Carl Peter Thunberg: Swedish Pioneer of Occidental Medicine in Japan

Harald FODSTAD

Department of Neurosurgery, UmeåUniversity Hospital, Sweden

Abstract

Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828), a student of the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linné,visited Nagasaki and Edo in 1775-76. During his stay in Japan, he collected and named numerous plants and so has been called the father of Japanese botany. But he also taught western medicine to Japanese colleagues and introduced mercury in the treatment of syphilis. More than any person before him, he introduced Japan to the outside world. Thunberg deserves the credit of being the pioneer of occidental medicine and science in Japan.

Keywords: Botany, deshima, medical history, shogun, western medicine

Despite its seclusion from the rest of the world, the recommended him for a grant for studies abroad.' o) Tokugawa age proved to be a period of noticeable After finishing his medical studies in Paris, Thunberg cultural and scientific development in Japan.2,14) left Europe as an extra surgeon on board a Dutch The primary source of foreign studies (yogaku) was East India Company ship in 1771. He spent three years Nagasaki, where the only contact with Europe was in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope in provided through a Dutch factory established on the South Africa studying the flora and fauna and the little island of Deshima in 1641. The first Swede to visit Dutch language.',',") From there he travelled on to Japan during this period was probably Fredrik Coyet Java, and finally landed at Nagasaki in August 1775 (1620-1689), who in 1648 visited the Shogun's court after a hazardous and strenous voyage on the Dutch at Edo.3) He was followed by Olof Eriksson Willman ship "Stavenisse". (1623-1673), who came to Edo in 1652 as a representa In the beginning, Thunberg, like other foreign tive of the Dutch East India Company.') visitors, had to confine himself to the island of Deshima. The first important western scholar and scientist However, during the period of Tanuma Okitsugu's who visited Japan was the German physician Engelbert ascendancy in the bakufu, Japan's suspicion of foreign Kaempfer (1651-1716), who was a student of Professor ers was relaxed considerably. Thus, after a few months, Olaf Rudbeck the elder at Uppsala University in Thunberg obtained permission to botanize in the Sweden .2'6) He visited the Edo Castle with Dutch surroundings of Nagasaki and managed to acquire captains in 1691 and 1692. At the court of Shogun an impressive collection of Japanese plants. His Tsunayoshi, Kaempfer had to demonstrate European findings were published in "Flora laponica" in which singing and dancing to the Shogun's satisfaction. he described 812 species and gave latin names to the During his stay in Japan, Kaempfer recorded 324 Japanese plants. 12) Thunberg quickly learnt some Japanese plants later published in his book "Amoeni Japanese and made the acquaintance of Japanese tates Exoticae".5) However, the man who was later doctors and interpreters who helped him collect plants. to be known as "Father of Japanese botany" or "Japa In return he taught them European medicine. In 1776 nese Linnaeus" was Carl Peter Thunberg.3,4,6-9> Thunberg was allowed to visit Shogun leharu's court He was born in 1743 in the town Jonkoping in South at Edo. During his stay in Edo he met two prominent Sweden. As a student of medicine in Uppsala, he Japanese scholars; Hoshu Katsuragawa and Junan came under the influence of the famous Swedish Nakagawa. The former was the Shogun's physician, naturalist, Carolus Linneaus (1707-1778),1) who the latter was a fellow physician of Genpaku Sugita

