In ancient Korea, why were female doctors called "medical prostitutes"? What are their main responsibilities?
Since ancient times, the idea of male superiority and inferiority of women has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and most women spend almost their entire lives in the back room, or in charge of household chores, or regarded as a tool for childbearing. Even the concubines with a noble status like the queen are difficult to show their ambitions in the palace, and it is rare to visit relatives freely, let alone go out of the palace to meet with relatives at will.
Although it now seems that the inferiority of men and women is undoubtedly an outdated concept that should be abandoned. However, this concept is still prevalent and even widely popularized in some small neighboring countries. This phenomenon is truly incredible.
In contrast, the low status of women in ancient Korea was evident in the fact that they were required to abide by the three obediences and four virtues, and could not remarry after the death of their husbands. What's even more peculiar is that women need to wrap themselves tightly when they go out. It can be seen that most women are not allowed to show their heads, otherwise they will be seen as immoral. Especially the noble women, it is strictly forbidden to meet strange men.
In early ancient Korea, there were no female doctors, and the imperial doctors in the palace were all men. Until the rise of medical women's careers, they were once elevated and respected. However, if a medical woman becomes a medical prostitute, the situation is very different. At this time, they not only lost their status, but also had to do some unspeakable work, which not only deeply troubled many medical women. Why, then, did the development of the medical woman system lead to such a result?
The Origin and Evolution of the Female Physician System.
Most of the time in ancient Korea was a male physician, with the imperial physicians in the court providing medical care for the emperor and the male physicians serving the common people. Of course, this does not pose any problems, but the question arises with men's medical views of women.
As long as a woman is sick or suffering from some ** disease, even if the patient is in great pain, few people are willing to be treated by a male doctor. Modern doctors have long regarded men and women as equals in their view of disease, although men still make up the majority of physicians in the medical profession. However, in ancient times, this was absolutely not allowed.
For those women who are sick, they would rather delay their illness or even pay the price of blood than have a male doctor seek medical care for them. For them, the damage to their reputation is a small matter, but the shame on their family is a big thing. In this case, the probability of a woman dying from illness is extremely high, whether she lives in a commoner family or a noble mansion.
In view of this, how can the concept of etiquette and religion of men and women be easily changed. Cultivating women to learn medical skills and suffer from other people's diseases is a solution. As a result, the system of medical women gradually took shape.
In the early days of Joseon, the emperor would select the best of the court maids and let them help them learn medical knowledge and start medical practice, and gradually became his right-hand men, the so-called "medicine women". With the passage of time and the improvement of their skills, these accomplished female physicians can even practice medicine to treat concubines and other figures in the palace, thus winning widespread respect.
With the introduction of the position of "medical woman" in the court, women inside and outside the palace were able to obtain high-quality medical services, and gradually solved their anxiety and troubles about illness and physical health. Especially in ***, I no longer feel unspeakable. As a result, this system of doctors and women in the court gradually spread to the people and became popular.
Many poor families have also chosen to train their daughters to become medical women, one because this profession is widely respected; The second is because the profession of a doctor is expected to change their fate. Therefore, at that time, the profession of medical women was highly regarded and the development prospects were limitless.
However, the appearance of the 10th Emperor of Joseon, Lee, changed all this dramatically. Not only was he incompetent, but he was also extravagant and behaved in an indescribable manner. Although the "official prostitution" system had been abolished in North Korea before he ascended the throne, he ignored it and insisted on acting according to his own will.
At the beginning of his reign, Li aroused the disgust and resistance of all the ministers and doctors, but because he was the emperor, no one dared to stop or give direct advice, so he could only silently endure his various evil deeds. Li's pursuit of beautiful women has reached a pathological level, and he is obsessed with the four thousand beauties of the harem, but he is still unsatisfied, and instead stretches out his lewd hand to the medical woman of the Tai Hospital.
He ordered the medicine girl to learn to sing and dance to satisfy her growing **. In particular, those medical women with outstanding looks are forced to engage in extravagant work that humiliates people.