日本大学医学部資料室に収蔵される 4 点のはしか絵の解析

─本文の読み下し文に見る幕末庶民の医学思想

抄録

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease but occasionally it poses a risk of serious and life-threatening illnesswith a high rate of communicability if contracted by unvaccinated persons. At the end of the Edo period (1603–1867) in 1862, a major outbreak of measles occurred. At that time, many ukiyo-e (color woodblock prints) artworks were produced called “measles pictures”, which described how to deal with measles. In the present study,we examined 4 ukiyo-e prints owned by Nihon University Medical Archives. Pictorial motives, as well as texts,were investigated carefully and then compared with other ukiyo-e prints of the same theme from that time. Thecontents of the 4 ukiyo-e prints were consistent with those of other paintings owned by different institutions,indicating that there was a common understanding among the general public about the pathogenesis of measlesand food regimens to help recovery. All of the paintings have an entertaining aspect typical of ukiyo-e prints aswell as a system for sharing information among the general public, suggesting that the publishers were seekingcommercial success and that the readers had a certain minimum level of knowledge, reading ability, and economicbackground.