Received September 16, 1981; Accepted January 7, 1982 Author's present address: H. Fodstad, M. D., Ph.D., Depertment of Neurosurgery, The Regional Hospital, N-7000 Trond heim, Norway. Fig. 1 The young Carl Peter Thunberg during his trip to Africa and Asia 1771-1779 . who had just published the first book ever translated is cleaning with decoction. The Japanese are reluctant from Dutch to Japanese-"Kaitai Shinsho or Tafel to try the salivation cure (vomiting) advocated by Anatomica". During a few intensive weeks, Thunberg Dutch surgeons. So they were grateful and happy taught them western medicine, history, and botany when I taught them to use aqua mercurialis to treat and gave them certificates proving that they had studied such diseases. Many interpreters used this method in medicine under his guidance. After his return to Swe 1775 and 1776 to cure many syphilitics under my den, Thunberg corresponded with his Japanese surveillance in Nagasaki with neighbourhood. It is colleagues and students. Some of the letters from my optimistic hope, that this simple treatment shall Japan are still preserved in Uppsala University . relieve thousands of unfortunates from neck fistulas Thunberg's most important medical contribution and other ghastly symptoms of this dirty disease that during his stay in Japan was the introduction of mer I so often encountered during my trip through the cury in the treatment of syphilis. In his travel report") country." Thunberg also described seeing a 33-year from 1793 he wrote : "Veneral disease was without old man with hydrocephalus acquired after being doubt introduced by the Europeans, who have spread beaten repeatedly on the head with a bamboo stick. the disease to many places on earth. Veneral disease He says nothing, however, about any treatment. is now quite common, and the only treatment given Thunberg left Japan in December 1776 and arrived Fig. 2 Carl Peter Thunberg as an old man. in his home country in March 1779 after nine years of ment of modern Japanese medicine. But it must be absence. In 1784 he succeeded the younger Linnaeus remembered that Thunberg left behind a foundation as ordinary professor of medicine and botany at the of western medicine and science that was still blossom University of Uppsala. He gave up travelling and ing when Siebold came to Japan. On the other hand, dedicated the rest of his life to botany. When he died Kaempfer's limited teaching of western medicine more in 1828 at the age of 85, he was a world famous celeb than 80 years before Thunberg had been soon forgot rity. ten. Whereas Kaempfer and Siebold wanted to The honour of introducing western medicine and establish Japanology, the real aim of Thunberg was science in Japan is usually bestowed upon the brilliant collection of plants and observation of Japanese life German physician, Franz Philipp von Siebold (1796 and character. Thus he was the first to give a detailed 1886).11) He arrived at Nagasaki in 1823 and spent description of Japan to the western world. Excerpts more than six active and fruitful years in Japan. from his diary"): "The Japanese empire is in many Unfortunately, he was forced by xenophobic authorities ways a peculiar country, quite different from Europe to leave Japan as an indirect result of the austere and other countries in the world. It has therefore Kansei reformation of Sadanobu Matsudaira. Siebold been admired, sometimes praised, sometimes criticized. no doubt had a tremendous influence on the develop Among the peoples of the world, the Japanese deserve Fig. 3 Thunberg's own drawing from his trip to Japan 1775-1776. to be placed first-they are in no way inferior to adopted from outside or created inside the country, Europeans. One has to wonder about their strong that no foreign wars have been conducted for centuries character, about the invariability of their legislation and domestic unrest forever been settled, that many and in the discharge of official duties, about the nation's different religious sects exist together peacefully, that uninterrupted zeal and diligence, their constant pursuit famine and lack of food is almost unknown or rare, of what is useful, and more than a hundred other that all these things exist is incredible and difficult to things. To find a populous nation with such an esteem understand-still it is true and deserves the outmost and love for their country, their superiors and for attention." each other, to see the whole country in a way closed It is my own hope and intention that Carl Peter without possibility for a native to get outside or a Thunberg, the keen observer of Japanese people, the stranger without permission to get inside, to hear about founding father of Japanese botany, the teacher of the laws remaining unchanged for thousands of years, western culture and medicine, and the introducer of and the law being practised without regard to a person's Japan to the rest of the world will be held in honoured rank, to see the emperor and his subjects dressed in remembrance in the medical history of Japan. the same national costumes, that no new fashions are 7) Nordenstam B: Carl Peter Thunberg. In: Bicentenary Acknowledgements celebration of CP Thunberg's visit to Japan. Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagasaki 17-25th May 1976. The Royal I want to thank all my Japanese friends and colleagues Swedish Embassy. The Botanical Society of Japan, who made my stay in Japan from December 1980 to Tokyo: 1-8, 1977 8) Ootori R: CP Thunberg and the early occidental March 1981 such a wonderful and memorable ex medicine of Japan. Forskningsmaterial rörandeCP perience. I dedicate this work to Dr. Hirotaro Nara Thunberg. Science Council of Japan. Botanical Society bayashi from Nagasaki, Professor of Neurology at of Japan. Tokyo : 28-32, 1953 Juntendo University in Tokyo, pioneer of stereotactic 9) Sacklen, JF: Sveriges läkarehistoria ifran konung neurosurgery, travelling ambassador to Sweden, and Gustaf I's till närvarandetid. Förstaafdelningen. teacher of neuroscience to numerous doctors from all PE Winge Tryck. Nyköping:541-560, 1822 over the world. 10) Selander S: Linnelärjungari främmandeländer. 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Uppsala: 69-76, 1793 II, Stockholm: 397, 1876 14) Whitney Hall J: Japan. From prehistory to modern 5) Kaempfer E: Historia imperii japonici germanice times. Charles E Tuttle Co., Tokyo: 140-242, 1979 scripta (1727) Kyoto, 1929 6) Kimura Y: CP Thunberg and the Japanese botany. In: Bicentenary celebration of CP Thunberg's visit to Japan. Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagasaki 17-25th May Request reprints to : H. Fodstad, M.D., Ph. D., Department 1976. The Royal Swedish Embassy. The Botanical of Neurosurgery, The Regional Hospital, N-7000 Society of Japan, Tokyo : 9-16, 1977 Trondheim, Norway.