明治初期におけるお雇い米国人科学教師の足跡

抄録

From the time of the reopening of the country in 1854, Japan made great efforts tocatch up scientifically and technologically with the western countries, and in a relatively short time she seemed to have succeeded. For this, the tradition of Dutch learning in the nation paved the way and the foreign teachers who served in Japan played an important part. Americans were foremost among them. In the field of natural science at a collegiate or semi-collegiate level, nearly one third of them were Americans. The institutions where they taught were the newlystarted University of Tokyo or its predecessor and the Sapporo Agricultural College. Those American science teachers who were in office there for some time during the culminating years of 1871-90 numbered 14 at Tokyo and 6 at Sapporo.(Teachers who taught applied sciences soley are not included among them.)
As to these American science teachers, except for some, rather little was known until the present author succeeded in discovering their writings and biographical accounts in America. On the basis of these materials, it may now be said that they were well qualified teachers and many of them later became prominent as researchers, educators, or other professionals.