Medical history and progress in infectious diseases, especially systemic fungal infections in Japan.
This paper reports on medical history from the end of the Edo period to the present and development of studies on infectious diseases, especially medical mycology including systemic fungal diseases. With the inflow of Dutch studies at the end of the Edo period and the adoption of European, mainly German, medicine in the Meiji Restoration, Japanese medical studies gradually developed. However, evolution in the medical field as well as other scientific fields was prevented during the 2nd World War. After the War, there was marked progress in scientific fields and medical research made strong advances. In the past 20 years, basic fungal studies and clinical fungal diseases, especially clinical analysis, clinical diagnosis and treatment of systemic fungal infections have progressed. The level in this field is now equivalent to or higher than that in European countries. Further development is necessary, however, to relieve patients suffering from systemic fungal infections. Members of the Japanese Association of Medical Mycology must be leaders among international medical mycologists.
Mori
Takeshi
T
Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.
D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009172:Mycology / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history / Q000628:therapy