A New Synthesis of Acumoxa in Chosŏn Korea How Hŏ Im Combined Drug, Tumor, and Acupuncture Medicine in His Empirical Formulary of Acumoxa

Written in the seventeenth century by Hŏ Im, an acupuncture physician at the Royal Medical Institution during the Chosŏn dynasty, the Empirical Formulary of Acumoxa is regarded as among the most important documents in the history of acumoxa medicine in Korea. Pan-East Asian in nature, the work extended beyond Korea, being published in Japan in 1725 and 1778 and in Qing China in 1874. This paper examines three key characteristics of Hŏ’s acumoxa medicine within the historical context of both Chosŏn and East Asia: Hŏ’s introduction of the medical perspective of drug physicians into acumoxa medicine; his emphasis on securing clinical therapeutic effects through the accurate selection and strict use of acupoints; and the incorporation of tumor physicians’ tradition of surgical treatment, including the use of tools such as cupping. Through these and other innovations, Hŏ expanded the scope of treatment for acupuncture physicians. Acupuncture and moxibustion alone could now address numerous ailments previously treated exclusively by drug physicians. This shift garnered attention from acumoxa physicians in China and Japan. It exemplified how Chosŏn was transitioning from a “periphery” region, largely adopting Chinese medical practices, to a “center” reexporting its own medical achievements.