[The past and the future prospects of acute medicine]

Recent development and the future prospects of acute medicine as well as emergency medical treatment system in Japan are reviewed. At first, I described the history of medical system, transporting system, and information system in the emergency medical treatment system, and then strongly emphasized the practical use of this system. The base of the system was constructed in the middle 1970s and has greatly developed during recent two decades. The development of the emergency medical treatment system could let us know an important role of the education of acute medicine for medical students in the university. Now a lot of medical student can learn acute medicine at university in our country. The education of acute medicine should be expanded to nurses, comedical stuffs, ambulant teams, and the citizens who are the constituent member of the prehospital care. Based on the establishment of emergency medical treatment system and the spread of acute medicine, I believe that Japanese people can get an affluent and safety life. I hope more development of emergency medical treatment system and acute medicine in the 21st century.