Studied correlation between allergy and endocrine via experimental animals, as Korea first pathologist
A master scholar who introduced modern medicine to Korea and made the foundation of Korea basic medicine
(Late) Yoon Il-sun
Honorary Professor, Seoul National University (1896~1987)
- Academic background
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1919.07
Part 3, No.6 High School of Okayama, Japan
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1919 ∼ 1923.06
Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto Imperial University, Japan
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1929.01
MD, Kyoto Imperial University, Japan
- Professional career
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1946 ~ 1961
Professor, Seoul National University
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1948
Chairman, Korean Medical Science
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1954
Chairman, National Academy of Sciences
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1956
President, Seoul National University
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1963
Head, Atomic Energy Institute
- Awards
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1956.04
Seoul Culture Prize
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1962.11
Order of Cultural Merit
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1963.03.01
3‧1 Culture Prize
Led the birth and development of Korea pathology as the first medical scientist and pathologist in Korea
Professor Il Sun Yoon, the first medical scientist, and pathologist in Korea led the birth and development of Korea pathology, after learning pathology in Japan and returning back to Korea in the 1920s. He built the foundation of basic medicine by studying the correlation between allergy and endocrine and contributed to the establishment of the higher education system, combining research and education.
Professor Yoon conducted his research at Kyoto University, as a student of Rudolf Virchow, a famous German pathologist and a disciple of professor Hujinami Akira, a famous Japanese pathologist in those days. He became an assistant professor at Kyungsung Imperial University and became a professor of Severance Medical College. He established the base of basic medical research including pathology, continuing his studies to identify the relation of hypersensitivity, namely anaphylaxis, and endocrine, in particular hormones.
The area of his study during the Japanese colonial era largely included hypersensitivity and malignant tumors, which are being important research subjects even today. Due to very intensive research activities of him and his colleagues from 1930 to 1937, the pathology laboratory of Severance Medical College had its heyday in achievements and could “introduce research system focusing on medical education for the first time in Korea” like his mention. These results could be accomplished due to his honesty and passion of scholar, excellent and abundant human resources of the pathology laboratory of Severance Medical College, research facility including animal laboratory, and acquisition feasibility of research fund.
Published statistics on cancer of Korean people in the international association for the first time, organized the Joseon Medical Association, a group of Korean physicians, and founded ‘Joseon Medical Journal’, the first academic journal in Korean, to contribute to popularization of medical service
From 1927 to 1945 He announced 53 related articles in Japanese, English, and Korean, which were published in the Journal of Japanese Pathology, Journal of Japanese Microbial Pathology, Acta Medicinalia in Seoul, The Chinese Medical Journal, and Joseon Medical Journal. Studying Filariasis (elephantiasis), a parasitic disease to be developed in Korean, and malignant tumors, he concentrated on his role as a pathologist and announced statistics on Korean cancer in Cancer Research, a famous international journal in English in 1949, for the first time as Korean to let the international medical society know Korea for the first time.
During the same period, he played a leading role in organizing physician groups such as the Joseon Medical Association and the foundation of ‘Joseon Medical Journal’, the first academic journal in Korean. As the first editor of ‘Joseon Medical Journal’, the first academic journal in the Korean language, he hosted major activities and friendship meetings of Korean scientists in the Japanese colonial era, until its discontinuance from the publication of blood test results of the Marathoner Kee Chung Sohn. He made a record to publish an article in the Korean language in Joseon Medical Journal for the first time as a Korean.
Serving as dean of medical faculty, Kyungsung University, head of graduate school, Seoul National University, and the president of Seoul National University, he led the establishment of the higher education system in Korea. He was appointed as the first head of graduate school, Seoul National University in 1946 and participated in various committees of the ministry of education and the ministry of health and welfare until Kyungsung University was changed to Seoul National University by combining with 9 colleges, At that time, serving as audit member of compulsory education, adviser of the ministry of health and welfare, and member of higher education committee under the ministry of education as well as Joseon Education Committee, educational affair department, the US military government, he made great contribution to the overall area of university education. He granted degrees in humanities and social sciences as well as natural sciences for the first time in Korea as the head of graduate school, Seoul National University.
In October 1946, he founded the Korean Society of Pathologies and became the first chairman and served as the chairman of the Korean Medical Association. He also contributed to the development of overall sciences, serving as the first chairman of the National Academy of Sciences, the first chairman of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and the head director of KOSEF.
In spite of social services and educational administration works, he strived to develop pathology and kept the attitude of scholars including the foundation of the Korean Society of Pathologies. A lot of excellent pupils he produced became and acted as important personnel in each medical area in Korea. Until retirement in 1961, the number of articles published directly by him was 58, the number of articles guided by him was 256, and the number of MD he produced reached 132.