Abstract
In this paper the writer has tried to ascertain how motor disability was perceived in the late Edo period using four texts of European medicine which were published in the same period. The analysis of these texts revealed the following: 1) the method of "mono ni tadasu" (That is, empirical verification using physical body) which was described in "Kaitai shinsho" (1774). 2) the presentation of concepts of "jinshin" (the human body) "kokan" (sympathy) and "shizen ryono" (natural cure) in "Byogaku tsuron" (1844). 3) the essays on "sekizui mahi" (spinalparalyse) in "Satsubyo kikan" and "Fushi keiken ikun" (1857-1861). On the basis of these analyses the writer has discussed the perception of motor disability incurred by spinal paralysis as follows: 1) "Sekizui mahi" was understood from the view of physiology and anatomy. 2) It was described as a case of "kyokusho mahi" (localparalyse) and a kind of "mahi byo" (paralytic disease). 3) The causes of its motor disability were regarded as being a sympathetic dysfunction. 4) Treatment emphasized physical and spiritual stimulation in accordance with the human view that in time any diseased organ can recover by natural process. The historical significance of European texts was to pave the way for this treatment which evolved from the method of "mono ni tadasu".
