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Dutch surgery in Japan.

Thomas M van Gulik1, Yuji Nimura

  • 1Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. t.m.vangulik@amc.uva.nl

World Journal of Surgery
|December 16, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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During Japan's 200-year isolation policy, Dutch surgeons on Decima introduced Western surgical practices. Japanese interpreters translated medical texts, fostering the development of modern surgery in Japan.

Area of Science:

  • Medical History
  • Surgical History
  • History of Science in Japan

Background:

  • Feudal Japan implemented an isolation policy (1639-1853) due to fears of foreign influence.
  • The Dutch maintained a trading post on Decima Island in Nagasaki Bay, serving as the sole conduit for Western knowledge.
  • Western medicine and science were exclusively introduced to Japan through this limited Dutch presence.

Observation:

  • Dutch barber-surgeons provided healthcare on Decima, introducing Western surgical techniques.
  • Japanese interpreters, uniquely permitted on Decima, learned Dutch and translated Western medical texts.
  • Genpaku Sugita's 1774 translation of a Dutch anatomy textbook, Kaitai Shinsho, marked the first full translation of a Western scientific monograph into Japanese.

Findings:

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  • Dutch surgical schools were established, propagating Western surgery known as "surgery of the red-haired."
  • Japanese apprentices received training and certificates in Dutch surgery, mirroring Dutch guild customs.
  • Approximately 60 Dutch surgeons served on Decima by 1850, laying the foundation for surgical advancements in Japan.

    • Implications:

    • This period established the groundwork for the evolution of modern surgery in Japan.
    • The exchange facilitated by figures like Philipp Franz von Siebold also introduced Japanese culture to the West.
    • The translation of scientific texts and the establishment of surgical training were crucial steps in Japan's scientific modernization.