was a pioneering Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese physician who studied the treatment of leprosy

Leprosy

Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...

. Studying in Aomori

Aomori, Aomori

is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...

 and Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

 in his hospital, he wrote a book "Leprosy and Social Problems" in 1907, the year of the promulgation of the first leprosy law, and openly criticized the crucial segregation policy. He advocated the nation's involvement in the discovery of treatments of leprosy, since he believed that it was curable.

Personal History

He was born on November 25, 1872 in Kuradatemura (now Owanimachi) Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

. After graduation from Tokyo Saisei Gakusha, a private medical school, in 1898 he studied leprosy in Aomori Prefecture at Masuda Hospital where his brother was practizing. In 1904, he presented two patients who recovered with his treatment before a medical meeting in Aomori. In 1906 he moved to Yokohama and studied the treatment of leprosy. In 1907, he published "Leprosy and Social Problems" and criticized the 1907 segregation leprosy prevention law. In 1913, he moved to Asakusa

Asakusa

is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...

, Tokyo and specialized in venereal disease. In 1945, he died amid the great Tokyo air raid.

Presentation of Patients before a Meeting

A newspaper ToOo Nippou, his presentation was recorded. After the general meeting of Aomori Prefecture Physicians in the morning, "Isamu Masuda presented two patients who recovered well with his remedy and told them the story of his treatment. "

Leprosy and Social Problems

From Aomori he moved to Yokohama, where leprosy patients gathered. He studied leprosy patients while practicing dermatology and venereology. In 1907 he published the results of his studies and his opinions in "Leprosy and Social Problems. Based on his experiences, he firmly believed that leprosy was curable, and he was against indiscriminate segregation. The leprosy policy should be based on humanity and the state should order that specialists study the treatments of leprosy. Patients may be willing to be hospitalized if leprosy will be curable within 5 years. His opinions were not accepted by the Government and the publication of his book was impossible. Only one copy was left in the National Diet Library

National Diet Library

The is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S...

.

His Remedy

His remedy was from plants and was served in powder and injections. Because his remedy was not perfect, he did not make his medicine public. He wrote that 34 out of 100 patients recovered. Kitasato Shibasaburō

Kitasato Shibasaburō

Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin.-Biography:...

, a noted physician of his time, reported that only 4 cured and 15 almost cured out of 233 patients, according to Leprosy and Social Problems.

Photographs

He sent Hannah Riddell

Hannah Riddell

Hannah Riddell was an English woman who devoted her life to the salvation of Hansen's disease patients in Japan.-Early life and her determination:...

an album of patients in his Yokohama days. The album was discovered in the Kaishun Byoin but Hannah Riddell did not respond to Masuda.

Comments on Masuda

Yutaka Fujino cited his book first and commented favourably about his opinions. Ichiro Kikuchi introduced his book and showed some photographs. Minoru Narita threw some doubt on the results of his remedy, but wrote that Masuda was indirectly against segregation.