🏥 Official Medical Institution of Đại Việt
🎓 Thái Y Viện (太醫院)
Translation: Imperial Medical Institute or National Medical Office
📜 Key Facts:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Thái Y Viện (太醫院) |
| Meaning | “Thái Y” = Imperial Physician; “Viện” = Institute or Office |
| Founded | Trần Dynasty (1225–1400), and expanded under the Later Lê Dynasty |
| Purpose | Provide medical care for the royal family, court officials, and sometimes the public during epidemics |
| Functions |
- Train physicians
- Treat the imperial court
- Compile, translate, and preserve medical texts
- Dispense herbal remedies and conduct research
📚 Knowledge Base:
- Rooted in Eastern medicine, especially Traditional Vietnamese Medicine (Thuốc Nam) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
- Emphasized herbal pharmacology, acupuncture, pulse diagnosis, and spiritual-energetic balance (Yin-Yang, Ngũ Hành – Five Elements).
- Contained Vietnam’s early medical texts, including works like:
- “Nam Dược Thần Hiệu” by Tuệ Tĩnh – a monk-doctor who systematized native Vietnamese herbs.
- “Hải Thượng Lãn Ông Tâm Lĩnh” by Lê Hữu Trác, one of Vietnam’s most revered physicians.