한글편지에 나타나는 왕실 여성들의질병과 치료에 대한 연구

Abstract

This study is to examine the disease and treatment of royal women through the Hangul Letters. The diseases that affected royal women included contagious diseases as well as routine diseases. Since the Uinyo(醫女), a member of Naeuiwon(內醫院), was responsible for the treatment of the queen, there were limitations to the precise diagnosis and treatment methods. The treatment of the queens was generally taken with medication and in some cases moxibustion treatment. Even for the royal family who received the highest quality of medical care, the pandemic was a terrible disease that could lead them to death. Smallpox was the main cause of death for princesses in the 17th century. Royal people moved their residence to other places or minimized contact each other upon occurrence of the pandemic. They also kept distance from patients by transferring them to places outside the palace. People at the time had negative perception of the victims of contagious diseases as objects of quarantine, avoidance, isolation or fatal fear. Queens used to treat married princesses with medicine and folk remedies based on their experiences. They often sent medicine to the married princesses, and sometimes brought them into the palace so that they could be treated by discussing with the Naeuiwon(內醫院). Most of the royal women usually combined decoction, pills, and folk remedies for treatment.