[백목련] Jeong Hye-ryeon, social worker
An uninvited guest came to visit us. For the past few years, I’ve gotten colds so bad that I wondered if I’d ever been this sick. My throat hurt like I had been stabbed repeatedly with a thin knife, my head felt like it had been hit hard by a hammer, my nose wouldn’t stop running, and my body was cold. Because I knew the name of the disease, I endured this pain with the hope that one day it would end.
What was the cold like for our ancestors? Thinking of colds as an everyday, mild and not serious illness, people say: “Not even a dog catches a cold in May”, “Colds spread across the table”, “Colds don’t.” hurt someone.” There are also proverbs such as: However, because he was contagious, he was also considered dangerous. In the Annals, there is an account that he avoided meeting the envoys for fear of developing a fever, and there is also an account according to which he asked the king to send a royal doctor when his son was suffering from a cold, but was refused.
During the Joseon Dynasty, influenza was distinguished from the common cold by calling it cold, cold, cold, or cold. It is difficult to clearly verify whether it existed in the literature.
If you look at the Sanghan period (傷寒時氣) in the Sanghan Gate (傷寒斀) in volume 5 of ‘Hyangyakjiseongbang (鄕藥集成方)’, it says: “On the first day of a cold, you will have a headache and severe fever, and on the fourth day your body will be cold. I have a fever, my extremities hurt and my chest feels tight. On the 5th day I have a headache, severe fever and nausea. From the 8th to the 9th day I have a tight in my chest, I don’t know if my stomach is full, my body hurts, I have a fever, I feel nauseous and I feel anxious.”
Furthermore, “When an epidemic disease spreads, you develop a severe fever, your head and body hurt, your nose gets cold, your throat becomes dry, your chest feels stuffy, you have chills, and the fever fluctuates. Furthermore, the phlegm worsens and turns into sea water, making the mucus and saliva very sticky.” Symptoms such as: Of course, although it is difficult to conclude that it is an epidemic cold based on these symptoms alone, judging by the expression: “When the phlegm gets worse, it becomes sea water, and the runny nose and saliva become very sticky ”, it can be assumed that it is definitely an epidemic cold.
Cheonhaengsu’s recordings in “Donguibogam (東醫寶鑑)” or “Gyuubang (及幼方)”) can also generally be seen as an expression of an epidemic cold. The details of the outbreak of epidemic diseases from 1771 (the 43rd year of King Sukjong’s reign) to 1719 are recorded in the “Annals of Sukjong (肅宗實錄)”, and when compared with Japanese documents of the time, it is recognized that it was a flu pandemic there are also scholars.
It seems that the Joseon people learned about the effectiveness of masks and began wearing them in late 1919. At that time, Maeil Shinbo was the first national newspaper to recommend brushing your teeth and wearing a mask to prevent the flu. A newspaper illustration dated December 26 of that year shows a man wearing a mask. “I’m busy buying gifts, but the ‘mouth and nose cover’ to prevent ‘bad colds’ leaves me even more breathless,” reads the explanation.
In the past, colds were called colds, but the old word was cold. Here, “go” means “nose (鼻)” and “ble” means “fire”. “Bul” becomes “horn” as it becomes a rounded vowel and a consonant and becomes “gohorn.” ‘Cold’ (感氣) literally means infection of energy and has been used since the 18th century. One thing is for sure, after suffering the disease this time, the word “suffering” resonates with me more than “cold”. Although modern medicine is said to have developed, it is ironic to see that it is difficult to clearly prescribe and prevent colds with such a long history.
#Cold
