Japanese Medical Education Reforms during the Allied Forces Occupancy; Roles Played by the Public Health and Welfare...

The health and welfare of the Japanese people were of a lower standard compared to other developed countries at the end of the World War II in 1945. Crawford F. Sams, Chief, the Public Health and Welfare Section of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers thought that medical care in a wartom country could be improved not by building new hospitals and providing more medical equipment, but through professional education and training. He founded the Council on Medical Education to reform the Japanese medical education. The Council shaped Japanese medical education by establishing the standards for medical school education and initiating internship and a national medical licensure examination. In the early 1950s, the Unitarian Service Committee Medical Mission was invited to teach to medical school professors and students American medicine. This medical mission was also a contribution of the Public Health and Welfare Section to Japanese medical education. This article explores how Public Health and Welfare Section played vital roles in transforming Japanese medical education and postgraduate training during the occupation.