Survey report on autopsies of residents of Kyushu Sanatorium/National Sanatorium Kikuchi Keifuen

Abstract

  We conducted a comprehensive survey of autopsies performed on residents of Kikuchi Keifuen sanatorium by using various related records stored in the facility. Although the preservation conditions of the records are not perfect, and the information from which we could obtain is insufficient to clarify past situations, we identified 388 autopsies conducted from 1911 to 1965, and then verified the legal procedures for conducting autopsies in the sanatorium by combining the fragmented information from multiple documents and records. This was the first large-scale survey of the sanatorium based on historical manuscripts and records, which has accelerated the preservation work of historical materials in the sanatorium.

  We have long been advocating the significance of preservation and utilization of historical medical records and have stressed the importance of building archives of various records remaining in Hansen’s disease sanatoriums throughout Japan. This survey will be a pioneering example of the importance and usefulness of historical medical archives. When examining various issues related to leprosy, it will be essential to consider the historical background, social customs, bioethics, and changing attitudes toward patients’ human rights based of the materials from the past.