The first book in Northeast Asia to translate a western anatomical book into Japanese (actually Chinese) and published in 1774 is the Kaitai Shinsho. Most of the anatomical terms that were first used in the Kaitai Shinsho have disappeared today, and we do not know how the missing terms have changed. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the revision of anatomical terms and study of anatomical terms, and to help anatomical professors, students, and ordinary people. Focusing on the bone name terms used in the Kaitai Shinsho (1774), the transition process of bone name terms has been investigated for about 250 years to this day. Accordingly, four anatomical textbooks published from 1774 to 2020; the Kaitai Shinsho (1774) and the Revised Kaitai Shinsho (1826), the Anatomy of Jejungwon (1906), the Anatomia Minor (1962), two terminology, the sixth edition of Korean Anatomical Terminology (2014), and the sixth edition of Medical Terminology (2020) were searched and compared with each other. In addition, the number and ratio of bone name terms used identically were calculated by searching for bone name terms in anatomical textbooks and terminology books. The total number of bone name terms in the Kaitai Shinsho was 63, with 26 head bones, 12 trunk bones, 9 arm bones, and 16 leg bones. Among the bone name terms used in four anatomy textbooks and one glossary, the proportion of terms used the same today (sixth edition of the Medical Terminology, 2020, published by the Korean Medical Association) is as follows. 33.3% of the bone name terms in the Kaitai Shinsho (1774), 47.4% of the bone name terms in the Revised Kaitai Shinsho (1826), 60.5% of the bone name terms in the Anatomy of Jejungwon (1906), 74.3% of the bone name terms in the Anatomia Minor (1962) and 97.4% of the bone name terms in the sixth edition of Korean Anatomical Terminology (2014) were being used identically until today (2020). In addition, 28.8% of the bone name terms in the Kaitai Shinsho (1774) were used identically in the Revised Kaitai Shinsho published in 1826, 52 years later. Among the bone name terms in the Revised Kaitai Shinsho (1826), 61.5% were used identically in the Anatomy of Jejungwon published in 1906, 80 years later. Among the bone name terms in the Anatomy of Jejungwon (1906), 63.0% were used identically in the Anatomia Minor published in 1962, 56 years later. Among the bone name terms in the Anatomia Minor (1962), 6.0% were used identically in the sixth edition of Korean Anatomical Terminology published in 2014, 52 years later.
Summarizing the above results, it can be seen that the terms of human bone name are constantly changing from 1774 to today (2020). In particular, between the Kaitai Shinsho (1774) and the Revised Kaitai Shinsho (1826), and between the Anatomia Minor (1962) and the sixth edition of Korean Anatomical Terminology (2014), respectively, are 52 years apart, but the percentage of terms used the same is 28.8% and 6.0%, and most of the bone name terms have changed rapidly. This suggests that bone name terms have changed rapidly over a certain period of time. It might be seen that human bone name terms also adapt and develop with the trend of the times, similar to living organisms.