC TV series Hur Jun, the Original Story.^[6][7][8][9]
• Portrayed by Yoon Shi-yoon and Kim Kap-soo in the 2016 JTBC TV series Mirror of the Witch.
• Portrayed by Um Hyo-sup in the 2017 TVN TV series Live Up to Your Name, Dr. Heo.

• The novel Dongui Bogam by Lee Eun-seong was published in 1990, and became a bestseller.

• Heojun Museum
• Dongui Bogam
• UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme

• Information about Heo Jun
• Information about Korean Traditional Medicine