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Heo Jun (; 1539 – October 9, 1615) was a Koreans physician who served as the royal chief physician of the Naeuiwon during the reigns of King Seonjo (1597–1608) and King Gwanghaegun (1608–1623) of the Joseon dynasty.
At the time, Chungin were considered technical experts and administrators, ranking below the yangban in the social hierarchy. Heo may have chosen medicine because his birth status made a career as a civil or military officer unlikely. A popular folktale tells that he apprenticed with a healer after saving a child thought to be beyond help. When his mentor rebuked him for interfering with fate, Heo left the apprenticeship.
The story goes on to say that Heo later treated a sick princess in China. On his way there, he rescued an injured tiger. The grateful tiger gave him a whetstone, acupuncture needles, and a cloth said to restore life. When he reached the palace, he found the princess transformed into a snake below the waist. That night, his former teacher appeared in a dream to show him how to heal her.
During the Japanese invasions of 1592 to 1598, Heo stayed with King Seonjo when many officials fled. His loyalty and another successful treatment of the Crown Prince earned him a senior second rank in 1596.
In 1600 he was named chief physician at Naeuiwon, the palace infirmary and pharmacy. The king asked him to write a medical book for ordinary people that would cover preventive care, drug formulas, and simple treatments. Scholars view this work as an early public health manual in Joseon Korea.
After King Seonjo’s death in 1608, Heo was accused of involvement in the king’s death and sent into exile in Ulju County. The next year, King Gwanghaegun restored him to office. In 1610 he completed the twenty five volumes of Donguibogam, a medical encyclopedia written over about fifteen years. He taught new physicians at Naeuiwon until he died in 1615.
Although his chungin status limited his acceptance at court, after his death he was granted the Senior First Rank Officer title in recognition of his work.
His life and methods are taught today in traditional Korean medicine programs at Kyung Hee University and Dongguk University.
The Heo Jun Museum opened in Gangseo District of Seoul in 2005. It displays his original texts and Joseon era medical artifacts. Each year it holds a festival on his contributions to Korean medicine and culture.
It is divided into five chapters: "Internal Medicine", "External Medicine", "Miscellaneous Diseases", "Remedies", and "Acupuncture". In "Internal Medicine", Heo describes the interdependence of the liver, lungs, kidney, heart, and spleen. "External Medicine" explains how the skin, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and bones function. "Miscellaneous Diseases" describes the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment methods for various ailments. Heo's remedies often rely on Medicinal plants and provide detailed instructions on extraction, maintenance, and consumption. The final chapter explains methods of acupuncture. In addition to providing medical knowledge, the text reflects the philosophy of seventeenth-century East Asia.
As a royal physician, Heo Jun published 10 distinct books:
These books were used in academic and administrative contexts within the palace, and by those studying medicine at the time.
Although Heo Jun worked extensively with the royal family, he emphasized making treatment methods accessible and comprehensible to common people. While common medical knowledge and most court physicians focused on the rarity and cost of ingredients, he advocated for the use of natural herb remedies that were easily attainable by commoners in Joseon. Furthermore, he wrote the names of the herbs using simple hangul letters instead of the more difficult hanja (Chinese characters), which most commoners did not understand. Donguibogam was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2009.
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