Sugita Genpaku

Sugita Genpaku, painted by Ishikawa Tairō

Jizō Boddhisatva ( Ksitigarbha ) from Kozukappara to comfort the souls of those executed there (Enmei Temple, Tōkyō, Arakawa-ku)

Kaitai shinsho . The frontispiece does not come from the "Anatomical Tables" by Kulmus. It was taken from the Antwerp edition of Joan de Valverda de Hamusco's Historia de la composicion del cuerpo humano and revised.

Sugita Genpaku's Memoirs of Age Rangakukoto hajime (first printed in 1869)

Tomb of Sugita Genpaku in the Eikan Temple (Tōkyō, Minato-ku)

Ceremonial unveiling of a relief stone in memory of the section from 1771 observed by doctors Maeno Ryōtaku, Sugita Gempaku and Nakagawa Jun'an (Ekō Temple, Tōkyō, Arakawa-ku, July 2, 1922).

Sugita Genpaku ( Japanese 杉 田 玄 白 ; * October 20, 1733 in Edo (today Tokyo); † June 1, 1817 there), exercised a great influence as a doctor and scholar of "Hollandkunde", for which he coined the name Rangaku the adoption of Western medicine in early modern Japan. The translation he published, Kaitai Shinsho, is considered a milestone in Japanese medical history.

Childhood and medical history

Sugita was born in Edo in the residence of Sakai Tadaoto, the feudal lord of Obama, the son of the doctor Sugita Hosen ( 杉 田 甫 仙 , 1692–1769). In the course of his life he used the names Tasuku ( 翼 ) and Shihō ( 子 鳳 ); in his writings he called himself Isai ( 鷧 斎 ) and in his old age Kyūkō-ō ( 九 幸 翁 ). Most widespread, however, the name Genpaku (also transliterated as Gempaku).

At the age of 18 Sugita became a student of the Confucian scholar Miyase Ryūmon ( 宮 瀬 竜 門 ), from whom he received a solid education in Chinese classical music. He then devoted himself to Western surgery under the guidance of the court doctor Nishi Gentetsu ( 西 玄 哲 , 1681–1760), the son of the famous interpreter and doctor Nishi Genpo ( 西 玄 甫 ).

In 1752 he became doctor of the Obama fiefdom. In 1757 he also started a medical practice in Edo, Nihonbashi. In the same year, together with the scholars Hiraga Gennai and Tamura Ransui , he organized a natural history exhibition in Edo ( yakuhin-e , 薬 品 会 ). In 1765 the feudal lord Sakai Tadatsura appointed him resident doctor ( oku-ishi ). A little later his father died and Sugita succeeded him as a personal physician.

Appearance of the mortuary sections

When the doctor Yamawaki Tōyō ( 山 脇 東洋 ) in Kyōto carried out the first corpse dissection in Japanese history with official permission in 1754 and was able to print a font with crude illustrations that differed from the conventional Chinese anatomical illustrations, many medical professionals in the country were among them also Sugita, strongly stimulated. As a result, he tried to acquire the Dutch language and collected information and materials from Yoshio Kōsaku and other medically ambitious interpreters from the Dejima branch . Like many scholars interested in Western things, Sugita also went to the hostel of the Europeans when the director of Dejima came to Edo with the ward doctor to pay his annual respect at the court of the Shogun.

1771 Sugita received together with his long-time companion Maeno Ryōtaku ( 前 野 良 沢 ), a linguistically gifted doctor of the Nakatsu fief , and Nakagawa Jun'an ( 中 川 淳 庵 , 1739–1786), like Sugita a doctor of the Obama fief, the opportunity to dissect one At the place of execution at Kozukappara, the woman named Aocha-baba (Green Tea Old Woman) was to be seen. For this purpose Maeno and Sugita brought the "Ontleedkundige Tafelen" with them, a Dutch edition of the "Anatomical Tables" by Johann Adam Kulmus (1689–1745) from Wroclaw, printed in Amsterdam in 1734 . The consistency of the images with what they saw was so impressive that they decided to translate the book.

Translation of the "Ontleedkundige Tafelen"

The project, which was exhausting due to the linguistic and technical hurdles, took several years. In addition to Sugita, Maeno and Nakagawa, a number of other interested parties took part in the meetings more or less regularly. Most of the translation into Japanese was done by Maeno Ryōtaku. On this basis Sugita produced a version in the written Chinese language ( Kanbun ), which, like Latin in Europe, functioned as a communication medium for scholars. When he finally wanted to have it printed, Maeno, who was not yet satisfied with the result, withdrew his name.

