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This text glances over it but the beginnings of Western-style anatomy might be of interest to hackers: All the early Japanese surgeons had was a Dutch-language

This text glances over it but the beginnings of Western-style anatomy might be of interest to hackers: All the early Japanese surgeons had was a Dutch-language version of an anatomy book, but nobody could read medical Dutch well. The corpse of an executed criminal was used to verify that the accuracy of the drawings in the Dutch book was higher than what the Sino-Japanese teachings of the time were, after which the book was painstakingly translated from Dutch by people who spoke or read little Dutch. A slightly more detailed story here: PDF https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1291183/pdf/jrsocmed00207-0071.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1291183/pdf/jrs...

keiferski 5y ago
Wikipedia link for those curious: Rangaku (Kyūjitai: 蘭學/Shinjitai: 蘭学, literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners from 1641 to 1853 because of the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of national isolation (sakoku). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangaku https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangaku Also for any Ghost in the Shell fans, I'm fairly certain that the refugee island Dejima is a reference to the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima
- Freak_NL 5y ago
  Often written as 'Deshima' in English, Dutch, etc. when referring to the island during the Tokugawa Shogunate. The modern pronunciation for the area in Nagasaki is Dejima (mostly), but historically it was pronounced Deshima as well, which the Dutch used as the basis for the 'Deshima' (and 'Decima' etc.) romanization.
krono 5y ago
One of the most interesting aspects to this, I find, is how they set aside their own age-old teachings and beliefs when someone else's proved more accurate. Their willingness and the effort it must have cost to test if it was is already very impressive.
- a_bonobo 5y ago
  I read Ann Vannetta's The Vaccinators last year, on the first days of Western-style medicine in Japan, and one of my main takeaways was how unusual these doctors were for their time and their culture, often risking political persecution, building a kind of underground network of knowledge. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1440324.The_Vaccinators https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1440324.The_Vaccinators

keiferski 5y ago

Wikipedia link for those curious: Rangaku (Kyūjitai: 蘭學/Shinjitai: 蘭学, literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners from 1641 to 1853 because of the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of national isolation (sakoku). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangaku https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangaku Also for any Ghost in the Shell fans, I'm fairly certain that the refugee island Dejima is a reference to the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima

Freak_NL 5y ago
Often written as 'Deshima' in English, Dutch, etc. when referring to the island during the Tokugawa Shogunate. The modern pronunciation for the area in Nagasaki is Dejima (mostly), but historically it was pronounced Deshima as well, which the Dutch used as the basis for the 'Deshima' (and 'Decima' etc.) romanization.

krono 5y ago

One of the most interesting aspects to this, I find, is how they set aside their own age-old teachings and beliefs when someone else's proved more accurate. Their willingness and the effort it must have cost to test if it was is already very impressive.

a_bonobo 5y ago
I read Ann Vannetta's The Vaccinators last year, on the first days of Western-style medicine in Japan, and one of my main takeaways was how unusual these doctors were for their time and their culture, often risking political persecution, building a kind of underground network of knowledge. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1440324.The_Vaccinators https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1440324.The_Vaccinators