Study on the History of Korean Physical Therapy

J Int Acad Phys Ther Res 2010; 1: 73-77 Copyright Ⓒ International Academy of ISSN 2092-8475 Physical Therapy Research Study on the History of Korean Physical Therapy Since physical therapy was first introduced in Korea, it has been 50 Sang Bin Leea, Ok Kon Moonb, Ji years past and Korean physical therapy has made rapid progress. Sung Kimc, Hee Joon Shind, Wan However, history or educational system of Korean physical therapy is Suk Choie, Yoo Rim Choif, Jun still not known worldwide. Now, for Korean physical therapy to go Hee Leeg, Nyeon Jun Kime, Ho beyond Asia and leap toward the world, endless studies, efforts and Jung Anh publicity are required. aNamseoul University, Cheonan; Korean physical therapy first began by missionaries dispatched from bKunjang College, Gunsan; cSuwon other countries like America and Canada with Korean War, which Women's College, Suwon; dKyungwoon occurred in 1950. After the War, Korean Physical Therapy is devel˗ University, Gumi; ePohang University, oped very fast. Korean Physical Therapy Association was founded in Pohang; fDaegu Science College, October 1, 1965 and many physical therapist were discharged. Korea Daegu; gDaebul University College, became a full member of World Confederation of Physical Mokpo; iDaewon College, Jecheon, Therapy(WCPT) in 1974, and held the 2nd Asia Pacific Confederation Korea. of Physical Therapy assembly in 1984 and WCPT assembly in 2005. Today, in 2010, licensed physical therapists are about 35,000 and Received : 16 June 2009 Accepted : 30 Semptember 2009 there are physical therapy departments in 74 universities, and 17 uni˗ versities have master's or doctor's degree courses. And there are many academic journals(more than 10) related to physical therapy Address for correspondence Ho Jung An, PT. PhD. that are published. Department of Physical Therapy, Many Korean physical therapists are working at various countries like Daewon University College, 599, America or Australia, and are acknowledged with excellent treatment Sinwol-dong, Jecheon-si, technology and academic studies. This thesis aims to shed new light Chungbuk, Korea to the history and educational system reorganization of Korean phys˗ Tel : 82-43-649-3157 ical therapy and introduce it to the world, and establish the historical E-mail : [email protected] foundation to develop Korean physical therapy into the international level. Key words : Korean physical therapy, Korean physical therapy association, World Confederation of Physical Therapy(WCPT) INTRODUCTION Therapeutic intervention includes therapeutic exer˗ cise; manual therapy; prescription, production, Physical therapy treats disabilities and handicaps application of aid, adaptation, support, protection due to various accidents or diseases, and plays a sig˗ tools and equipment; airway securement technology; nificant role in helping patients return to being a dynamical electrotherapy tool; patients education. member of the society. According to the definition of Modern physical therapy began in the early 1900s, physical therapy stated by World Confederation for as infectious diseases were prevalent. At this time, a Physical Therapy(WCPT), it diagnoses patients with team of new labor force that carried out examina˗ impairment, functional restriction and disability or tions, evaluations and treatment was formed to any other diseases, confirms the execution process, manage many patients, and they became physical and includes examinations for intervention. Also, therapists. Afterwards, as a program was developed physical therapy is a therapeutic intervention that is for physical recovery of the people injured from premeditated, possible to help, and able to control, World War I, modern physical therapy began. relieving impairment and functional restriction. According to WCPT, 101 nations are registered as 73 S.B. Lee, O.K. Moon, J.S. Kim, et al. members, 2009 and about 300,000 physical thera˗ tive activities of foreign physical therapists. Physical pists worldwide are working hard for the rehabilita˗ therapists were trained through a few months of tion of patients. In Korea, physical therapy was short-term course, and provided physical therapy to introduced through foreign medical support during injured soldiers. Physical therapy technology was the time of Korean War in 1950. And it was system˗ introduced after the war according to medical tech˗ atically developed by missionaries sent to Korea. nology support of each nation of the world, and at Today, about 33,000 physical therapists are passion˗ that time, Koreans worked with physical therapists ately at work in Korea for the health of Korean peo˗ dispatched from many countries, and physical thera˗ ple. py began to spread in Korea. It has been 50 years or so since physical therapy As the war ended in 1953, physical