The medical environment and the development of medical research in early modern Kyoto

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03045
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yokota Fuyuhiko 京都大学, 文学研究科, 教授 (70166883)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 有坂 道子 京都橘大学, 文学部, 教授 (30303796)
• Research Collaborator: Mizunuma Naoko ; Yamashita Kouhei
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 近世京都 / 医学書 / 医療環境 / 百々家

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, we surveyed and made an inventory of the collection materials of the Dodo family who was the private doctor also the official doctor of the emperor's family in the early modern Kyoto. And we also made a complete list of the collection of Dodo's books and materials donated to the Kyoto University Library in the 1900s. In addition, the research leader published the book summarizing research on cultural history of the early modern period, including research on medical history, and the shared researcher published the collection of letters of the other doctor in Kyoto. Through them, in particular, through the specific example of the Dodo family, it was possible to specifically clarify the medical environment of the urban society in early modern Japan, the actual state of medical care and clinical practice by private doctors there, and the way of their medical reserch.

Free Research Field

日本近世社会史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、近世京都の医家の蔵書資料や医療関係史料の整理と分析をおこなった。
医学史研究は、たんに医学理論や学問・技術としての医学の発展としてだけではなく、感染症流行をはじめとした現実の医療環境における、医療行為・臨床経験の積み重ねの中で、理論や方法が革新され展開していく過程を跡付けねばならない。これまでの医学史研究が基本的に医学書の分析を対象としていたのに対し、そうした医療環境・医療経験を組み入れた実態を、医家そのものの史料によって分析、解明した社会史的研究であるところに、本研究の意義がある。