232 Y. Fujikawa 



authors aliSo piodiiced books on special medical topics. 



During the 16th century, Chinese medicine of the Ch'in dynasty 

 (1115—1260 A.D.) and Yiian dynasty (1280—1368 A.D.) made its way 

 to Japan and revolutionized her medical literature. In the medicine 

 of ancient China and of the T'ang dynasty, diseases were regarded as 

 caused by the air and by cold. In the dynasties of Ch'in and Yilan, 

 tlie causes of diseases were classified into internal and external. Inter- 

 nal causes included natural constitution, nutrition, feeling, and 

 overwork ; external causes included moisture and heat. The best known 

 Japanese medical man of this period is Manase Dosan ll^ {It ^ jl; H 

 who was the pioneer of the Li-Chu School ^ ^^^^JJ^ iu Japan. 

 At about the same time, lived Nagata Tokuhon ;^^ g ^ ;^, who 

 taught that the secret of curing lay in helping natural agencies in 

 tlieir work of healing. In this respect, his medical theory resembled 

 that of Hipitucrates. 



Some vague notions concerning Japan were already held in Europe 

 in the 13th century through the writings of Marco Polo. But it was 

 only in the middle of the 16th century that the first Europeans landed 

 in Japan. In 1530, the 3rd year of Kyoroku, certain merchant vessels 

 of the " Southern Foreigners " (Portuguese) visited the proviiice of 

 Bungo, and m 1542, the 11th year of Temmon, the "Southern Foreig- 

 ners" came to the island of Tanegashima, south of Kagoshima, to 

 which they brought for the first time guns, among other things. After 

 this, the number of the " Southern Foreigners " that cauiC for trading 

 purposes increased year by year. 



By the devoted exertion of Franciscus Xavier, who came to Kago- 

 shima in 1549, and of his successors, the teachings of the Jesuits spread 

 rapidly in different parts of the country and the number of converts 

 was not snjall. Even provincial military governors were among those 

 converted. Otomo Sorin, the military governor of Bungo, founded 

 charity hospitals in his city and made Father Louis Almeida a dispenser 

 of medicine to the poor. There were also some Japanese doctors who 

 studied medicine under the Portuguese. One of these is known under 

 his adopted name of Paul. 



In 1568, the 11th year of Eiroku, the Viceroy Oda Nobunaga 

 allowed Portuguese missionaries to build a Christian Church in 

 Kyoto and permitted sevei-al of tliem to devote theniselves to preaching 

 and jiroselj'ting. Of these, G regoria and Louis knew the medical art ; 

 they dispensed medicine among the poor and tauglit the art to students, 



