2018 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 199-217
This paper examines how the theory of constitution (taishitsu) provided a conceptual framework for redefining health and illness in modern Japan. Along with the rise of genetics and suspicion of the absolute belief in bacteriology, the discourse of constitution developed as part of a holistic orientation in biomedicine in the early twentieth century. Constitutional medicine was fuelled with the idea that both biological and social conditions affect the formation of one's physical and mental disposition. This paper deals with the case of the scrofulous constitution and its susceptibility to tuberculosis in biomedical and sociocultural contexts. The analysis shows how the idea of a scrofulous constitution played an important role in the aetiology, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. A scrofulous constitution was often regarded as a manifestation of deficient tendencies and a precursory symptom of tuberculosis. It was thought to endow a physical weakness and melancholic nature. On the other hand, it was also considered a characteristic of urban areas and associated with the image of refinement and intelligence. Both the general public and medical professions asserted that it could be improved by more salubrious living conditions and a nutritious diet. Emphasising the influence of individual effort over heredity, the idea of constitution continues to this day to provide a basic equilibrium between heredity, acquired factors and environment to form a person as a natural whole.
