Takamine Tokumei
Takamine Tokumei was an Okinawan interpreter (Chinese-Japanese). His another name was Gishitetsu. He was ordered to learn harelip surgery and successfully performed the surgery for the grandson of King Sho Tei, Sho Eki under general anesthesia.
Takamine Tokumei (Gishitetsu) | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1653 |
| Died | 1738 |
| Nationality | Ryūkyū Kingdom |
| Occupation | Interpreter(Chinese-Okinawan language) |
| Known for | Performance of harelip surgery for the grandson of King Sho Tei, under general anesthesia after learning the surgery in China |
Life and Achievements
He was born on February 15, 1653 in Okinawa. Being very bright in his chilhood, he went to Fuzhou at age 10, and learned Chinese in 3 years. He became an interpreter and he was given a name of 魏士哲(Gishi Tetsu) by the King Sho Tei. In 1688, he was a secretary and was on his 4th visit to Fuzhou ,and he learned that a boatman received surgery and his hairlip was corrected. The grandson of King Sho Tei, Sho Eki had harelip. The 4 representatives of the Ryukyu Kingdom at Fuzhou ordered Tokumei to learn surgery because of his Chinese and his skill. Earlier, a secretary named Oomine Sen-yu (大嶺詮雄,birth and death unknown)[1] was ordered to learn surgery but he was unsuccessful. The Chinese physician was 黄會友(Kou Kai Yuu, in Japanese). He first refused to teach surgery because it was a secret, but finally agreed to teach surgery due to the eagerness of Tokumei. After 20 days of learning, Tokumei showed his skill and corrected the harelip of a 13-year-old man before his teacher. Tokumei was given a book of the surgery and returned to Okinawa in May, 1689. He performed the surgery in 5 patients and performed the surgery for 10-year-old King Grandson Sho Eki on October 23. The surgery was successful and it was said that scar was not visible. He performed the surgery under general anesthesia, 115 years prior to Hanaoka Seishu who performed the removal of mammary cancer under general anesthesia, previously, the first general anesthesia in Japan. In 1690 he taught Satsuma doctors this surgery and in 1714 to Okinawan doctors. [2]
Matsuki Akitomo
It was Matsuki Akitomo, the professor of anesthesiology, Hirosaki University who reported about this surgery first in the medical world. He wrote that a half century has passed since K. Higaon-na, a historian from Okinawa, first reported that in 1689 Tokumei Takamine (1653-1738) had performed successfully a hare-lip operation under general anesthesia with mafutsu-san for a royal grandchild Sho-eki of the Ryukyu Dynasty in the Ruykuys, now known as Okinawa.[3]
See also
References
- Arashiro Toshiaki, Ryukyu-Okinawa Rekishi Jinbutsuden, Okinawajijishuppan, 2006 p66 ISBN 978-4-903042-04-6
- Takamine Tokuakiwith a drawing of Takamine
- [New study on the history of anesthesiology--(5) and (6). Reevaluation of surgical achievements by Tokumei Takamine].Matsuki A. Masui. 2000 Nov;49(11):1285-9. Japanese.
- [The secret anesthetic used in the repair of a hare-lip performed by Tokumei Takamine in Ryukyu] (Jpn).Matsuki A. Nippon Ishigaku Zasshi. 1985 Oct;31(4):463-89. Japanese.
Footnotes
- ^ Okinawa,Ryuukyu Rekisi Jinbutsuden 2006, p67 at the time of the royal operation, he prepared general anesthesia herbs.
- ^ Arashiro Toshiaki, Ryukyu-Okinawa Rekishi Jinbutusuden OkinawaJijishuppan, 12006. p66-68
- ^ New study on the history of anesthesiology--(5) and (6). Reevaluation of surgical achievements by Tokumei Takamine].[Article in Japanese] Matsuki A. Source Department of Anesthesiology, Hirosaki University, School of Medicine, Hirosaki 036-8563. Abstract