Leprosy and medicine I: Proposal of an isolation policy and its background

Abstract

The leprosy policy of Japan began from when the government enacted "law No.11(The leprosy prevention act)" in 1907 (Meiji 40) and several leprosy sanatoriums were built and the patient who wanders about was received. Then, in rise of totalitarianism, the isolation policy of Japan gained national support under a slogan "Patient Relief", "Leprosy Prevention Law" in 1931(Showa 6) and leprosy policy changed to segregation which aimed at internment of all leprosy patients. From today's research on the leprosy policy of Japan, it is internment of all leprosy patients, whole life isolation, social defense and neglect of patients' human-rights and led to many tragedy of patient. However, there is little research which can reply clearly to the question of whether the leprosy policy of Japan was really original and what the factors of led to the formation of the segregation policy. This paper focuses on the relation between leprosy policy and medicine, and from this, I make clear the similarity, or peculiarity of the isolation policy between Japan and the vest of the world, and clarify the factors of progress of the absolute isolation policy. The processes are historical and medical historical the verification of the relation between the formation of the national medicine and the progress of the isolation policy of Meiji Era, the proposal of the isolation policy by Dr. Keizo Dohi, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, and Dr. Masatsugu Yamane, and the application by Dr. Kensuke Mitsuda, the decision to enact this policy and its support by the Health and Medical Bureau and the Department of the Interior, as well as many factors.