臺灣に於ける癩の民間療法に就て

抄録

What Formosan lepers have been doing before receiving the modern method of treatment here, to take care of their disease? This paper is a part of my study since 1936 on native remedies or home treatments used for leprosy among Formosans. The study was based chiefly on information furnished by patients in Rakusei-in leprosarium:
(1) Of 545 patients inquired, 371 (68%) had used native remedies before they come to the institution. Used herbs, drugs and its preparations are characteristic in Formosa, which differs great deal from those used in Japan proper.
(2) So-called native remedies used by Formosan lepees are mostly bought from herb dealers, or collected by themselves in the field or bushes and prepared by the most primitive way. Among those herbs, or course, some may have a certein medicinal value, but many of them are used just because of traditions or only ridiculous superstititions. Owing to such ignorance of the people, their disease becomes worse gradually and finally reaches to an incurable condition.
(3) Although even well known professional herbist cannot give any more than only few cases of therapeutic records in treating the leprosy, there are various kind of herbs and methods ured for treatment among Formosan lepres. The herbs, drugs and prescriptions (see original article) given are furnished by reliable and educated patients in the institution who studied native remedies and tried some themselves.
(4) In studying the given prescriptions, the medicaments and its dosage do not meet our entire satisfaction. They are, in my opinion, due to misinterpretation of their ancestor's instruction or otherwise confused with their own false idea of treatment. These facts are demonstrated by ancient Chinese medical book published several hundred years ago, because it teaches as "...... ease of mind, control of passion, moderate diet and early treatment are essential" in treatment of leprosy and we cannot deny these instruction up-to-date. Therefore, if we study over those ancient method of treatment more carefully and scientifically with present knowledge, we may perhaps reveal something that of therapeutic value. In closing, I want to emphasize that we must learn certain superstitious idea of the people in China, because it is neighbour of only over night voyage from Formosa. The said superstition believed is called "Set-tai" (The meaning of it is "to eliminate the lepra virus"). The word "Set-tai" means in their firm belief, that if a leper transmits his disease to other persons the virus of the disease left his body, and the many he succeeds to transmit the better he gets and finally cured. Lepers in China, therefore, exert themselves to catch all chances to transmit the dieease to others, particularly female lepers are dangerous as they have many chances to touch males in the sexual leben. This dreadful idea of ignorant neighbouring peoples is a great obstruction in leprosy eradication work, especially when our country is on way of reconstructing the civilization in the far-east.
(Abstracted by the author)