Impotence is defined as a consistent inability to achieve or maintain penile erection that is adequate for completion of sexual intercourse. In oriental midicine, the chief cause of impotence is the decline of the fire from the gate of life, and in western medicine that is psycogenic and organic. Because of the increase aging people and psycologic stress that modern people get, impotence became common. This bibliographic study on impotence in the oriental and western medicine books has come to the following conclusions. 1. The main cause of impotence in the oriental medicine is the decline of the fire from the gate of life(命門火衰), followed by the deficiency of both heart and spleen(心脾兩虛), the depression of Liver energy(肝氣鬱結), and attack of blended wetness and heat to the lower wanner(濕熱下注). 2. The theraphics of impotence in oriental medicine are warming and strenghthening Kidney. softness of Liver energy, tonifying the Kidney to relieve mental strain, clear away the wetness-heat, and infairment of Heart and Spleen. 3. The prescriptions of impotence are Yugyeyum, Gyibitang, Soyosan, Sunjitang, and Yongdamsagantang. 4. In the western medicine, psycotherapy, medical therapy and surgical therapy are the major way to treat impotence.