Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac was born in the year of Giap Thin (1724) in Lieu Xa village, Duong Hao district, Thuong Hong prefecture, Hai Duong town (now Lieu Xa commune, Yen My district, Hung Yen province). Le Huu Trac came from a family with a tradition of mandarin examinations, many of whom were good students, passed high exams, and became high-ranking officials under the Later Le dynasty; he was the youngest of seven children of Doctor Le Huu Muu and Mrs. Bui Thi Thuong. He died on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the year of Tan Hoi (1791); after his death, his prescriptions and books were widely circulated and used; his medical, literary, and medical ethics legacies were highly appreciated, studied, and followed by many generations of students and researchers.
Le Huu Trac devoted his life to researching and developing traditional Vietnamese medicine. He was the first person to put forward new views on medical ethics in the history of Vietnamese medicine and medical ethics is also one of the greatest ideas clearly expressed through his works. Le Huu Trac always considered medicine as a humane art - an art of compassion and responsibility towards patients. According to him, a good doctor not only needs to have extensive medical knowledge but also needs to have a compassionate heart, know how to sympathize and share the pain of the patient. This is a very progressive and humane idea, emphasizing that doctors need to put the interests of the patient first, considering saving people as a noble mission rather than a profession just to make a living. This idea has contributed significantly to building the foundation of medical ethics in Vietnamese medicine.
His most important work is “Hai Thuong Y Tong Tam Linh”, an encyclopedia of traditional medicine with 28 volumes and 66 books, considered the greatest legacy of traditional medicine in Vietnam. This is not only an academic work, helping to standardize traditional Vietnamese medicine, but also an invaluable reference document on treatment and disease prevention methods. The book not only thoroughly describes diseases, diagnosis and treatment methods, but also contains profound principles of medical ethics and philosophy of life; considered a guideline for generations of doctors not only in Vietnam but also in many countries with traditional medicine traditions in the world .
In addition to his great contributions to medicine, Le Huu Trac made important contributions to preserving and promoting national cultural values. He wrote many works on culture, society and history. “Thuong Kinh Ky Su” is not only a diary recording his journey from Huong Son to Thang Long to treat the royal family, but also a vivid picture of the society, people and culture of that time. This work contributed to describing the cultural and historical values of Vietnam in the late Le-Trinh period.
Le Huu Trac also contributed to the construction and development of traditional medical language in the Vietnamese language, helping to disseminate medical knowledge to the people more widely. Instead of just using ancient medical terms in Chinese like many doctors at that time, he created many new medical terms that were easy to understand and suitable for the people. This not only helped traditional medicine develop but also enriched the national language and culture.
The values he left behind are not only limited to the borders of Vietnam but also have global significance, so UNESCO honored Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac as a World Cultural Celebrity. UNESCO's honoring of him is a worthy recognition of his outstanding contributions in both the fields of medicine and culture. This is not only the pride of the Vietnamese people but also the recognition of the international community for a man who devoted his whole life to the development of medicine, culture and humanity. In the context of modern medicine, although technology and science have made great strides, the values that Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac emphasized remain intact. Medical ethics, responsibility towards patients and compassion of the physician are still the most important qualities, helping to maintain a good relationship between physicians and patients. Therefore, the life and career of Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac is still a source of inspiration and a great example for generations of doctors and scholars at home and abroad.
The 300th anniversary of the birth of Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac is an opportunity for today's generations to remember and pay tribute to an outstanding physician in the history of traditional medicine with profound knowledge, a high sense of responsibility in his profession, patience, dedication, and sacrifice for the sick. He was the one who raised the "scarlet flag" in the country's medicine, a shining example of medical ethics, medical ethics, and medical skills for all generations to follow.
Comment (0)