This study aimed to determine the actual level of achievement of the Erikson model of “integration”, a psychosocial developmental task in old age, for residents of a leprosy sanatorium, as well as its related factors. The results of the study showed a fairly high level of “integration ”attainment among the residents. Higher integration was associated with a shorter length of stay, the experience of social reintegration, the experience of employment, the association with family members outside the center, and a higher level of mental independence. Achievement of integrity among residents was not considered to be dependent on the achievement of the seven stages of the pre-geriatric life cycle, but rather on the process of overcoming various crises such as loneliness, obstacles, and threats in the sanatorium and in society, while cooperating and adapting with peers, which cultivates ego strength and supports the achievement of “integrity”. The process of overcoming various crises such as loneliness, disabilities, and threats, and adapting in cooperation with peers, cultivated ego strength and supported the achievement of “integration”. Therefore, it was suggested that by capturing the experiences and strengths of individual residents and supporting their daily goals, way of life, and autonomy, the residents could gain a sense of life and receive support to enhance their“ integrity”.

  The purpose of this study is to organize the nursing practice developed in leprosy sanatoriums in Japan, to present the content of nursing care, which until now has tended to be limited to individual nurses’ reports of practice and research, together with its trends, and to use this information to improve the quality of nursing practice provided in leprosy sanatoriums in Japan in the future. Using the Ichushi Web, 17 references were selected for analysis from 842 references in accordance with the selection process. The content was organized into four categories, including “nursing care for the aftereffects of leprosy,” “Nursing care based on each resident’s lifestyle and past background.,” etc. The results indicated that in addition to health care and medical treatment for the aftereffects of leprosy, there are nursing practices that support the continuation of daily life and individual nursing practices based on the past background of the residents who have lived through this disease. The study also showed that there are nursing practices that support the continuation of daily life, as well as individualized nursing practices that take into account the past background of the residents. Thus, it can be said that leprosy nursing is a unique nursing practice that has been changing through trial and error in order to solve problems due to the special circumstances of the disease, but there are many points that should be applied to other nursing practices.

  Between 1914 and 1919, clinical trials of copper cyanide agents against tuberculosis and leprosy were conducted extensively in Japan. However, significant therapeutic effects were not confirmed at the conclusion of the clinical trials. At the 96th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Leprosy Society 2023, Drs Hiroshi Ishida and Yoshinori Aoki have made a presentation claiming that the administration of “highly poisonous potassium cyanide solution” was a “violation of human rights” regarding the clinical trials by Dr Takekichi Sugai in 1914. The author searched the open records and literature of these days, and expressed the concern that their claim was done without any evidence in the discussion session following the presentation. However, there was no reasonable answers from them. This study aims to prove that those copper cyanide agents were not an aqueous potassium cyanide (salt) solution, as claimed by the two Drs, but that Sugai’s solution was an aqueous solution consisting mainly of copper cyanide and potassium or sodium, which was carefully manufactured by Dr Sugai as well as by Dr Koga, not to contain toxic free cyanide ion.