[Leprosy and medicine II--progress and establishment of an absolute isolation policy]

The leprosy policy of Japan began from when the government enacted "law No. 11 (The leprosy prevention act)" in 1907 (Meiji 40) and several leprosy sanatoriums were built to receive previously homeless patients. Then, with the rise of totalitarianism, the isolation policy of Japan gained national support under the slogan "Patient Relief", which would become a major factor behind the enactment of "Leprosy Prevention Law" in 1931 (Showa 6) by which the leprosy policy was changed to one of absolute isolation aimed at the internment of all leprosy patients. From recent research on the leprosy policy of Japan, the internment of all leprosy patients, isolation for life, social defense, and neglect of patients' human-rights had tragic results in many cases. However, there is little research which can reply clearly to the question of whether the leprosy policy of Japan was really original and what factors led to the formation of the absolute isolation policy. This paper focuses on the relation between leprosy policy and treatment, and from this, I make clear the similarities, or peculiarities, of the isolation policy between Japan and the rest of the world, while clarifying the factors associated with the progress of the absolute isolation policy. The processes involved were historical and medical historical in that the relation between the formation of a national health system and the progress of the isolation policy of Meiji Era, the proposal of the isolation policy by Dr. Keizo Dohi, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, and Dr. Masatsugu Yamane; the practical application of this policy by Dr. Kensuke Mitsuda, and the decision to enact this policy and its support by the Health and Medical Bureau and the Department of the Interior, as well as many other factors, all contributed to the final implementation of the absolute isolation policy.