therapy was was first introduced in Korea, and Korean physical actively being performed in Severance Hospital with therapy has made rapid progress. However, history Thelma Maw as the center of it. Physical therapy or educational system of Korean physical therapy is was mostly executed to patients injured in the war, still not widely known worldwide. Therefore, this and amputees of arms and legs and children with thesis aims to shed new light to the history and edu˗ hemiplegia and polio mostly received therapy. At the cational system reorganization of Korean physical same time, Dr.R.A.Torry established Korean therapy, introduce it to the world, and establish the Amputee Rehabilitation Center in Daejeon and historical foundation to develop Korean physical opened a Seoul branch in Seoul Severance Hospital, therapy into the international level. supplying prosthetic arms and legs for many amputees. Also, Mrs. Adams, the representative of Church World Service(CWS), provided food and shel˗ KOREAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ter to children disabled from polio in the form of a sheltered house, and established a brace production History of Korean Physical Therapy Education center in Severance Hospital to produce braces. Since then, the foundation of physical therapy was com˗ Introduction of Physical Therapy in Korea pleted in Severance Hospital, with the integration of It was the late 1800s when Western medicine was electrotherapy, phototherapy, hydrotherapy and introduced in Korea. This was when Korea(Chosun) movement therapy, production of prosthetic arms began to contact other nations and had a treaty of and legs, braces, and functional training. peace and amity. It especially began to progress In October, 1958, National Medical Center was gradually as missionaries sent to Korea introduced opened in Seoul under the cooperation between the Western medicine, and in 1884, Severance Hospital Korean government and technology of Norway, was founded by Allen, and Western medicine planted Sweden, and Denmark. At that time, the first physi˗ its roots in Korea. cal therapists ever to come to the department of It was 1945, right after the end of World War II, physical therapy were Miss Martha K. Bencher when physical therapy was introduced in Korea by (Sweden), and Miss Kirstein Schemist(Denmark). American physical therapist Geraldine Lindberg, who Since then, foreign physical therapists took turns worked in the US Army hospital in Korea until 1949. coming to Korea and propagated physical therapy in In the same year of 1949, American Methodist mis˗ Korea. sionary and physical therapist Thelma Maw(Korean name: Maw Woo-sook) was dispatched to Korea, and Beginning of Korean Physical Therapy Education the first physical therapy in Korea began in˗ in Korea Severance Hospital. At that time, by mostly intro˗ In September 23, 1959, Marion E. Current(Korean ducing movement therapy and home physical thera˗ name: Ae ryun Ku), a missionary of the Presbyterian py programs and exercises, the enlightenment and Church of Canada, was dispatched to Severance publicity of physical therapy was mainly done rather Hospital. She not only provided physical therapy to than practical treatment. In June 25, 1950, Korean patients but also gathered trainees and began to give War broke out and there were many injured people, lectures on physical therapy, centering around which required physical therapists for fighting power Severance Hospital. As Severance Hospital moved maintenance and rehabilitation of injured soldiers. from Seoul Station to Sinchon in 1962, there was Due to this need, physical therapists were trained facility expansion and physical therapy activities with the help of the medical technology support of grew immensely. At this time, Miss Rara Mae America, Canada, Denmark, and Sweden, and posi˗ Johnston(America) came to Severance Hospital in 74 Study on the History of Korean Physical Therapy Korea as a member of the same foundation as the University, and as students graduated in 1998, they Methodist mission Thelma Maw. She established a became the first ever in Korea to receive the bache˗ physical therapists' library in Severance Hospital and lor's degree on physical therapy, due to the effort of put in a great deal of effort to improve the quality of Kyung Ok Min, a professor of physical therapy in Korea's physical therapy. She also propagated a new Yongin University. As a master's course of physical approach to physical therapy for children with cere˗ therapy was installed Rehabilitation & Health bral palsy at disabled children's rehabilitation hospi˗ Science graduate school and a doctor's course in tal, and spread the importance of physical therapy to graduate school in Yongin University, there was the each household through

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