Sugita ignored his concerns, and the work was published in 1774 as the "New Book of Anatomy" ( Kaitai shinsho , 解体 新書 ) without the censorship of the Tokugawa authorities intervening. As a result, interest in anatomical studies and cadaveric sections increased. However, the responsible authorities granted the necessary permission until the middle of the 19th century. just very cautious. Sugita and his companions had demonstrated with their book that it was also possible outside of Nagasaki's interpreting circles to develop Western specialist knowledge comparatively independently.

The book was not, however, a pure translation of the "Ontleedkundige Tafel". Kulmus' long notes, which make up most of his book, have been left out. As Sugita explains in the preface, some of the illustrations and various explanations come from the writings of Thomas Bartholin , Steven Blankaart , Volcher Coiter , Ambroise Paré , Johannes Wesling , Jan Palfijn , Gerardus Leonardus Blasius , Govert Bidloo and other authors. Here and there comments by Sugita are also included. Although the focus was on Kulmus' book, it is more of a compilation than a translation in the modern sense.

Since there was no established linguistic equivalent for a number of anatomical terms, the translators created new terms under which some such as shinkei ( 神 経 , nerves), dōmyaku ( 動脈 , artery) and shojomaku ( 処女膜 , hymen) have been used to this day. Quite a few technical terms, however, were merely transliterated. As a result of the inadequate language skills and the complicated translation process, in the course of which the entire text was repeatedly revised, there were also all sorts of errors, and the woodcut illustrations left a lot to be desired. Shortly after the book was published, Ōtsuki Gentaku ( 大 槻 玄 沢 ) produced a revised version, which was not printed until 1826 ( Jūtei Kaitai Shinsho 重 訂 解体 新書 ). The frontispiece of the "Ontleedkundige Tafel" was first used here.

Setting up a school and medical practice

In 1776, Sugita moved his residence from the feudal lord's estate in Edo to a plot of land rented nearby. There he founded a school Tenshinrō ( 天真 楼 ), in which he trained numerous students. In his practice he is said to have treated more than 600 patients annually. The Confucian Shibano Ritsuzan ( 柴 野 栗 山 ) praised him as the most skillful doctor in Edo. In his later years he received an exceptional annual rice income for a doctor of 400 koku . In 1805 the Shogun Tokugawa Ienari granted him an audience in the castle, which underlines his reputation in Edo. Two years later he left his office as lieutenant doctor and head of the private school to his eldest son.

Historical effect

Sugita wrote several writings, but the greatest influence was exercised next to the above-mentioned Kaitai shinsho, his age memoirs "Beginning of the Dutch Studies" ( Rangaku koto hajime , 蘭 学 事 始 ). Here he describes - his time and the focus - the emergence of Japanese studies of European science and technology, for which he coined the term Rangaku ( 蘭 学 , ran for oranda , Holland; gaku , customer, studies, teaching). Sugita's impressive description of the torments while translating the "Ontleedkundige tafelen" made such a deep impression on Fukuzawa Yukichi , one of the leading pioneers of the modernization of Japan in the Meiji period , that he wrote the text he published for the first time in 1869 in 1890 on the occasion of the first At the meeting of the newly founded "Japanese Society for Medicine" ( Nihon igakkai ) provided a moving preface and had it reprinted. Since then, Sugita and the Kaitai shinsho have been firmly anchored as a turning point in the history of Japan.

Sugita's grave is located in the grounds of the Eikan Temple ( Eikan-in , 栄 閑 院 ) in Tokyo.

