We conducted a comprehensive survey of autopsies performed on residents of Kikuchi Keifuen sanatorium by using various related records stored in the facility. Although the preservation conditions of the records are not perfect, and the information from which we could obtain is insufficient to clarify past situations, we identified 388 autopsies conducted from 1911 to 1965, and then verified the legal procedures for conducting autopsies in the sanatorium by combining the fragmented information from multiple documents and records. This was the first large-scale survey of the sanatorium based on historical manuscripts and records, which has accelerated the preservation work of historical materials in the sanatorium.

  We have long been advocating the significance of preservation and utilization of historical medical records and have stressed the importance of building archives of various records remaining in Hansen’s disease sanatoriums throughout Japan. This survey will be a pioneering example of the importance and usefulness of historical medical archives. When examining various issues related to leprosy, it will be essential to consider the historical background, social customs, bioethics, and changing attitudes toward patients’ human rights based of the materials from the past.

  United States (U.S.)-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program (USJCMSP) was inaugurated in 1965 for the research of Asian countries, and Leprosy Panel was established in 1966. The Joint Panel consisted of 10 members, 5 from U.S. and 5 from Japan. Annual Panel & Research meetings took place in each country alternately. This system worked quite well as a team meeting for the development of basic leprosy research. Successful inoculation of Mycobacterium leprae to nude mouse and Mycobacterium leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid I were some examples. Many Japanese leprosy researchers could grow by USJCMSP. In 1996, Leprosy Panel was amalgamated with Tuberculosis Panel, and renamed to Mycobacterial Diseases Panel in 2016. A complete table of USJCMSP leprosy and leprosy/tuberculosis meetings is shown.