Poster Presentation for Annual Meeting of American Association for the History of Medicine, Kansas City (2024)

 

https://histmed.org/kansas-city-2024/

P25 Dong Hoon Shin, Seoul National University College of Medicine; Seonguk Hong, Soonchunhyang University; Chang Young Kim, Ghil Institute of Cultural Heritage; Seung Jic Hong, Soonchunhyang University; Ho Chul Ki, Ghil Institute of Cultural Heritage; Soong Deok Lee, Seoul National University College of Medicine; Jieun Kim, Kyung Hee University; Jong Ha Hong, Kyung Hee University

The Collaborative Work to Prove the Unique Heritage of Forensic Investigation on Murder Cases in the Pre-20th Century East Asia

It is undeniable that modern forensic medicine originated and developed in the West. Even as for East Asian countries, scientific investigation of murder cases in East Asia began When modern forensic techniques have been introduced from the West since the 20th century. Nevertheless, even before the 20th century, the heritage of forensic works and scientific autopsy based on rationalism created, developed, and reached a considerable level in East Asia too. This unique tradition of forensic investigation in East Asia originated in China as early as the 11th century and was passed on to Korea and Japan too. It is therefore important to examine how this East Asian forensic tradition occurred and developed based on rationalism and empiricism, strongly against coercive investigations by superstitions and torture. Many reports on murders before the 20th century remain in the royal library of the Joseon Dynasty in South Korea, and the research of them from a modern forensic perspective has been performed by many scholars to date. We, the researchers in various fields such as forensic science, history, and archaeology, also have been collaboratively working to find out how forensic investigations at the time were conducted, by analyzing murder records of the Joseon period royal library. This work is of great medical historical significance in that it can confirm the contribution of East Asian heritages in addition to the previously well-known Western-centered traditions in the development of modern forensic science worldwide. Our report is supported by Seoul National University Research Grant (800-20220548).



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Dong Hoon Shin, MD, PhD

Dong Hoon Shin, MD, PhD
Professor of Seoul National University (SNU) in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from SNU College of Medicine (Doctor of Medicine). After serving as a public physician for three years, he earned his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the same university. Over the years, his research interests have mainly focused on acquiring scientific information on pre-modern peoples’ health and disease status. Using research techniques and tools ranging from the anatomical and histological to the molecular, he has worked to reveal the physical and/or pathological traits of ancient peoples and their patterns at different historical stages. He currently teaches and researches as a full professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at SNU.

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