Works

• Sugita Genpaku et al .: Kaitaishinsho. Suharaya Ichibē, Edo 1774. ( 與 般 亜 覃 闕 児 武 思 著, 杉 田 玄 白 訳, 吉雄永 章 撰, 中 川 淳 庵 校, 石川玄 常 参, 桂川甫 周 閲, 小 田野 直 武 [図] 『解体 武』 』 : 須 原 屋 市 兵衞, 安永 3 [1774] 年刊 )
• Sugita Isai (= Gempaku): Rangakukoto hajime. 1869 ( 杉 田 鷧 齋 [著] 『蘭 學 事 始』 [出版 地 不明], 明治 2 年 ) (杉 田 玄 白 著 『蘭 学 事 始』 再 刻, [出版 地 不明]: [出版者 不明], 明治 23 [1890 ] 年刊)
• Sugi Yasusaburō (ed.), Sugita Genpaku: Isai nichiroku. Seishisha, Tokyo 1981. ( 杉 田 玄 白 著, 杉 靖 三郎 校 編 『鷧 斎 日 録』 』東京 ： 青史 社 ) = diary from 1788 to 1806.
• Rangaku kotohajime = The beginnings of the "Holland customer" by Sugita Genpaku (1733-1818) (= Monumenta Nipponica. Volume V, Semi-Annual No. 1, No. 2) Translated by Kōichi Mōri. Sophia University, Tokyo 1942.

literature

• Arakawa Furusato Museum (Ed.): Sugita Genpaku to Kozugahara no shiokiba . Tōkyō, 2007 ( 荒 川 ふ る さ と 文化館 編 『杉 田 玄 白 と 小 塚 原 の 仕 置 場』 ) * Koga, Jūjirō: Seiyō-ijutsu denrai-shi. Keiseisha, Tōkyō, 1972. ( 古 賀 十二 郎 『西洋 医術 伝 来 史』 形成 社 )
• Katagiri, Kazuo: Sugita Gempaku. Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, Tokyo 1986. ( 片 桐 一 男 『杉 田 玄 白』 吉川弘 文 館 )
• Katagiri, Kazuo: Edo no ranpō-igaku koto hajime - Oranda-tsūji Yoshio Kōzaemon Kōgyū. Maruzen-Library, Tōkyō, 2000. ( 片 桐 一 男 『江 戸 の 蘭 方 医学 医学 始 阿蘭 阿蘭 陀 通 詞 ・ 吉雄幸 左衛 門 耕牛』 )
• Lucacs, Gabor: Kaitai Shinsho, the single most famous Japanese book of medicine & Geka Soden, an early very important manuscript on surgery . Hes & De Graaf Publishers, 2008.
• Michel, Wolfgang: Exploring the "Inner Landscapes" - The Kaitai shinsho (1774) and its Prehistory . In: Yonsei Journal of Medical History, Vol. 21 (2), pp. 7-34 .

Web links

Commons : Sugita Genpaku  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information about tables… Door Johan Adam Kulmus… Asked in het Neederduitsch Door Gerardus Dicten… Te Amsterdam, 1734 ( digitized from Keio University, Tokyo)
• Jūtei Kaitai shinsho, digitized illustration volume from Waseda University, Tokyo

Remarks

1. ↑ According to the Japanese calendar 13th day, 9th month, 18th year Kyōho
2. ↑ According to the Japanese calendar 17th day, 4th month, 14th year Bunka
3. ↑ Obama was in Wakasa Province (now Fukui Prefecture ). Since the feudal lords were forced to alternate each year in Edo and their respective fiefs, they maintained larger properties with the necessary staff in the vicinity of the Edo Castle.
4. ↑ Between 1751 and 1867 around 250 of these exhibitions, introduced by Hiraga and Tamura, took place. Here collectors and scholars from all regions presented their treasures and exchanged information. In many places, lists of the objects and their owners were also printed. See Yūsuke Imai, Jirō Endō, Teruko Nakamura, Wolfgang Michel: On the Historical Background of the 'Materia Medica Exhibitions' of the Edo Period. In: The Japanese Journal of History of Pharmacy. Volume 40, No. 2, 2005, p. 156 (Japanese)
5. ↑ Kozukappara ( 小 塚 原 , also Kozukahara; lit. grave mound field) or Kotsugahara (bone field) was on the arterial road from Edo to Mutsu province. According to estimates, from the middle of the 17th century. Between 200,000 and 300,000 people were executed by 1873. Today, large parts of the area are under railroad tracks.
6. ↑ Anatomical tables, along with related notes and coppers ... which the beginners of the anatomy for convenient guidance in this other edition has written Johann Adam Kulmus ... Dantzig to be found by Cornelius von Beughem; printed by Thomas Johann Schreiber… 1725 . This was a relatively easy to understand textbook written for practical use. The Dutch translation was done by the Leiden surgeon Gerard (us) Dicten (1696–1770).

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Sugita is the family name, Gempaku the first name.