A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE IN JAPAN 239 



of adhesive plasters. Upou the appearance of translated books on 

 surgery, the dexterity and superiority of the European art was at 

 once recognized, but it was impossible to put it immediately into 

 actual practice. Toward the end of the 18th century, however, 

 Hanaoka Seishtl took up the art of European surgery and practised it 

 with great skill and dexterity, thus revolutionizing the surgical practice 

 of the time. 



Hanaoka Seishil (1760 — 1835), although he started with the study 

 of Chinese medicine, had a strong, independent and original mind and 

 was profoundly stimulated by reading Japanese translations of European 

 books on surgery. He was remarkably successful in removing tumours, 

 especially the Carcinoma of the mammary glands, in the amputation 

 of limbs, and in operations on hydrocele, liquigual carcinoma, and 

 rectum fistula. To stop bleeding he employed pressure, tying of the 

 blood vessels, and cauterization. It is also especially remarkable that 

 he made use of anaesthetics for operations. The anaesthetic used by 

 Hanaoka was an extract prepared by boiling certain proportions of 

 anotium, Datula alba, Angelica, Ligusticum, and Canoselium in 

 water. The extract was administered internally. 



The surgical art of Hanaoka Seishu was learned and enlarged by 

 his pupil Homma Gencho. The latter's work in 19 volumes entitled 

 '' Secrets of Surgery ", {Yohwa-Hirohu), was the medium by which 

 Hanaoka's art gained a widespread acceptance. Homma Gencho suc- 

 ceeded in some great operations which even his master did not dare 

 to attempt, such as the removal of aortic aneurism and the amputa- 

 tion of the thigh bone. He even succeeded in 1858 in making a 

 lateral incision in the bladder and removing a large bladder 

 stone. 



European teaching on the diseases of the eye was made accessible 

 by the translation of Plenck's book by Sugita Kincho. However, the 

 actual practice of the new art was made for the first time by Haniu 

 Gentaku (1768 — 1854) who learned the art under Siebold and became 

 the pioneer among oculists in Ja]3an. 



The art of obstetrics had already passed through a revolution 

 in the hands of Kagawa Gen-etsu before the publication of the Kaitai 

 Shinslio (" The New Manual of Anatomy ") by Sugita Genpaku and 

 others. Before Kagawa, the art of obstetrics was exceedingly primitive 

 and was almost exclusively in the hands of midwives. Indeed the 

 gcience of obstetrics in Japan may be said to have been revolutionized 



