Richard Wunsch’s Surgical Instruments

These are surgical instruments used by Richard Wunsch (1869–1911), the official Western-trained physician formally invited to serve as royal physician to the Korean Empire. The set consists of metal forceps, scissors, knives, needles and the like, together with a wooden case. They were donated to the Dong-Eun Medical Museum by Wunsch's granddaughter on 25 November 2004, and are in very good condition. As a relic of Wunsch, who is regarded as a pioneer bridging the traditional medicine of the late Joseon period and modern Western medicine, the instruments are of great value as historical material for the study of the history of modern medicine in Korea. From November 1901 to May 1905, Wunsch served as royal physician to Emperor Gojong, during which time he introduced German medicine—then at the forefront of world medicine—to Korea. Following the establishment of the Korean Empire, he was formally invited from Germany as part of a plan to appoint a royal physician befitting an imperial state, placing him in a different historical context from the missionary doctors who had previously served as royal physicians on a temporary basis.

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Where it is

Region

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Designation

Registered Cultural Heritage · 국가등록문화유산