CONTRIBUTIONS TO GERMAN-JAPANESE MEDICAL RELATIONS

ERWIN BÄLZ: , PROFESSOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE IN TOKYO – 1876-1905

Abstract

The most important among the German pioneers of the Meiji period (1868-1912) is Erwin Bälz (1849-1913), who graduated in internal medicine and received habilitation from Leipzig University. He arrived in Tokyo in 1876 and taught at Tokyo University for 26 years. Beside his field of expertise, his courses included physiology, pharmacology, pathology, gynaecology and psychiatry. Among numerous publications, those about hygiene and Beriberi prophylaxis are the most prominent. In 1905, he was the last German university teacher to leave Japan.

Keywords: history of medicine, 19th century; physicians, medical education, Germany, Japan.