HATA, Ryūan 畑柳安.

Igakuin gakuhan 醫學院學範 [Curriculum of Igakuin].

49.5; 31; 57 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, orig. title-slips, new stitching. Kyoto: Igakuin zōhan 醫學院藏版, 1786.

[with]:

—. Igakuin gakuhan nihen 醫學院學範二編 [Curriculum of Igakuin, Second Series]. 38; 28.5; 18; 23; 17.5 folding leaves. Three vols. in five. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, orig. title-slips, new stitching. Kyoto: Kasai Ichirōbē 葛西市郎兵衛, 1798.

First edition, and a rare complete set of both series. The Igakuin school of medicine of Kyoto was founded in 1782 (or 1784) by Hata (1721-1804), a successful doctor in Kyoto and physician to Empress Go-Sakuramachi 後桜町天皇. The school’s teachings were initially conservative, based on traditional Chinese medicine, but it is clear from the texts of both series, Dutch medicine (rangaku) was being slowly introduced into the curriculum. Indeed, the quite extensive “bibliography” includes Chinese books arranged by dynasty and school, Japanese medicine (kampō) classics, Korean texts, and Dutch medical resources.

Areas of medicine covered include gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, materia medica, acupuncture and moxibustion, Korean medicine, Western medicine, etc. The author also discusses the proper mindset of a good physician and the policies of the Igakuin school. Many case histories are provided, along with methods of diagnosis (examining the patient’s general appearance, pulse, tongue, etc.), instructions on the proper dosing of medicines, categorization of symptoms, etc.

Minor, mostly marginal worming, in a few volumes. The final volume has some dampstaining.

❧ Sugimoto & Swain, Science and Culture in Traditional Japan (Tuttle: 1989), p. 374.