Abstract
The Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), a medical tradition originating from Korea, is distinguished from the traditional Chinese medicine in its philosophical background, theoretical development and especially, the fundamental rationale that analyzes the structure and function of the human body within a quadrifocal scheme. In SCM, the structure of the body is comprehended within the Sasang quadrifocal scheme, and the function of the body is understood within the context of the energy–fluid metabolism and the water–food metabolism controlled by the four main organs (lung, spleen, liver and kidney). Also, the concept of Seong–Jeong is used to explain the structural and functional variations between different constitutional types that arise from the constitutional variations in organ system scheme, which are in turn caused by deviations in the constitutional Seong–Jeong. Therefore, understanding the SCM perspective of the human body is essential in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the constitutional typological system (which focuses on individual idiosyncrasies) found in SCM.
Highlights
Lee Je-ma (1837–1900), who first discovered the Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), defines in his workDonguisusebowon the four constitutional types (Sasangin): Taeyangin (, TY type), Soyangin (, SY type), Taeeumin (, TE type) and Soeumin (, SE type)
The SCM perspective of the human body is different from that of the conventional traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in that it perceives the structural and functional system of the human body based on the quadrifocal scheme of the Sasang theory, as opposed to the Yin–Yang and Five Phases Theory that forms the basic rationale in TCM
SCM was forged within the philosophical backgrounds of one of the most deep-rooted ethical teachings in human history, Confucianism and is in a sense a medical expansion of the Korean Neo-Confucianism [30]
Summary
The Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), a medical tradition originating from Korea, is distinguished from the traditional Chinese medicine in its philosophical background, theoretical development and especially, the fundamental rationale that analyzes the structure and function of the human body within a quadrifocal scheme. In SCM, the structure of the body is comprehended within the Sasang quadrifocal scheme, and the function of the body is understood within the context of the energy–fluid metabolism and the water–food metabolism controlled by the four main organs (lung, spleen, liver and kidney). The concept of Seong–Jeong is used to explain the structural and functional variations between different constitutional types that arise from the constitutional variations in organ system scheme, which are in turn caused by deviations in the constitutional Seong–Jeong.
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