이제마의 性命論과 四象의 구조

Abstract

It is truly said that the creativity of Sasang Constitutional Medicine(四象醫學), formulated by Lee Je-Ma, had made an epoch in medical history. The problem is that important points have been missed in the existing studies. Specifically, the basis of Sasang Constitutional Medicine, i.e., the theory of Seong-Myung(性命) and Sasang Philosophy(四象哲學), has been indifferent. For example, ordinarily Tae-Yang(太陽), Tae-Eum(太陰), So-Yang(少陽) and So- Eum(少陰) have been known to be the four-type constitutions. In fact, such things are not constitutional types, but were originated from the theory of Seong-Myung. On that score, Lee Je-Ma(李濟馬) mentioned the theory of Seong-Myung on the first page of ‘Dong Eui Su Sae Bo Won(東醫壽世保元)’. In Four-Type Constitutions, the case where Seong(性) and Myung(命) unite with each other is considered to be perfect health, and what Seong and Myung are alienated from each other is classified into four types. This will be again dealt with in the main subject. In brief, Lee Je-Ma’s Sasang Constitutional Medicine is based on the theory of Seong-Myung. This study was focused on elucidating the theory of Seong-Myung and the structure of Sasang formulated by Lee Je-Ma. The theory of Seong-Myung of Lee Je-Ma has hardly been studied in earnest up to now. Scholars have been indifferent to ‘Dong Eui Su Sae Bo Won’ by reason it is a medical book, and also herb doctors and acupuncturists just have regarded ‘Sasang’ as constitutional types and have not focused on the theory of Seong-Myung of Lee Je-Ma. The theory of Seong-Myung of Lee Je-Ma is very significant from a medical standpoint, and also it may be more significant in the history of Korean philosophy and Confucianism. This is because the theory of Seong-Myung of Lee Je-Ma has originative system and contents as well as is remarkably different from that of Confucianism. It is the very reason why this study was focused on the theory of Seong-Myung of Lee-Je Ma.