We reviewed papers published from 2006 to 2015 to grasp the reported rate of needlestick injuries in Japan. The papers are classified into two groups by method of investigating the reported rate: one group is investigating the rate of reported workers to all workers who have experienced needlestick injuries, and the other group is investigating the rate of reported cases to all needlestick injuries. The former was major than the latter. In either group, many papers said that the reported rate was less than 50%. The main reasons for unreported are that needles were unused, that patients did not have infection, and that they were too busy. We need to educate health care workers to always report when they experience a needlestick injury, including a case in which a needle is unused.

An infant disorder, so-called meningitis in infancy (SCMI), was firstly reported in the 28th year of the Meiji era (1895) in Japan. Professor Ikutaro Hirai at the Kyoto University Department of Pediatrics clarified in the 12th year of the Taisho era (1923) that SCMI was a chronic lead-poisoning disease caused by white lead contaminated in the mothers’ cosmetic powder. The special regulation of white lead was stipulated in the 5th year of the Showa era (1930) and came into force in the 10th year of the Showa era (1935). We traced the history of SCMI research using the publications in the pediatric medicine in 1931-1935.: we studied 132 SCMI articles which were published in Acta Paediatrica Japonica issued in this period. These articles were classified into seven groups, namely, reviews, statistical studies, case studies, clinical observations, laboratory findings, pathology and experimental study articles. In this study, we took up and discussed the review, statistics and case study articles.